Chapter 2.
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Corbin Vance left the bar and walked home, his body and mind completely numb.
Ever since Sloane Sterling’s company supposedly went bankrupt, their villa had been seized. The family had moved into a dark, cramped basement apartment.
As he pushed open the door, he saw Sloane. She was wearing a waitress uniform, sitting on the sofa and eating hamburger.
When she saw Corbin, her eyes lit up. She pulled a few crumpled bills from her pocket-about $200.
‘Honey, this is my pay for today.”
You must be hungry. I made your favorite egg noodles.”
Sloane stood up and brought a steaming bowl from the kitchen. A fried egg sat on top-his favorite.
Because they were poor, the house only had a budget for two eggs a day. One went to the child, and the other always went to
Corbin.
n the
past, Corbin would have been moved to tears. He would have shared the meal with her, grateful for her sacrifice.
Now, he just felt exhausted.
He remembered how picky Sloane used to be about food. If something didn’t suit her taste, she wouldn’t touch a single bite. Yet for Declan Thorne’s sake, she had played this part for three years. She had sat in front of Corbin and eaten disgusting takeout for over a housand days.
She really loved Declan.
But what about him? What was he to her?
Corbin felt a crushing weight in his chest. A metallic tang rose in his throat. He quickly covered his mouth and rushed into the bathroom, vomiting violently.
Dark red blood swirled down the toilet. Outside the door, Sloane pounded on the wood, her voice full of concern. To Corbin, she sounded miles away. He couldn’t even hear her clearly.
With practiced ease, he pulled out his painkillers and shoving them into his mouth. He chewed them dry.
The pills dissolved into a bitter paste that was almost impossible to swallow. Corbin didn’t flinch. He was used to the taste. He
forced them down.
When he finally walked out of the bathroom, his expression was blank.
My stomach is acting up,” he said. “I’m not hungry. I’m going to sleep.”
Sloane stood frozen. She noticed the faint marks of injury on his body and how deathly pale he looked. She opened her mouth to ask what happened, but Corbin had already disappeared into the bedroom.
For some reason, an uneasy feeling settled in her gut. Corbin seemed different tonight.
Her phone buzzed, breaking her train of thought. It was a message from Declan.
Suddenly, the door to the child’s room creaked open. Their daughter, Brynn Sterling, tiptoed out. She looked at Sloane and whispered, Is Papa Declan here?”
“Mom, I miss Papa Dedan I want to sleep with him I hate Corbin I hate this place.”
Sloane immediately put a finger to her lips, signaling Brynn to be quiet
But the words had already reached the bedroom
In three years, this was the first time Corbin had heard Brynn speak
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Three years ago, the perfectly healthy Brynn had suddenly stopped talking. She became violent and moody. The doctors called it
autism.
Since then, Corbin hadn’t heard her say a single word. She had never called him “Dad” again.
He had tried to communicate with her countless times. He tried to guide her, to get her to speak. All he ever got in return was a flurry of kicks and punches, and eyes filled with pure hatred.
The doctors told him this was normal for autistic children. They told him he needed to be patient.
So, Corbin endured. He gave her every bit of love and understanding a father could offer. He absorbed her anger and her silence.
And yet, here she was, desperate to call another man “Papa.”
His heart, which he thought had already turned to stone, throbbed with a fresh, agonizing pain.
Corbin walked out of the room. The basement apartment was empty. Sloane and Brynn were already gone.
He followed them out, keeping his distance. From the shadows, he watched as Brynn flew like a little bird into Declan’s arms.
Papa Declan! I love Papa Declan the most!” she cheered.
n front of Declan, Brynn was a perfect angel. She was sweet, bubbly, and did everything she could to make him laugh.
Sloane stood nearby, watching the two of them with a tender, doting smile.
The shadows of two adults and a child merged on the ground, looking like a perfect, happy family. They looked so warm. So right.
Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t belong, Corbin thought.
Watching his own thin, lonely shadow on the pavement, he realized the truth. They should be the family. He was just an intrude who had wedged himself into their lives.
No wonder Brynn hated him.
But it didn’t matter. He was dying soon anyway.
Once he was gone, they would finally be happy.
Macintyre suffered a cruel betrayal by his wife, Selena, and his sister, Marissa. His father was brutally killed, and his family estate was seized. Not only was he locked in the attic and humiliated, but he also had his eyes gouged out, legs broken, and ki….
After My Wifes Betrayal, I Became Her Brother-in-Law Through Revenge
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