Chapter 4

In my previous life, I listened to their devilish words.

I took that little bastard to the clinic.

Right after, I was pointed at and gossiped about.

They spread rumors that I, a young man, was suddenly carrying a child for no reason.

It was almost certain that the child was mine, born of an affair with some woman.

George and William spread rumors about me everywhere.

It was just when they were selecting young people to return to the city.

A young person's moral conduct was an especially important selection criterion.

Because of these baseless rumors, my chance to return to the city was revoked.

This time, I absolutely won't have anything to do with that little bastard!

Unexpectedly, though I didn't look for trouble, trouble found me.

Just as I was packing to return to the city, the yard gate was suddenly kicked open from outside.

Gwen stood at the door holding the blood-covered little bastard, cursing loudly.

"Lucas Young! You shameless scoundrel!"

"You sweet-talked me into bed and got me pregnant!"

"Now you want to go back to the city, so you abandoned your son, not caring if he lives or dies. How can you be so vicious!"

My blood instantly froze.

In my previous life, it was this crazy woman who made me live worse than death for twenty years!

I walked out of the house. Half the village had already gathered at the door.

Gwen, who had beaten me for half my life, stood guarding the door, cursing loudly.

Back then, because I adopted that bastard, my reputation was ruined and I couldn't return to the city.

George decided to have me marry Gwen, a widow in the village who was over ten years older than me.

I didn't want to.

George acted like the family patriarch.

He said with my reputation as a scoundrel, I couldn't marry a girl from a decent family anymore.

Marrying Gwen would at least give the child a mother, so he wouldn't be bullied as a single parent child.

He tol a singled me not to only think of myself, but to the child's welfare.

Later he simply sent the bride price to Gwen on his own.

He forced me to marry Gwen.

Although Gwen was older, she treated the child I had adopted very well, like a real mother!

As time passed, I resigned myself to my fate.

I planned to settle down, raise the child, and live my life with Gwen.

Just because I helped a young widow whose husband had died young carry two bags of grain while she was pregnant with her late husband's child, I was beaten.

Gwen dragged me to the yard, grabbed my hair and smashed my head against the millstone.

In front of the neighbors, she cursed and spat at me.

"Lucas Young, you're really shameless! I didn't look down on you for being a scoundrel when I married into your family!"

"You ungrateful bastard! You dare to steal women from me! Is that little slut pregnant with your child?"

Faced with Gwen's hysterical behavior...

I desperately tried to explain that I just saw someone in need and wanted to help, as we're all neighbors.

But she didn't believe me at all.

She insisted I couldn't change my scoundrel ways, that I was seducing young wives!

She even picked up a stick and beat my right leg, crippling me for life.

Not a single relative or neighbor was willing to help.

They despised me even more for being no good.

I had been unfaithful before marriage, having an illegitimate child with some loose woman.

After marriage, I still wasn't an upright person.

They all felt that a dirty scoundrel like me who fooled around deserved to be beaten.

At the time, George and William were watching from the side.

Neither of them came to pull Gwen away.

At the time, I thought they were just scared by the crazed Gwen.

I was even afraid my blood would splatter on them.

Now that I think about it, it's really laughable.

Every time George and William came to see me, Gwen would find an excuse to beat me viciously.

Whenever I really couldn't take it anymore and wanted to divorce Gwen, George and William would always persuade me:

"For the sake of how good she is to the child, just endure it. It'll get better with time. The child can't be without a mother!"

I believed these words, swallowed my tears and pain, gritted my teeth, and continued living with Gwen.

As my adopted daughter grew up, she looked more and more like Gwen, but I didn't think much of it.

I just thought that after being raised for so long, it was natural for a child to resemble their adoptive parents. I thought it was because the child was close to her parents.