Too Late For Remorse

After the birth of our daughter, my husband left for a dangerous mission. My in-laws' initial joy soured, and they regarded my baby with disdain. Maria, my mother-in-law, was particularly scornful.

In a rare show of familial love, my father-in-law Lincoln took my daughter out for a playdate. I thought he had finally grown fond of her, only for him to strike me the moment he returned.

"How dare you betray my son! I'll kill you!"

"Yes! Beat that loose woman to death together with that brat!"

Shifting my gaze from the report on the floor to my furious father-in-law, I pulled out several photos—my naked mother-in-law Maria, caught with another man.

"Let's see who the real loose woman is!"

It was the first time my father-in-law, Lincoln, took the initiative to go on a playdate with my four-year-old daughter.

He had always been unwilling to even fetch her to and from kindergarten. Were pigs about to fly?

"Really?" my daughter, Gillian, squealed. "Grandpa, you're the best!"

Seeing my daughter's eyes light up struck me with melancholy.

Grandfather and granddaughter grabbed their water bottles and headed out, giddy with excitement. With time on my hands, I returned to my room and resumed sleeping.

Lo and behold, I was soon rudely awakened by Lincoln's rough yells.

"Why are you crying, you brat? Had I known earlier, I would have strangled you!"

An ominous feeling crept up my chest. I hurriedly threw on a shawl and rushed out of the room. The first thing I saw was my poor daughter's face, flushed from crying. Lincoln, meanwhile, sat on the couch with a dark face.

Facing the scene before me, I felt fury burn in my chest.

"Dad, what's all this? She's your granddaughter, for goodness' sake!"

Lincoln looked even more livid than me, and responded by flinging two pieces of paper into my face.

"Hmph! How dare you continue lying to us! This brat is no Jenkins! I have no granddaughter!"

Only when I looked at the papers did I come to understand the reason behind his sudden burst of anger. His and my daughter's names were indicated there, alongside the result of their blood relation test—0%.

The shocking information seared my eyes.

I looked at Lincoln, filled with disbelief. As it turned out, the playdate was nothing but an excuse. In truth, he took Gillian for a paternity test.

I thought back to my daughter's excited expression earlier this morning, and rage surged within me. Unable to hold back, I exploded.

"Dad! What's the meaning of this?" I snarled. "I know you don't like Gilly because she's a girl, but I didn't think you'd go so far as to suspect that she isn't Leonard's! How are Leonard and I going to move on from here?"

Instead of looking guilty, Lincoln smacked the table hard.

"Had I not done the paternity test, I would never have known that she's not part of the family! A loose woman like you should be driven out of the house! How dare you try to ruin Leonard's life! Do you even have a conscience?!"

Gillian hid in a corner and burst into tears, frightened. It was her first time witnessing such a scene.

I sighed. I didn't want this event to leave a shadow in Gillian's childhood, so I tried talking sense to Lincoln.

"Dad, Leonard is my first love and my only man. Gilly is truly his daughter. There must be a misunderstanding somewhere! Let's look deeper into it. Don't scare Gilly."

The moment Lincoln heard Gillian's name, he sprang from the couch and pointed angrily at her.

"That thing isn't part of our family!" he spat. "Misunderstanding, my foot! I spent a fortune on the paternity test at a private hospital. I saw them do the test with my own eyes! How dare you deny it when the evidence is right there, staring at you! I'll teach you a good lesson on behalf of my son!"

In a fit of fury, he charged toward me and pinned me to the floor.

Gillian was so frightened, she rushed out of her hiding spot and hugged Lincoln's leg. "Don't hit Mommy! Grandpa, don't hit Mommy…"

I hurriedly pulled Gillian into my arms and comforted her, the gears in my mind turning desperately for an answer to this strange mess.

My mother-in-law Maria entered just as Lincoln was about to strike me again, having just finished her card game. Her face twisted with frustration the moment she heard Gillian's cries.

"All you do all day is cry!" she complained. "All my luck went down the drain because of your silly crying! I lost so much today…"

That was when she realized Lincoln was in the midst of slapping me. Immediately, her frustration gave way to confusion.

"Honey, what are you…?"

The knowledge that Maria had lost money at card games added fuel to the fire burning in Lincoln's chest.

"You stupid old woman! All you do all day is play cards!" he roared. "You don't even have a clue that your son has been cuckolded! The money we've spent on this illegitimate brat is enough for you to play endless rounds of cards!"