Freedom Met with Betrayal

“If it wasn’t because I still remembered what you once did for me, I would’ve filed for divorce while you were in prison!” Seren left me with that cold sentence. “From now on, you’re still the head of this household, but don’t interfere with the love between me and Arden.” After saying that, she brushed past me and walked away. I stood there, frozen. After all those years of love and every risk I took for her, it was all gone in an instant. “Lucian, stop making a fuss. In this circle, many families are like this.” Seren suddenly turned back again, grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the villa. “At least Arden and I are only at the kissing stage. I can even promise you that before I fully choose to be with him, I’ll spend some good time with you again.” I walked forward in a numb daze. Her words completely shattered everything I believed in. “And don’t worry. I will still be your wife and do what a wife should do. I’ll try to make time for you. I won’t spend all my time on Arden.” Seren talked as if she were arranging a work schedule. “There’s 150 thousand in this card. Do whatever you want,” she said. “But remember, if you want to have fun, find someone clean. Don’t come home with diseases.” After bringing me into the study, she handed me the card. I looked at the card, then at the woman who now felt like a stranger to me. I said nothing and took it. “Where are you going?” She suddenly pulled me back as I turned to leave. “Sleeping,” I replied numbly. “No. You’re not going. Tonight, I can reward you here in the study. Didn’t you always want to try something different before? Today, I can give you everything.” Seren was actually taking the initiative. But I felt sick, not just in my mind, but physically, like I wanted to throw up. Still, I held it in and didn’t refuse her. That night, I barely slept. It felt like she was trying to exhaust me to death with the way she “rewarded” me. When morning came and she finally fell asleep on the chair, I slipped away to take a shower. I remembered scenes from movies, where a woman who had been assaulted would keep washing herself over and over, feeling she could never get clean. Right then… that was exactly how I felt. I even wanted to grab sandpaper and scrub off the outer layer of my skin. After showering, the sadness and exhaustion hit me all at once. I fell asleep with those feelings and when I woke up again, it was already afternoon. When I went to the living room, I saw Seren’s parents sitting on the sofa, their faces dark and serious. “Why are you still sleeping at a time like this? Did you sleep like this when you were in prison? What bad luck. Our daughter ended up marrying someone like you.” My mother-in-law still acted the same as before, covered in expensive jewelry from head to toe. But back then, when Seren and I almost broke up, she cried and begged me not to leave her daughter, even threatened to kill herself if I didn’t marry her. And now she said I was the bad luck? “I heard you saw everything yesterday? Since you already know, there’s nothing left to hide. We came today for two things.” “First, we’re taking the child to stay at Arden’s place. We’re all living there now. Second, we’re warning you, don’t you dare interfere with Seren and Arden’s relationship. Otherwise, we’ll send you back to prison.” “You, a morally rotten ex-convict, don’t deserve my daughter!” My father-in-law said this with a stiff face, then stood up to leave. Did he forget that when he was caught hiring prostitutes, I was the one who pulled strings to get him out?

Now they called me the one with “bad morals”? “Caspian, are you sure you want to go?” I asked my son. He was only seven or eight. I wanted to give him a chance. But he turned around and glared at me, his face full of disgust. “Mom said I can take Arden’s surname from now on. I’ll be Caspian Thorn. I’m not using your stupid ex-convict surname!” After saying that, he grabbed my father-in-law’s hand and walked off, asking excitedly, “Did Arden buy me the computer? Did he buy the 5090D he promised? I want to play Delta Force! I want to go all out!” “He bought it,” my father-in-law replied. “And you don’t need to call him Arden anymore. Soon, Arden will be your real father.” My father-in-law said this while looking straight at me, clearly trying to provoke me. I clenched my fists but said nothing. The house felt huge and empty and now, it really was just me left inside. The ironic part was that our wedding photo was still hanging in the living room. And near the wine cabinet, there was another picture of me and Seren kissing under a tree, with Arden making a silly face in the corner of the photo. They were the woman I loved the most and the friend I trusted the most. I was willing to risk my life for them, but in the end, they didn’t hesitate to betray me and make a fool out of me. People’s hearts these days were really something else. I was sitting on the sofa smoking when my phone rang. It was an unknown number. “Lucian, I’m out too! I called you the moment I got released. I’ll be using this number from now on!” It was a man’s voice, full of excitement. His name was Welly Broth. He looked even prettier than some girls. He got locked up for drunk driving and hit-and-run, at least that’was what the record said. But the truth was, his own older brother framed him. He wasn’t even the one driving. While we were inside, he almost got targeted every day because he looked so good. But I protected him. From that day on, he treated me like his real brother. “Let’s meet another time. I have some things to deal with right now, so I won’t look for you yet.” Right after I said that, another call came in. It was my dad. I quickly said to Welly, “I’ll talk to you later, my dad is calling.” What I feared most was my parents finding out about everything. They were getting older. If they knew what happened, the anger might seriously hurt them. “Lucian, listen to me,” my dad said. “Feelings are complicated. Since Seren has fallen for someone else, don’t hold on anymore.” “And besides, Arden is a good kid. During the four years you were in prison, he took care of us even better than you, our own son.” “So if you keep causing trouble, don’t blame me and your mother for cutting ties with you!” My dad’s angry voice came through the phone. So even my own parents had turned against me? My chest hurt. I didn’t say a word and just hung up. If everyone had betrayed me then I might as well act like they didn’t exist. I still had my work, at least that hadn’t left me. I got up, cleaned myself up, put on a suit and headed to the company. The Vale Group was the company I built with my own hands. Since university, I started my own business. I made money through small mobile games and later our MOBA game exploded overseas. Half of the overseas market for local games was basically under my control. Before I went to prison, we even had a AAA game ready to launch on Steam, but everything got delayed because I was locked up. Now that I was out, with both love and family gone, this game was the only thing I could rely on to climb back to the top. But when I arrived at the company entrance, the security guards stopped me. “I’m Lucian Vale. The Vale Group belongs to me,” I explained. The guard laughed coldly. “Oh, do you think if your surname is Vale, then the Vale Group is yours? My surname is Vale too, does that make me your dad?”

Just then, I heard footsteps behind me. When I turned around, I saw Seren and Arden walking over, surrounded by a group of people. The security guard immediately rushed forward with a flattering smile. “Mr. Thorn, Mrs. Thorn, this idiot here is saying the Vale Group belongs to him!” Mr. Thorn, Mrs. Thorn? So Seren and Arden weren’t even trying to hide their relationship in public anymore. Arden just smiled and said to the security guard, “He’s not wrong. The Vale Group used to be his. But it’s not anymore.” “How is it not mine?” I frowned. Arden smiled. “When you went to prison, your shares were transferred to Seren for the sake of the company’s growth. How could the company still be yours?” Seren glanced at me lightly. “Alright, Lucian. Don’t come to the company anymore.” I suddenly remembered the share transfer. Back then the company was at a critical moment and needed funding and since I was in prison, it wasn’t suitable for me to keep the shares. Competitors would have used it against us. “Then why can’t I even come to the company?” I asked, trying to hold back my anger. “You’re a convict. The company can’t hire a convict and definitely can’t let a convict be in the management.” Seren’s voice was cold. “And you need to understand. I am the chairman now. You are not allowed to question my decisions anymore.” So… I really had nothing left? No career left either? I turned around and walked away without saying anything. I didn’t even know what I could say anymore. Behind me, Seren’s voice sounded, “As long as you behave and listen, I’ll still let you live decently. At least you won’t run out of money to spend.” They were using the wealth I built with my own hard work and now they wanted to “give” it back to me like charity? To humiliate me? I didn't know how long I walked, but eventually I found myself standing in front of my old high school. The smell of fried chicken in the air was exactly the same as I remembered. Heavy oil, salty, spicy — the taste of youth I never forgot. Back then, right here, Seren, Arden and I had so many memories together. “One fried chicken please.” I walked up to the fried chicken stall, my voice numb as I placed my order. “Don’t make it for him.” Arden’s voice came from behind me. He let out a cold laugh. “This shop was bought by me and Seren. And we used the money you earned to buy it.” I looked at him for a long moment and finally sighed. “Arden… nearly thirty years of friendship and this is how you treat me?” “Lucian, do you know? When you were in prison, I slept in your bedroom every night, kissed your wife and spent your money. Your son calls me ‘Dad.’ Your parents treat me like their own. And now you’re out and you think you can take everything back?” Arden sneered, his voice icy. “You’ve got nothing left. In four years, I’ve taken everything that used to be yours. And all you can do is stand there and watch me enjoy it.” My breath came heavy and rough. My fists tightened instinctively, like I was right back in the days when I had to fight for my life. “What? Not convinced? You want to hit me? Then go on!” Arden even leaned his face toward me. “Come on, Lucian. If you’re still a man, hit me!” I raised my hand, then slowly put it back down. If I hit him, all he had to do was file a report and I’d be thrown back into prison. Especially now that he was rich with my money. “What, lost your nerve?” Arden sneered, a flash of disappointment in his eyes. And from that disappointment, I understood. He was deliberately provoking me, trying to make me strike first.

I didn’t say a word. I just turned around and walked away. After that day, Seren almost never came home again. But every single day, I’d get photos of her and Arden on my WhatsApp, all of them kissing, all of them glued to each other. They seemed obsessed with showing off. I blocked them both, thinking that at least I wouldn’t have to see it anymore. But the moment I blocked them, packages started arriving at my door every day—prints of those same photos. It was like they were trying to drive me insane. My mental state kept getting worse. Sometimes I’d sink so low I couldn’t breathe, even think about dying. Other times I’d suddenly swing to the opposite extreme—restless, manic, filled with a wild urge to destroy everything. Welly came over and happened to catch me in that state. He immediately took me to the hospital. His younger sister worked as a psychiatrist. Good looks run in their family. Welly was already prettier than most women, but his sister was so stunning that I actually blanked out for a moment. Not in a lustful way, just pure appreciation of beauty. After a brief evaluation, Sarah looked at me, then at Welly. “Tell him. He can handle it.” Welly trusts me completely. And I already knew something was seriously wrong. “Lucian,” she said softly, "You may have bipolar disorder. You need to start medication immediately and find something to keep yourself occupied. Otherwise, it could get dangerous.” Sarah looked at me with genuine sympathy. “I heard from my brother that you’re someone with a big heart, someone open-minded. How did things get this bad?” “I went to prison for my wife and my friend,” I said quietly. “And they ended up together. My son won’t even call me dad. My in-laws curse me out. Even my own parents threatened to cut ties if I kept trying to win my wife back.” “And the company shares are gone too. Love, career… everything’s gone. If I can still stay open-minded after all that, then I’d be some kind of saint.” I gave a bitter laugh. Sarah hadn’t expected my situation to be this tragic. Besides sympathy, there was something like shared sorrow in her eyes. She looked as if she might cry. “Don’t worry about me,” I even found myself comforting her. “I’ll get through it.” She wiped the corners of her eyes, then wrote up the diagnosis and prescribed a pile of medication for me. I didn’t let the siblings send me off. I left by myself. I didn’t take the elevator—just wandered down the stairs, floor by floor, trying to waste time. But when I reached the sixth floor, I froze. I saw Arden holding Seren as they walked out of a consultation room. Arden didn’t look very happy. “Lucian, are you following us?” Seeing Arden upset, Seren also got angry. Once she saw me, she treated me like someone to vent on. “I’m not.” I shook my head. “Seren, don’t be mad. You’re pregnant,” Arden said. Pregnant? I looked at her stomach and my heart tightened painfully. Did she get pregnant with Arden’s child? “Congrats, Lucian. You’re going to be a dad again,” Arden said, gritting his teeth. “Mine?” I let out a cold laugh. “She sleeps at your place every day. How do you know the baby is mine?” “Shut up!” Seren walked up to me angrily and slapped me across the face. “I told you, I never slept with Arden. So the baby is yours!” “Then get rid of it,” I said, leaving the words behind as I turned and walked away. This time, I took the elevator. Just before the doors closed, I saw the shock on Seren’s face because of what I said. “I was planning to cut ties with Arden for this child! But Lucian, you’ve really disappointed me!” She gritted her teeth. “Just wait. I won’t let you spend my money ever again!” Arden’s eyes were full of anger. A moment ago, he’d been happy, thinking Seren would talk about divorce, but all she said was that she wouldn’t give me money anymore. I ignored them. After leaving the hospital, I just wandered around with no direction. Without noticing, I walked into a small alley. “Don’t go. Let’s settle it here.” Arden’s voice suddenly came from behind me. I turned around and saw him walking in with more than ten men. “What are you trying to do?” I frowned and asked. “You guys, start. But don’t hit too hard. Don’t actually break me. Just make sure you cut me with a knife. And don’t touch the face, got it?” “After that, I’ll call the police. You all know what to say, right? Oh, and take his phone. Add yourselves as friends. Use his phone to send you money. Then type a message saying he hired you to beat me up.” “Arden… do you really want to send me back to prison?” I gave a bitter smile. Arden gave a cold grin. “I don’t just want to send you back. I’ll arrange people inside to finish you off. So you’ll never ruin my life again.” “Do it!” Arden shouted.