I’m Just a Scapegoat in Their Perfect Family

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After the car crash, the two men in my life completely changed. My husband, who used to be utterly cold towards me, actually knelt down in public, desperately begging me not to leave him. My son, who had always been distant, now clung to me all day, demanding hugs and kisses.

I was completely bewildered, my legs trapped by one of them, unable to move. Just then, strange words floated before my eyes. Some said I shouldn't flatter myself, thinking they, father and son, had fallen in love with me. Others explained that their sudden kindness was a ploy, intending to use me as a shield, to die in place of the so-called heroine. Once the villains were dealt with, I, the side character, would be useless, and their family of three could live happily ever after.

Seeing these words sent a cold sweat down my spine. I pushed away the two men, one large and one small, who were clinging to my legs.

1 The big one swayed but regained his balance. The small one plopped straight onto the floor, his eyes welling up with tears from the pain. He scrambled up and hugged my leg again, burying his little head into my lap. I froze for a moment. Just now, Id rolled on the ground while chasing a thief, and my jacket and sweatpants were covered in dust. The smell of sweat hadnt even faded.

Travis used to wrinkle his nose and pull away from my hugs. "Mom, can you please mind your personal hygiene?" "Chloe Hood never smells like this; she's always sweet and fresh." Yet now, he was clinging to me, sniffling and whining. "Mom, hug me too, kiss me!"

As for Leo, he looked possessed. The man knelt before me, looking up, the bandage on his forehead adding a touch of fragile vulnerability. His eyes were inexplicably red. His fingertips trembled, but paused abruptly just before touching me, as if he were afraid. His murmur was barely audible. "This dream feels so real..."

The hospital room door suddenly burst open. "Mr. Thorne's leg is just scraped; he needs rest. Chloe, you don't need to worry so much." Following the voice were Leo's executive assistant and Chloe Hood. Seeing the man kneeling on the floor, Chloe froze, then glared fiercely at me.

"Amy Alexander, have you no shame? I've seen plenty of clingy women, but never one as pathetic as you! We're divorcing, and you're still harassing Leo?"

"You're nothing but bad luck, you jinxed your whole family, and now you've caused Leo's car crash!"

Leo's gaze suddenly turned dark. "My clinging to my wife is none of your damn business!"

Chloe was stunned. Leo had always been incredibly biased towards her and protective of her. But now, he was talking to her in such a tone, in front of everyone. Chloe opened her mouth, but Leo gave her no chance to speak.

"My wife letting me kneel is my good fortune."

"By what right do you presume to meddle? My family affairs are not for you to manage!"

"Get out!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Was this still my cold, aloof husband?

Last month, Chloe went missing. I was dispatched to find her. When I located her, she was almost harassed by some thugs on the street. Leo held her in his arms, staring coldly at me. "Amy Alexander, I never thought you'd be so malicious. You deliberately delayed your response to target Chloe. You don't deserve that police uniform." "If I were you, I'd resign."

...

Chloe couldn't bear it, her eyes misted with tears, and she scurried away. The executive assistant started to follow but stopped short, speaking with a hint of disapproval.

"Mr. Thorne, Chloe rushed here without even eating after hearing about your accident." The assistant's voice softened noticeably as he uttered "Chloe."

Leo, though still kneeling, his eyes exuded an air of condescending chill. "You're fired."

The assistant was stunned. He had been with Leo and Chloe for over a decade; the three of them grew up together, practically family. Firing him just like that, for what reason?

The comments section exploded.

[Is the male lead crazy? He cursed the heroine, fired the male second.] [Oh oh oh, the male lead's jealousy is palpable even through the screen. The male second has been eyeing the heroine for a long time; the male lead is warning him!] [You'll be chasing your wife soon, kid. Sentenced to eternal bachelorhood!] [Sigh, he's putting on a full act. To use the female support as a target to draw out his enemies, the male lead has to cruelly betray his friends and loved one. He's just trying to protect them, who knows how much pain he's in right now. My heart aches for the devoted male lead.]

2 I only found out Leo liked Chloe after I married him. We met twice and then hastily married. The first time, his phone was snatched, and I intervened heroically. The next day, he directly crashed my blind date. "Sorry, he's not good enough for you."

We both got what we needed. I fulfilled my father's dying wish before he passed, and Leo handled the arranged marriage. Falling for Leo was as easy as breathing. He was wealthy beyond measure, charismatic, strong, and incredibly kind to me. His credit card was always available, and he remembered every casual remark I made. It made me wonder if he secretly had a crush on me.

Until Chloe came to tell me. Marrying me was just a spiteful act on his part. After the truth was exposed, Leo stopped pretending to be aloof, revealing his true dark nature. "Anyone could have played this role; did you really think you were special?"

Our son, Travis, was similarly close to Chloe. I knew I couldn't win custody, so I considered getting a divorce, taking some money, and living freely. The first time I brought it up, Leo just scoffed, again and again.

If you leave, where will I find another woman like you? As he spoke, he suddenly and shamelessly began to undress. I swallowed hard, and the divorce was off. The second time I brought it up, he grabbed Travis and stormed out, which led to the car crash.

I thought they still had some feelings for me. But before I could get too invested, the comment section doused me with cold water. It turned out I was just his chosen scapegoat. He had planned everything since the blind date, it was all premeditated.

Damn it, I was manipulated by the system again.

3 Seeing Leo, full of life and not at all like someone who had just barely survived a car crash, I said, "Let's go, to the registrar's office now..." Before I could finish, Leo's eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted. The doctors frantically wheeled him into the operating room. Only Travis and I were left, staring wide-eyed at each other. He tightly clutched my shirt, as if terrified I'd abandon him at the hospital.

Leo's life or death was none of my concern, but Travis... I sighed, taking him back to my one-bedroom apartment near the police station. The stalls in front of the apartment complex were bustling. Parents and children crowded three deep. The ground was covered with dazzling small toys, and in the furthest corner was a delicate ceramic tiger. Travis stared at the palm-sized tiger, then looked at me, his eyes pitiful.

The carnival game vendor saw this and immediately thrust a handful of rings into my hand. "Ten dollars for eight rings, even if you don't win, it's fun. Don't disappoint the kid!" The small tiger was tiny and far away, surrounded by dozens of scattered bamboo rings. Someone complained: "I've spent almost two hundred and haven't even grazed the edge." The vendor beamed smugly. "This tiger has been here for three days, and no one has..." Before he could finish, a ring I casually tossed landed perfectly around it. The vendor's face turned green.

Travis must have really liked that tiger. His eyes were glued to the toy, following it from the vendor's hand to mine. I was about to hand it to him.

The comments section scoffed.

[What kind of street vendor junk would our little Travis like? He'll take it and throw it away immediately.] [Poor Travis, suffering so much, having to pretend he wants it to play along with the female support. My heart aches for him.] [Its okay, he'll just have to tolerate it. For the female support, its her last supper!]

My hand paused. Travis had already raised his arm high. His wristwatch peeking out from his cuff. It was a birthday gift from Chloe, which he always wore, never taking it off. And the tiger-hooded plush pajamas I had sewn for him by hand? When he received them, he merely frowned slightly, shaking his head and sighing like a miniature adult. "Mom, you don't need to waste your time on these things anymore." That pajama set remained tucked away in the deepest part of his wardrobe, never worn.

A little girl nearby suddenly burst into tears. "I want the little tiger too!" She tugged at my sleeve, calling me "pretty big sister" over and over. Her mother fussed over her, looking at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry, my daughter was born in the year of the tiger, and it's her birthday today. Could you possibly give this to her? I'll pay any price!"

Out of the corner of my eye, Travis suddenly tensed up. Rather than being thrown into the trash, it might as well go to someone who genuinely wanted it. I bent down and placed the tiger in the little girl's arms. "Happy birthday, sweetie." The soft little girl smiled through her tears, hugging my face and giving me a big kiss. "Thank you, pretty big sister!"

Travis's raised arm slowly lowered. His small hands covered his face, and his shoulders silently trembled.

[Why did the female support give the doll to someone else? How malicious, preferring to please a stranger than her own son. Does a mother like that even deserve to live?] [Travis doesn't care for that junk, it's a dirty street vendor item, who knows how many germs and viruses are on it.] [Poor Travis, struggling to hold back his laughter, having to play along with the female support.]

We walked in silence. Until we were almost at the apartment door. Travis looked up, his head having been down the whole way. His face was streaked with tears.

"Mom, are you abandoning me?"

4 I gave Travis a nickname. "Champ." A gift sent from heaven. But Travis didn't like me as a mother. He didn't want the birthday gifts I painstakingly made. He didn't want me to tuck him into bed at night. He even forbade me from attending parent-teacher conferences. "Aunt Chloe can accompany me just fine; I don't need you."

The child I had painstakingly given birth to, it turned out, was just like his father, preferring another woman. The thought used to twist my heart, making it hard to breathe, like being wrapped in thick, wet cotton. Now, I could calmly accept it. Love or not, it was all the same. I pursed my lips, about to answer Travis's question, when the hospital suddenly called.

"Your family member ran off! He snuck out even though his leg isn't healed. If he ends up disabled, we won't be responsible!" A familiar voice came, limping audibly.

"If I don't run, my wife will run off with someone else." Leo, with a cast on his leg and leaning on crutches, stood right in front of the apartment building's entrance.

I was surprised. "What are you doing here?" Then it dawned on me. For Chloe, he was even willing to abandon his leg. So devoted.

Leo's brows drooped, his mouth turned downwards, looking exactly like a stray dog kicked out of its home: "Can't I even go home? You don't welcome me? Is there a man hidden in the house?"

The bathrooms in the villas owned by the Thorne family were bigger than my rented apartment. Refusing to live in a grand villa, he insists on squeezing into a toilet-sized space. Insane. I tried to walk around him. Leo flexibly twisted his body, blocking the only path, and simply sat down on the ground, shamelessly: "My leg hurts, let me go home, or you won't be able to go home either."

I stared at him in disbelief. How had the once aloof CEO turned into this?

The wails of a neighbor echoed down the hallway: "Ugh, I still need to rush to the market for groceries!"

"You young couple, mind your manners! Please be kind to us elderly folks!"

Leo had no shame, but I did.

The moment we entered the apartment, Leo began sniffing around, searching every corner. "I'm checking if there's a man hiding in the house." I watched him, speechless, as he sat on the floor, rummaging through the trash can. He pulled out a scarf from it, and directly put it around his neck. That was a scarf I knitted when everyone in the precinct was into knitting. When it was still a half-finished product, Leo saw it and scoffed, "I'm allergic to polyester." "This thing, like you, is presentable. I wouldn't wear it." Now he was checking himself in the mirror, again and again. Large red marks appeared on his neck, but he didn't even blink.

Bathroom, kitchen, living room, he checked each one. I was busy making noodles and didn't notice him sneaking into the bedroomhe peered under the bed, then finally opened my closet. When I pushed the bedroom door open, I saw his long, slender fingers picking at my underwear. His expression was extremely serious, and I truly thought something major had happenedif his nosebleed hadn't slowly started to drip. I punched him out of the bedroom.

Pervert!

5 Darling, youre so strong, Im so happy. Leo wiped the blood from his nose, his lips curling weakly into a smirk. Checked, no other men. I knew you still had feelings for me.

His words, ironically, calmed me down. Leos uncharacteristic clowning must be to cover his true intentions. I narrowed my eyes at him: What exactly do you want?

Leo was unyielding: I want to apologize to you. I was an ass before, I know I was wrong, please dont leave me.

I scoffed. Since he wanted to play a part, Id play along to the end.