Chapter 1

A friend of mine from the City Development Office told me that the house my parents bought for me might be part of an upcoming Urban Renewal Project.

I was eager to share this good news with my husband and mother-in-law.

But when I got home, I saw my father-in-law, who had been dead for ten years, sitting there.

Mrs. Harrington told me that when Marshall had gone overseas for work, he lost contact.

Everyone assumed he had died.

Now, Marshall had made money in Switzerland and wanted to bring the whole family to enjoy a better life.

When Marshall saw my skeptical expression, his face changed instantly.

"Daughter-in-law, what’s with that look? Are you not happy to see me back?"

I stayed silent, which only seemed to anger him more.

"We're family, and I’ve come back to give you all a good life. Do you think I’m lying?"

But there was something about his face that struck me. I’d swear I’d seen it before on one of those Online Fraud Watch sites.

That afternoon, I got a call from my old friend, Olivia, who told me that the area where my parents had bought a house for me was going to be part of the Urban Renewal Project.

I was so excited that I went to the market and bought expensive lobster and king crab, intending to celebrate with Everett and Mrs. Harrington.

When I got home, there was a stranger sitting on the couch.

Mrs. Harrington took the groceries from my hands and pulled me over to the man.

"Harper, this is Ben’s father."

Mrs. Harrington’s eyes were red and puffy, her voice hoarse, clearly having just been crying.

I stared in shock at the man in front of me, then glanced toward the wall where Marshall’s memorial photo had been hanging.

But now, the wall was bare.

Seeing my wide eyes and disbelief, Mrs. Harrington sighed.

"Back then, when Ben’s father went to Switzerland for work, we lost all contact with him. We thought he had died."

"You’ve only been married to Ben for three years, so you wouldn’t know what happened before."

At that moment, Ben came home with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey babe, you’re back!"

"Can you believe it? I never thought I’d see my dad again."

As he spoke, tears welled up in Ben’s eyes.

Mrs. Harrington and Marshall were also caught up in the moment, the three of them crying and embracing each other.

Meanwhile, I stood there, completely bewildered.

When Ben and I started dating four years ago, he told me his dad had died long ago, and his mother had raised him alone.

I had always felt for Mrs. Harrington’s struggles and was determined to treat her with respect and care.

Fortunately, Mrs. Harrington was understanding, and in the three years since Ben and I had married, there had been hardly any conflicts.

But now, with this sudden appearance of a father-in-law, I felt a bit lost.

At dinner, Everett and Mrs. Harrington were constantly piling food onto Marshall’s plate.

I sat there, biting my chopsticks, thinking for a moment before I cautiously asked, "Dad, what were you doing all these years in Switzerland? Why didn’t you ever get in touch?"

Marshall raised his head, his eyes darting around before he hesitated and put down his fork, lowering his head so I couldn’t see his expression.

"When I first arrived in Switzerland, I didn’t know anyone, and I was robbed of everything I had. I survived by scavenging."

Mrs. Harrington’s eyes were filled with pity.

Ben’s eyes also reddened as he clenched his fists tightly.

"Later, I found work as a janitor and managed to save up a little money."

At this, Marshall looked up with deep affection toward Mrs. Harrington.

"I left promising to make big money and take care of you both, but I was a failure. I only had a few hundred dollars and didn’t have the courage to come back."

Tears streamed down Mrs. Harrington’s face as she shook her head, devastated.

"Then, two years ago, I met my current boss and finally started making real money."

"I’ve returned to make up for the years of guilt."

I frowned, feeling like something was off.

Even if he didn’t have money, surely making a phone call wasn’t that hard?

And from what I knew of Mrs. Harrington and Ben, they wouldn’t have held anything against him, even if he came back empty-handed.

Just as I was about to speak, Ben interrupted me.

"Harper, Dad’s just gotten back. Let’s let him rest for now. There’ll be plenty of time later."

Before bed, I asked Everett, "Did your dad come back alone this time? Did he say what he’s here to do?"

Everett, yawning and barely keeping his eyes open, mumbled, "I think he brought an assistant, but he didn’t really say what he’s here for."

I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, while Everett was already snoring beside me.

This whole situation was just too strange.

Besides, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen Marshall’s face somewhere before.