Chapter 106: I Do Not Care About It

Unable to keep it bottled up any longer, Deborah clutched George’s sleeve tightly.

“George, maybe we should stop… I just can’t—”

George shot her a stern look, pulling his hand away.

“If you can’t do it, then let me!”

Deborah covered her face, moved a chair, and wept facing the wall.

George forced a smile. “Caleb, don’t overthink it. It’s just a regular share transfer agreement. I originally wanted it to be a surprise, but since you asked, I’ll tell you the truth.”

Caleb’s face lit up with a mixture of surprise and joy. “So it’s a share transfer agreement! Honestly, after I got back, I felt like you weren’t taking me seriously anymore. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t transfer the shares to me.”

George softened his tone and reassured him, “How could that be? You’ve always been my top priority. While you were in prison, I worked tirelessly every day, pulling strings to secure your early release. And look, you got out a month early. That’s all thanks to me!”

Caleb was overwhelmed with gratitude. “So that’s why. Then was it you who often sent me gifts during the holidays?”

The situation was utterly absurd, as Caleb knew full well it was his exemplary behavior in prison that had earned him an early release. Yet, George had the audacity to take all the credit as if it were his own doing. It was astonishing how shameless his words could be, pushing the boundaries of what might disgust someone.

He opened his mouth, prepared to deny the claim, but caught himself and quickly changed his approach.

“Yes, it was me. I was worried that you might be struggling with food and clothing in jail, so I arranged for some things to be sent your way. Were they helpful to you?”

“Yeah, they were. But one year, a prison guard who had a grudge against me slipped a nail into the bread you sent. I didn’t notice until it pricked my mouth, causing it to bleed. I couldn’t eat for days, and the hunger left me disoriented.”

George fell silent, feeling a sharp pang in his heart. Caleb used to be cherished by the Quixall family and treated with the highest regard, but the moment he landed in prison, everything changed. His fall from grace was so severe that even the tumbleweed rolling across the prairie seemed to have more dignity than him. The sheer tragedy of it all was overwhelming. Just hearing about it was agonizingly painful, and one could only imagine how devastating it would be to witness firsthand.

Deborah cried so intensely that she felt lightheaded. She leaned her head against the chair as her tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

Chapter 105: His Own Doing

Is this really fair? Caleb is also my son. Isn’t it a bit cold-hearted to favor Jesse over him like this?

But he brought it all on himself. Jesse wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital if he hadn’t insisted on peeling the shrimp for him. All of this is Caleb’s own doing. Exchanging his life for Jesse’s couldn’t be more appropriate!

George convinced himself, then gently pulled Deborah to her feet from the couch.

“This isn’t the right place for this conversation. Let’s talk in the study.”

Without any suspicion, Caleb followed them.

Once inside, George reached for a piece of paper partially tucked beneath a folder on the desk, the upper section obscured, concealing its contents.

“Caleb, you don’t have to do anything. All you need to do is sign your name here, and I will take care of the rest.”

“All right.”

Caleb picked up the pen, about to sign his name, when he suddenly halted.

George asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Did you notice something off?”

In his heart, he prayed fervently, hoping that everything would go smoothly. Otherwise, all the effort he and Deborah had put in these past few days would have been for naught.

To his immense relief, Caleb simply asked, “Dad, I just realized I didn’t even ask what this is. What exactly am I signing? If it’s something like a contract selling my soul, I’m not going to agree to it.”

Though his tone was light and playful, the words seemed to strike a nerve in George and Deborah.

Chapter 106: I Do Not Care About It

She had raised Caleb for twenty years, only for him to become a punching bag for others to vent their frustrations. His daily life was filled with unbearable hardship. Yet, she had lived in comfort and happiness with her family, all while completely pushing him out of her thoughts. While their family indulged in vacations, he might have been in prison, enduring beatings from fellow inmates. While they reveled in the joy of their lifestyle, he might have had his only piece of bread stolen, forcing him to endure hunger in a lonely corner. All of this had happened because he had been forced to take the blame for someone else’s crime, which unjustly landed him in prison for five years. Ironically, the very person Caleb had trusted and loved the most was the one who had thrown him into prison.

Deborah didn’t dare to make a sound. She simply let her tears flow in silence.

George’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I thought you’d only be in there for a few years. I never imagined they would be so ruthless…”

Caleb replied indifferently, “It’s all in the past. I don’t care about it anymore.”

George struggled for a moment, his right hand balling into a tight fist before he finally let it fall.

“Caleb, just sign your name on that paper, and I’ll find a way to make them pay.”

Revenge Forged in Prison