The Dreams Have Burned To Ashes

After we got engaged, my fiancee sent a child from abroad. She also sent an email along with it. [Noah, I was so bored overseas that I accidentally had a baby with Raivo Fallon. Since you’ve always been so eager to suck up to me, I’ll leave this child in your care. You can get some practice ahead of time so you’ll be ready to be our caregiver when I return home to Abrein.] Without a word, I handed the child over to the butler. Seven years later, all the CEOs stationed overseas returned to Abrein for their performance reviews. Laina Miller drove up in a Raypach, leading a large entourage that blocked me at the entrance to the Miller family residence. She held a cigarette between her lips, tilted her head, and took off her sunglasses. “Did you miss me that much? Did you wait here at the gate just for me? “Just so you know, for the sake of the child’s registration papers, Raivo and I got married overseas. From now on, you two will be brothers. You’ll share everything. “The Miller and Lewis families are now related by marriage. You don’t care about just a small piece of paper, do you?” After that, she blew several smoke rings in my direction. They choked me until tears streamed down my face. I wiped my tears away and hurriedly backed away. My child’s mother was the pettiest person I ever knew. She had warned me long ago to keep my distance from other younger female relatives. If she found out her niece was harassing her husband, the Miller family would be in an uproar. Chapter 1 Laina Miller saw me backing away. She burst out laughing. “Come on, stop pretending! I know you’re so excited that you’re close to tears. “I’m back now, so stop playing hard to get. As long as you take good care of Raivo and me, your title as my husband is secure. It’s not going anywhere.” Hearing that, I almost laughed out loud in sheer frustration. I wiped away my tears, then calmly retorted with a sneer. “Laina, what makes you think I can’t live without you?” The woman rolled her eyes again. She looked at me as if I were an idiot. “We were engaged when we were twenty. You’ve been part of the Miller family for a long time now, and you even took care of my child for several years. If you don’t stay with me, where else will you go?” Hearing that, I felt relieved. Thank goodness I had ended whatever I felt for her and married someone else instead. A few years ago, when we parted ways at the airport, she clung to me and swore, “Noah, wait for me for five months. I’ll definitely make a name for myself and come back to marry you!” She had been gone eight months. At that time, she sent the baby that she had with Raivo Fallon back to me. That meant that they had been having an affair long before she went abroad. Everyone in the Capital knew about it, but I was the last to find out. Every time I thought about it, I wanted to slap her across the face. Just as I raised my hand, someone shouted, “Daddy!” Sweeny ran over and held out his arms to me, waiting for me to pick him up. His mother was busy with meetings today, so he had to stay with me for now. Just as I leaned down to pick him up, someone yanked Sweeny away. “Who are you calling ‘Daddy’? I’m your dad!” Raivo leapt out from behind Laina, fuming, and slapped Sweeny twice. My eyes twitched in anger. I shoved him away. Before he even hit the floor, he grabbed at Laina’s sleeve. His eyes were red with rage. “Laina, I just wanted the kid to call me ‘Dad’ once. If he doesn’t want to, that’s fine. How could he lay a hand on me?” His outburst drew the bodyguards over. The crowd surrounded Sweeny and me, while Raivo watched coldly. I shielded the child behind me, gritted my teeth, and demanded angrily, “Are you all blind? You’re surrounding me over a servant? Do you even know who I am?” “Enough!” Laina arched her delicate eyebrow. Then, she crushed out her cigarette butt and pointed at me. “Noah Lewis, who gave you the nerve to speak to Raivo like that?! “He’s my husband and this child’s real father! You didn’t just keep them from reuniting but humiliated him in public!” I snorted coldly and pushed her hand away. “A mere servant thinks he can be my son’s father? Is he even worthy of it?” If I had not shown kindness and let him stay at the Miller family house back then, he would have starved to death long ago. Who would have thought he would repay my kindness with a betrayal such as climbing into my wife’s bed? Laina grew even angrier. She snatched Sweeny violently from my arms and shoved him into Raivo’s embrace. The courtyard echoed with the child’s cries. “You’re bad people! Get lost!” Chapter 2 My heart ached when I saw that Sweeny’s face had turned red from crying. Just then, Raivo dipped his head before me. As he stroked the child’s face, he wept bitterly. “Noah, even if you hate me, you can’t drive a wedge between us! You can’t use a child in that way! Sweeny’s so young. He calls you ‘Daddy’ over and over again. How could you abuse him behind our backs?” As he spoke, he pulled up the child’s shirt and revealed his back, which was covered in red welts. Laina’s eyes widened. When she looked at me again, her face changed. “Noah, I kindly sent the child to you so you could get some practice in! I trusted you but you dared to whip him? “You don’t have to be so vicious just because you can’t have me!” The child’s back was covered with welts and bruises from top to bottom as though he had been whipped. It was terrifying to look at. Laina could not bear to think about how miserably her son must have been in these past few years. She did not know that those were not marks from being whipped. Those were marks from back massages that we had to do to get rid of the child’s fever. A few days earlier, Sweeny caught a chill and had a high fever. Due to his unique constitution, he could not take fever medication. The doctor recommended physical therapy. That night, the entire team of nutritionists were all whipped and driven out of the mansion. If she only knew how her presence humiliated me and Sweeny on this day, a hundred lifetimes of rage would not be enough to soothe it. When I saw that the men I had brought along with me were at the door, I could not be bothered to play along any longer. I pointed at Laina and Raivo and shouted, “Take these two down and teach them a lesson according to the Miller family rules!” Laina’s face turned bright red with rage. She struggled to pull free from the bodyguards who grabbed her. She snapped at me, “Noah, do you really think I’ll keep you around if you act crazy like this? I’ll kick you out of the Miller family house right now!” I let out a chuckle. “Go ahead and try!” These bodyguards were all handpicked from the best. With them here, nothing could harm Sweeny and me. Raivo saw that he was losing control of the situation. He realized that the bodyguards would not harm the child in his arms. Raivo’s eyes darted about, then he immediately clamped his hand around the child’s neck and threatened, “If you don’t stop right now, I’ll strangle him to death!” Sweeny struggled desperately in his grip. He was breathing heavily, and his face turned blue. Even his cries gradually grew fainter. I yanked the dagger from my pocket and lunged at him. He let out a shriek and immediately let go. I rushed over and held Sweeny, trying to make sure he was breathing. “Sweeny? Sweeny? “Don’t be afraid. Daddy’s here, okay?” I watched as the child convulsed uncontrollably and gasped for air. I quickly pulled out his asthma inhaler. Just as I held it to his mouth, Raivo grabbed me. He went berserk and began hitting me. He punched and kicked me. “You not only abused my child but now, you’re also trying to murder him? You absolute monster!” Laina’s face went deathly pale as she screamed, “Noah, how dare you?!” Just in time, the inhaler had found its way to Sweeny’s mouth. Almost immediately, his convulsions and labored breathing subsided. Only then did the two of them grudgingly fall silent. However, Sweeny had fainted from shock. He urgently needed an IV. I ordered the bodyguards to hold the two of them back, then I ran off carrying Sweeny on my back. Laina’s furious shouts exploded behind me. “Noah, you’ve caused enough trouble! How dare you leave? From now on, you’re no longer my husband!” “No one wants you, anyway!” I snapped. She sneered and continued, “You’re just being stubborn right now! I don’t want you any longer. Let’s see who in their right mind would take you, you worthless piece of trash!” I did not want to waste my time arguing with her, so I gathered my men. “Back to the old mansion!” I ordered. Chapter 3 At that time, Trisha Miller was leading a prayer with the Miller family. As soon as I got out of the car, I sent someone there to notify her. Then, I rushed into the infirmary with Sweeny in my arms. Sweeny had woken up at some point. His little hand was clutching the hem of my shirt tightly. Even then, he tried to comfort me. “It doesn’t hurt, Daddy. Don’t cry…” The more he tried to comfort me, the guiltier I felt. If I had not taken him to the Miller family house today, we would not have met those two lunatics. “Sir, please don’t panic. Master Sweeny… God will look after him.” The doctor was so frightened by Sweeny’s weak breathing that his voice trembled. Just as I placed the child in the medical pod, the infirmary door was kicked open. Laina stormed in with a group of bodyguards. She had her arms around Raivo. When she saw me, a smug look of satisfaction flashed across her face. She said contemptuously, “You said you didn’t care, but here you are in the old mansion! How pretentious!” Raivo leaned against her shoulder. His eyes were filled with venom. “Noah, you stole my child, attacked me with a dagger, and now, you dare to step into this old mansion? Don’t you feel afraid of offending the head of the Miller family? “Everyone in the Capital knows that if you offend the head of the Miller family, you’re as good as dead!” Laina shooed the doctor out the door. She grabbed me and dragged me into a corner. Her tone was impatient. “Noah, for the sake of your undying love for me, I’ll give you one more chance. Get out of here!” When Sweeny saw her bully me, he picked up a water jug and hurled it at her. Crash! Laina wiped the blood from her forehead. Her expression was dark and terrifying. She lifted Sweeny with one hand. “Do you have a death wish? How dare you hit your own mother?!” I saw Sweeny’s face turn blue. I struggled with all my might and slapped Laina across the face. “Let go of my son!” Raivo’s face changed. He grabbed cotton pads from the table and tried to stuff it in my mouth. “What are you on about?! Just die, and don’t drag us down with you! Don’t disrupt the family’s prayer time, or you’ll burn in hell for eternity!” He suddenly went berserk and somehow summoned enough strength to slam me to the floor. Before I knew it, my mouth was stuffed full of cotton. I could not be bothered to care about anything else. I struggled and wrestled with Raivo. Amid a series of muffled groans, Laina stared at me in utter shock. “Noah, I entrusted you with my child because our families had a long-standing engagement. Your manners and background were commendable at that time. Look at you now! “You’re no different from a lunatic! If the child stays with you, he’ll go mad. Starting today, Raivo and I will raise Sweeny ourselves!” At that time, she suddenly let out a sharp cry of pain. When Sweeny saw them gang up against me, he was frantic with worry. With all his might, he sank his teeth into Laina’s wrist. He had suffered from asthma from childhood and had lived with me. He was the closest to me. When he was four, he used to wave his fists at the stray cats to keep them away from me. He used to stand in front of me and say in his baby voice, “As long as I’m here, don’t you dare pick on my dad!” When I saw how Sweeny’s little body trembled, but he refused to let go of Laina, my heart ached for him. I kicked Raivo to the floor with one final kick. I was just about to pull Sweeny back to me when Laina yanked my hair and kicked me away. “Noah, how dare you raise my son as a beast who doesn’t even recognize his own parents?” Chapter 4 “Don’t hit my dad!” Sweeny saw me get thrown to the floor. My forehead split open and blood gushed. Sweeny screamed in panic as he prepared to bite a second time. But Laina saw right through him. She gripped Sweeny’s chin, glanced at Raivo in the corner, and kept tightening her grip. “You little beast! Open your eyes and look for yourself! Your real dad is right there!” “He’s not my dad! You’re all bad people!” Sweeny looked up. He opened his bloodied, mangled mouth, and lashed out at her as he tried to bite and scratch. Laina was out of patience. She flung him to the floor and planted her sharp heel firmly on the child’s chest. She sneered and said, “Noah has completely corrupted this child! He doesn’t even recognize his own parents! “Fine! I’ll teach you a good lesson today. Here’s how you apologize to your parents!” With that, she applied more pressure and stomped and ground her foot harder onto Sweeny’s chest. Sweeny’s muffled screams and groans of pain echoed throughout the room. “Let him go! You monster! You don’t deserve to lay a finger on my son!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I struggled to crawl toward Sweeny. My voice was choked with tears. “He’s having an asthma attack! Can’t you see he’s in danger? “If anything happens to him, I swear I’ll destroy you and your whole family, Laina!” Laina laughed as though she had just heard the funniest joke. She turned to glance at me. Then, she looked at Raivo, who was covered in blood and looked utterly wrecked. Her face turned cruel. “Asthma? He’s in danger, is he? “He doesn’t even recognize me anymore! Why should I care whether he lives or dies? If he dies accidentally today, it’s all your fault! You spoiled him rotten!” She yanked Sweeny by his hair and forced him to his feet. Poor Sweeny could not even keep upright. He could not even cry out for help anymore. I charged toward Laina like a madman. I wanted to tear her apart. She kicked me violently to the floor. Then, she grabbed me and pulled me forcefully before Raivo. “That child is spoiled beyond limit! It’s your fault! Slap yourself three times before Raivo as an apology!” I was held against my will as my hands slapped against my face. My face turned swollen, but I remained stubbornly silent as I glared at her. My silence enraged Laina further. She pulled a knife from the fruit bowl and waved it in front of me. She smiled sinisterly. “You stabbed Raivo. You should pay for that! If you stab yourself and apologize…” She suddenly leaned close to my face. Then, she said in a gentle tone of voice, “Maybe then I won’t hold the past incidents against you. Otherwise…” She did not get to finish her sentence. I opened my mouth and spat a mouthful of blood at her. Laina closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her gaze was clouded by overwhelming rage. She slowly wiped her face. Then, she yanked my hair and slapped me. “You asked for this! I gave you a chance, but you turned it down!” Then, she looked down and kicked Sweeny. “Watch closely! This is the very first lesson from your mom! “If you act like an entitled brat, you have to pay the price!” Sweeny was jolted awake by the pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw the knife heading toward my chest. His eyes widened in shock. “Daddy!” I did not know where he found the strength, but he broke free and darted forward to shield me. “No!!!” Warm blood sprayed on my face. I stared blankly at Sweeny. Redness filled my vision, and my heart sank. Sweeny’s lips trembled as he slowly reached out to me with his blood-stained hands. His voice broke. “It doesn’t hurt that much… Daddy, don’t cry.” Before his blood-stained hands could touch my face, they fell limply to his sides. Laina glared at me with her bloodshot eyes. Then, she drew her knife and aimed it at my chest once more. “You’re something else, aren’t you! You made my son die in your place!” Just as the tip of the knife sank an inch into my chest, a gunshot rang out behind me. “The head of the household has arrived!”