My Alleged Husband

Chapter 520 - 499 Shirk_1

Old Master Zhang came to in a daze, aware that this sudden onset of illness would surely lead his grandson to shift all the blame onto Zhang Zhentian’s shoulders. He did not want their father-son relationship to become so strained and decided to clarify everything. He didn’t want them to fall out over such trivial matters—such a loss would not be worth the gain.

"Child, I know your heart is aching, but you have to understand that I never meant to upset you on purpose," she said. "I just didn’t want to go back home with him like that. I have my pride. Is it wrong for me to reject him for the sake of my dignity? You can do anything for your dignity and consider your mistakes correct, but when I simply refuse him, is it a terrible, unforgivable mistake? All the problems weren’t this bad from the start. It was all his doing that made everything as it is now, so why should I bear the blame? Am I born to be your scapegoat? I know I have made many mistakes, but I have paid a heavy price for them. Can’t you ever see that I have turned over a new leaf?"

"Ha, ha...

Are you telling me that you’ve truly reformed, or are you just finding ways to beg for mercy, to argue that none of this is your fault and that Grandpa was sick from the start?"

I really don’t understand how you can be so cruel to your own biological father. He has truly given up a lot for you, but you’ve never appreciated it. You always took his love for granted as something you deserved. But was he really supposed to risk his life for you over and over again? Have you ever considered why he treated you that way, saw you as a real family member? The things you’ve done have deeply hurt him. Have you ever thought about how much pain he must feel, how self-righteous you are, always believing your decisions are the right ones for everyone? But you don’t realize that sometimes your choices can hurt the ones who love you the most—and hurt them deeply!

I know there are things I shouldn’t say to you, as you’re still my elder, but there are some truths I hope you truly understand, not just superficially, but from the bottom of your heart. Do you understand? I really hated you once for abandoning me with Mom, but when I think about it, if you could abandon your own family for your freedom, even forsake your own son, it shows you really couldn’t stand Grandpa’s control. If you really couldn’t accept the life Grandpa planned for you back then, why didn’t you talk to him about it? Grandpa is not unreasonable; on the contrary, he understands right from wrong better than most. If you would patiently explain, he would have understood, but instead, you chose this way to rebel. You hurt those who loved you most, without ever considering whether your actions were right or wrong."

Zhang Zhentian, hearing his son speak of him this way, felt uncomfortable, but he knew every word his son said was true. If he had been more willing to communicate with his biological father, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way. If his own father had been more willing to talk and understand his feelings, he might not have tried to control his fate.

In fact, up to this point, Zhang Zhentian still wanted to place all the blame on his biological father, never having the courage to accept responsibility for his own mistakes. He always thought that others must be plotting against him whenever something went wrong. He never realized that the most error-prone person was himself, and by blaming others, he made things unacceptable to everyone involved.

"You really don’t need to mock me. I understand how much you were hurt growing up, called the child nobody wanted, with people saying no one would ever love you. I also know how deep those words cut. But your mother and I didn’t want this for you, and there was nothing we could do—once we made our choice, we couldn’t turn back. Undoing it would have rendered all our sacrifices meaningless. You know how much your mother and I care about you, how deeply we love you; we hold you dear to our hearts. But in the end, we couldn’t get along with you because our hearts were not aligned. You and Grandpa are the ones who belong together. He’s the one who raised you with hard work. So your heart has room only for him and not for us, your parents..."

Zhang Yichen could never have imagined that, even now, his biological father would still shift all the blame onto Grandpa. He couldn’t understand what Grandpa really felt inside. Despite Zhang Zhentian’s treatment of him, Grandpa was still determined to have his father return home. Even with the deep wounds inflicted, Grandpa was resolute. Perhaps that was the love of a father for his son, a love which he seemed unable to receive himself. Why did his father have to hurt him like this? Why couldn’t his family ever find a perfect resolution? What could he do to reset everything, to ease the burden on those who loved him, to prevent any more harm to those he cared for? Was all he had done so frail? Was the strength he projected just an illusion, never truly able to overcome his parents?