Beyond the Divorce

My heart ached as I lifted my eyes to see my father in front of me, who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.

"I had no family left, so all I could do was study. I devoted all my time to my studies, excelling in both middle and high school. I was a model student and was admitted to the prestigious University of Ithaca. Chemistry was my favorite subject, and later, I was admitted to a top-ranking university in Nocturnia, becoming one of the best there," my dad said slowly.

"My name is Oscar Parson. My real name is Jasper Paul, but I changed my surname to Parson to honor the ones who took care of me." My dad revealed his name.

"So, you're Oscar Parson? But what about Lucas Paul?" Atlas interjected, looking at my father in disbelief.

My dad looked at Atlas in shock. "How did you know?"

"I happened to see some information about Oscar Parson from a prestigious Nocturnia university. I also got the information about Lucas Paul from the Bermuda secret files," Atlas said calmly.

I saw my dad's face go pale, his voice hoarse as he struggled to say, "Well... looks like I shouldn't do anything I wouldn't want anyone else to know!

"Lucas Paul was a name I used later when I couldn't bear to use the Parson surname anymore. I reverted to my original surname to commemorate the person who raised me. I wanted to remind myself to always be grateful and remember who nurtured me. But... I feel ashamed." My dad's expression was like that of an old man, full of humility.

My heart ached.

He had a bright future ahead of him. I never imagined he would ruin his life because of a moment of greed, and would need to change his name constantly just to survive. It was tragic.

The woman sitting beside me trembled slightly, as if she had lost a secure anchor.

"Dad, how are you connected to Bermuda?" I asked urgently, silently blaming Atlas for interrupting my dad's story.

My dad glanced at me, adjusting his emotions.

"When a person gains fame and desire, they'll deviate from the right path," he said softly. "At that time, I was a top scholar at that university and naturally, many girls wanted to date me.

"I met a wealthy, beautiful, and noble girl who was the object of pursuit of many young admirers. But she was fond of me, and we quickly fell in love.This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

"Just when I thought my life was going smoothly, the girl's family found out about our relationship. Her father called me to their abandoned estate and gave me a harsh lesson in reality." I saw a self-deprecating smile on my dad's face.

"That lesson made me understand the concept of disparity. He implied that I was aiming at the moon and she was way out of my league. After humiliating me, he beat me up and threw me out of the estate. I was on the brink of death after their

servants beat me."

"That's outrageous!" I was enraged and couldn't control my feelings. "What happened afterward?"

"I met your mom then. Her real name is Moira Preston. She was the reason I survived. She was working part-time while studying in Nocturnia and doing lawn maintenance at the family's estate.

"She happened to be working there that day. When she saw me getting thrown out, she quietly ran out and took me to the hospital. I was severely injured, and she used up all her savings to save me from the brink of death." I reached out and held my mom's hand. "I didn't know you two met like this."

My mom smiled bitterly and sighed softly.

My dad continued, "When I woke up,

I saw the thugs from that family warning her. If she dared leak any information, they would ensure we died without anyone knowing. They fired her after that. I felt like a disaster, like I was dragging your mom down.

ret

"I felt like there was nothing left to live for. All the good things in my heart were gone, and all my hopes had been shattered. It was cruel. thought was the pride of heaven, but in fact, I was nothing. In the eyes of those rich people, I was

no

worthless, just a piece of trash!"

My dad smiled self-deprecatingly as he continued, "Because I was poor and came from nothing, all the glory I had in school was just a bubble, an illusion!"