Chapter 166: Stepfather humbly begs for forgiveness after filing for divorce.
Jiang Anchao frowned, unable to understand why his elder brother was specifically targeting Zhizhi.
"I don't know what his purpose is, but don't worry, I will protect Zhizhi and make sure he doesn't meet with her."
Grandma Jiang, sitting to the side, couldn't help but speak up after hearing her son's words: "You haven't read the contents of the envelope yet. He... he mentioned Zhizhi..."
"What?"
Jiang Anchao was stunned.
Deng Qiu reacted faster, grabbing the letter first and pulling out the papers from the envelope.
As she read through the lines, her expression suddenly turned extremely grim.
Jiang Anchao glanced at his wife's expression and secretly thought something was wrong.
He leaned closer to get a better look, but Deng Qiu shoved him away, saying, "Get out of my way!"
The envelope contained Jiang Yan's reassurance to his parents, telling them not to worry. He assured them that he would always claim to be Jiang Yan and that no one would suspect that he and his brother had switched identities.
But later he mentioned Zhizhi, subtly inquiring about her preferences and asking about her daily life, urging her parents to treat her like their own granddaughter.
He said that he felt an instant connection with Zhizhi the moment he met her, and that if he had the chance in the future, he would like to ask her out to play together.
If someone else had brought it up, Deng Qiu might have just thought it was because she liked children.
But that person's identity was special, and no one could be sure what his purpose was in asking to see the child, or what kind of malicious intent he might harbor.
Jiang's parents noticed that the young couple was in a bad mood and stood up.
"The letter has been delivered. Anchao, you should be mentally prepared. Um... we have something to do, so we'll be leaving now."
Grandma Jiang knew very well that she needed to give her daughter-in-law some time to process this matter, as the young couple definitely had more to talk about privately.
After seeing his parents off, Jiang Anchao returned to his room and found Deng Qiu packing her clothes.
He panicked and rushed forward, asking, "What are you doing?"
"Get away from me! I don't want to live with a liar!"
Deng Qiu was emotional; her eyes were bloodshot like a rabbit's, but her fair face held a stubbornness.
"Zhizhi and I have moved to the school dormitory and won't be coming back for a while."
"No! How can this be?" Jiang Anchao stopped her abruptly. He wouldn't let Deng Qiu pack her clothes, and grabbed her wrist directly, his voice full of pleading, "Wife, I beg you, you can blame me however you want, but you can't just leave like that. Zhizhi finally has a home and a father. Can you really bear to let the child grow up in a single-parent family?"
"Besides, are you really not going to want me anymore?"
As a man, Jiang Anchao had some of the chauvinistic tendencies typical of northern men. No matter what happened, he was used to bearing it all alone and wouldn't bring those negative emotions home.
But now that Deng Qiu is treating him this way, he is truly afraid.
He was afraid that Deng Qiu was not only angry that he had lied to her, but also that she would never come back after she moved away.
Just thinking about it makes him feel unbearable.
Deng Qiu was furious and pounded on him with both hands, her voice filled with barely concealed emotion.
"You lied to me, fine, but now you're letting Zhizhi be constantly watched by a stranger. Do you think I, as a mother, can tolerate that?"
Jiang Anchao held her tightly in his arms, his voice filled with fear and uncontrollable apologies.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, please don't go. Deng Qiu, I really love you. We've made it this far, you can't leave me, I beg you..."
"I will protect Zhizhi. I will talk to my brother and make things clear. Honey, please have pity on me. You can't let me fall in love with you and become completely dependent on you before you throw me away!"
"Get out of my way!"
Deng Qiu's tears kept falling, almost soaking the clothes on his shoulders.
Jiang Anchao not only refused to let him go, but also hugged him tighter and tighter, his body trembling slightly with fear.
"I said before, believe it or not, I've married the person I wanted to marry. I wasn't lying. You've always been the person I wanted to marry, otherwise why would I do this..."
“I’m not doing this out of boredom, nor am I some kind of savior. It’s because the only person I’ve ever wanted to marry is you. So what if I’m Jiang Yan? So what if I’m Jiang Anchao? Only the adults of our two families knew about our childhood betrothal. No outsiders knew. No one would criticize you for having a marriage agreement with your younger brother but marrying your older brother.”
"If anyone dares to say that, I can admit it. I am Jiang Yan, and I married my fiancée who was originally my fiancée. I didn't steal her away! You will definitely not be the one to be accused!"
As Jiang Anchao spoke, tears streamed down his face. He himself despised his current weakness.
"Deng Qiu, don't leave me. Our whole family has kept this secret for many years and dared not tell it. Now that my older brother is back, no one knows what he has been doing all these years. But I can assure you that I will never let Zhizhi and you be in danger."
"Let go..."
Deng Qiu has gradually calmed down. She took a deep breath and quickly sorted through the massive amount of information in her mind.
She calmly said, "I lost my reputation a long time ago. What I'm angry about is your concealment of me. If you don't tell me what's going on and just bear it all by yourself, then our relationship won't last long."
"So, let go and let me go over there and calm down."
Jiang Anchao's breathing became erratic. "Calm down, calm down. Is this what you mean by emotional abuse? First, calm down, then separate, and finally send me a divorce letter?"
"I didn't tell you because I was insecure, I didn't deserve you, I was greedy, I coveted the warm home you gave me. I was like a thief, desperately trying to hold onto this beautiful thing. I was afraid that if I told you, you would leave me completely, and I apologize for that. I was really selfish. But Deng Qiu, can you please not divorce me?"
His response was a long silence from Deng Qiu...
The bedroom was dimly lit, and a fire was still burning in the stove.
But the temperature inside the room gradually dropped.
Jiang Anchao felt as if the blood in his body was gradually congealing.
His strong, powerful arms encircled her waist, as if they were his only lifeline.
“If he comes back to report me for falsifying my identity, I will plead guilty, accept punishment, be stripped of my military rank, and go to jail. I accept being beaten and punished. But if you feel you married a liar, are unwilling, angry, and want a divorce, that's fine too. I only have one request.”
"Divorce is fine, but I have to leave with nothing. All the property in the house will belong to you. I don't feel comfortable letting you live alone, so you can take all the money."
Jiang Anchao felt as if his heart was being torn apart at the mere mention of divorce. He spoke in trembling voice, "If you really don't want to continue living with me, then let me pave a safe path for you. I... I'll let go..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com