Beneath the Wedding Toast Chapter 2

Her words were harsh, laced with schadenfreude, but I had no time to argue with

her.

“Put Joyce on the phone. I need to talk to her.”

“What’s with your attitude, man? Don’t think you’re still a son-in-law of the

Hayes family. My brother didn’t even invite you to his wedding. If you ask me,

young Wilson is much more sensible than you. You’re simply not good enough for our

Joyce!”

I almost laughed in anger. The Hayes family’s true colors were utterly

shameless. When they thought I had value, they were all respectful. Now,

believing my father-in-law was rich and seeing his displeasure with me, they

were openly hostile.

“Think carefully. I haven’t divorced Joyce yet. We are legally married. Hand

the phone to her, now!”

The aunt hesitated this time. She mumbled some unsavory words, then held the

phone out. I watched Joyce in the live stream, frowning and shaking her head,

and heard her voice through the earpiece, refusing to take the call. My

father-in-law chimed in from the side, impatiently waving his hand at the aunt.

“Why pick up? It’s my big day, and this tactless fool just has to interrupt.

Don’t waste words on him!”

Hearing that, the aunt scoffed dismissively and immediately hung up.

I held my phone in silence, feeling as if I were watching some absurd

tragicomedy unfold. My wife of ten years betrayed me, falling for another man.

And my father-in-law, who had been a model husband to my mother-in-law, had

apparently never liked her from the start. He’d feigned affection for years,

waiting for my mother-in-law to pass, only then revealing his true self.

Their proclaimed “family” never included my mother-in-law or me. It turned out

love truly could be an act. And now, the curtain was about to fall on this

performance.

Recalling everything from the past, I felt a faint ache in my chest. I stared

blankly at my phone. In the live stream, my father-in-law was proposing to his

second spring, his face beaming with happiness.

But the dowry he offered her made me utterly disbelieving.

My father-in-law was smiling like a giddy teenager, excitedly slipping a ring

onto Serena’s finger. Before, when my mother-in-law was alive, he always

maintained an air of detached intellectualism, never getting emotional, much

less losing his composure like this.

“Your willingness to marry me truly moves me. Meeting you, I finally understood

what a true soulmate is. I wish I had been with you from the very beginning.”

“Serena, don’t you worry. I won’t shortchange you. This hotel and the villa at

home will be transferred to your name tomorrow. Consider it a small token of my

affection.”

“As for Wilson, I know he’s a filial boy. He’s the son-in-law I’m truly pleased

with. So, I’ll make a small sacrifice for him. Just let him tolerate that

troublesome one at home. As compensation, I’ll give him that estate on the city

outskirts.”

Serena and her son’s eyes gleamed as they listened. My father-in-law then turned

and patted Joyce’s shoulder.

“Daughter, your dad has faith in you two. I just really don’t want you and Wilson

to go down the same old path your dad did.”

Joyce was overcome with emotion, feeling her father’s profound love for her.

I was so disgusted I couldn’t speak. The hotel, the villa, and the estate—they

were all my assets. On what grounds did my father-in-law think I’d willingly

give them away?

Truth be told, Joyce and I came from vastly different backgrounds. I was the

eldest son of the Gummer family; she was from an ordinary working-class family. Our

marriage only happened thanks to my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law and my birth mother had been best friends since childhood. Even

after my mother-in-law’s family went bankrupt, it didn’t affect their bond. My

mother passed away after giving birth to me, entrusting me to my mother-in-law

on her deathbed. My father, busy with the company, was often absent, so my

mother-in-law essentially raised me. In my heart, she was no different from my

birth mother.

So, after she married, I often visited. My decision to be with Joyce, besides

genuinely liking her, was also partly influenced by wanting to stay close to my

mother-in-law. Over the years, the Hayes family had largely thrived, smoothly

sailing through life, relying on my mother-in-law’s and my resources. When my

mother-in-law passed away, I was more heartbroken than anyone else, burying

myself in work to numb the pain.