The next thing I knew, I woke up lying on a bed. I glanced at my phone—it was already the next day. Today marked the end of the five-year agreement and, more painfully, Lester’s funeral. I forced myself to sit up, splashed cold water on my face, and shaved off the stubble. I couldn’t let Lester see me like this; I needed to maintain some dignity, to give him the peace he deserved.
Just as I finished, the door burst open. Kendra stood in the doorway, looking furious.
She froze for a moment before slapping me across the face.
"Joseph, you’re still shaving, and you—it's your fault! You poured oil on the steps and caused Russell to break his leg!" she spat.
Before I could respond, she grabbed my arm and dragged me into Russell’s room. He was lying on the bed in pain. When he saw me, he instinctively tried to move his legs, and tears streamed down his face.
Seeing this, the private doctor beside Russell immediately spoke up:
"Ms. Glover, Mr. Craig has just broken his leg. If there is another injury, it could be impossible for him to heal properly. Whether he’ll ever dance again depends on fate."
No sooner had the doctor finished speaking than Russell, in a dramatic gesture, crawled out of bed and bowed to me.
"Joseph, I know you despise me, and you think I ruined your relationship with Kendra, but how could you be so cruel as to pour oil at my door and break my leg? I’m a dancer!"
Upon hearing this, Kendra kicked me hard, helped Russell up, and furiously scolded me.
"Joseph, I was just worried you'd catch a cold lying outside, so I dragged you back inside. I didn’t expect you to be this vicious!"
"Just because I want to send you and Lester to the old house, you break his leg? What’s next, are you going to attack me directly? This time, I won’t let you off easily!"
She motioned for a servant to bring in a divorce agreement, signed a few lines, and tossed it in front of me.
"From today on, you are no longer a member of the Glover family. I’ll remove Lester’s name from the family tree. Only the child between Russell and me deserves to be the Glover family’s eldest son!"
I stared at Kendra in shock, unable to comprehend her words. My voice cracked as I yelled at her.