My Wife Believed in Me One Day Too Late

"Mr. Lowell, you must come back with us. The Lowell family needs you to take charge now."

"Your father is critically ill, and your brother is in prison. You're the only one who can support the Lowell family."

"Your grandmother insisted that we bring you back."

In Cresthaven City, on Oak Street, Isaiah Lowell, carrying a gift box and dressed in clothes from a street stall, looked indifferent.

"I've never been good with words and failed to win her favor. My brother was the favorite, and to prevent me from taking his place as the heir, Grandma drove me out of the Lowell family."

"Being humiliated for three years since marrying into the Easton family, when has the Lowell family ever shown any concern? She forced me to leave, and now with just one word, she expects me to return. Do they think I, Isaiah Lowell, am a dog?"

"Right now, I just want to live quietly as a nobody. I don’t want anyone to bother me."

Isaiah strode away, leaving a group of people looking at each other in dismay.

The Easton family, a second-tier family in Cresthaven City, witnessed Isaiah’s fall from grace three years ago.

It was Mr. Easton, the former patriarch of the Easton family, who personally arranged the marriage.

The wedding caused a stir in the city, not for its grandeur, but because Daphne Easton married a nobody, turning into a city-wide joke.

Only Mr. Easton knew Isaiah's true identity, but two months after the wedding, he passed away, leaving Isaiah's identity a mystery, cementing his status as a worthless son-in-law.

Over the years, Isaiah faced mockery and cold treatment. But this was nothing compared to being ousted from the Lowell family, a true heart-chiller.

He was resigned to his fate, accustomed to being looked down upon.

Today was the birthday of Ms. Easton, the current matriarch of the Easton family, and Isaiah had carefully selected a modest gift, destined to be ridiculed.

But with limited means, this was the best he could do.

As for what just happened, Isaiah felt an inner calm, even a desire to laugh.

His brother, with his smooth talk, had won Grandma’s favor but was arrogant and dissolute. His downfall was inevitable.

Perhaps, this was the Lowell family's destined decline.

But what did it have to do with him? He was nothing but a despised son-in-law in the Easton family.

Returning to the Easton villa, a beautiful figure, Daphne Easton, Isaiah's wife in name only, stood anxiously at the door.

Her brilliance made their wedding a mockery three years ago.

Isaiah hurried over to Daphne, asking, “Daphne, who are you waiting for?”

Daphne glanced at Isaiah with annoyance, “Did you prepare the gift for Grandma?”

Isaiah raised the gift box, “Yes, I put a lot of thought into it.”

Daphne didn’t even look at it.

She never understood why her grandfather insisted on her marrying Isaiah and making him a live-in son-in-law.

Before his death, her grandfather had held her hand, telling her not to underestimate Isaiah.

After three years, Daphne still couldn't see anything special in Isaiah.

If not for the family's reputation, she would have divorced him long ago.

“Don’t make a scene later. All the relatives will be there, ready to mock you. I don’t want to be embarrassed because of you,” Daphne reminded him.

Isaiah nodded with a carefree smile.

Upon seeing Isaiah's expression, Daphne felt an urge to bang her head against the wall in frustration.

Isaiah, lacking any influential background, could have compensated with some real skills, but in the three years they had lived together, he had done nothing more than sweeping, laundry, and cooking.

Isaiah harbored no resentment towards Daphne's attitude.

Their marriage, devoid of any emotional foundation, had been unfair to her, especially since she was tied to someone deemed useless like him.

He understood her feelings well.

As they entered the living room, nearly all the Easton family relatives had arrived, creating a lively scene.

"Daphne, you're finally here!" greeted one relative.

"Today is Grandma's birthday; why are you so late?" inquired another.

"Did you go to prepare some surprise for Grandma?" speculated a third, all of them warmly greeting Daphne while completely ignoring Isaiah's presence.

Used to being the invisible man, Isaiah didn’t mind the neglect. Being ignored was better than being the butt of jokes.

However, there were always those who harbored dissatisfaction towards him.

Thomas Easton, Daphne’s cousin, always found ways to belittle Isaiah at every meeting. He was largely responsible for Isaiah's notorious reputation in Cresthaven City.

Thomas sneered at the modestly wrapped gift in Isaiah's hand, “This is the gift for Grandma? Bought from a street vendor?”

Isaiah shook his head, “From a gift shop.”

His honesty only invited more laughter. Daphne was frozen, embarrassed to have just arrived home to face humiliation because of Isaiah.

She usually remained silent, keeping her distance from Isaiah, not wanting to be dragged into his mess.

Thomas flaunted his expensive gift, a bottle of aged wine worth $100,000, trying to show his superiority over Isaiah.

Isaiah, upon Daphne’s warning, responded briefly with a chuckle.

Thomas aimed to belittle Isaiah with his gift, continuing, “Even a drop of this wine is worth more than your entire gift, right, loser?”

Isaiah smiled silently, the room filled with mocking laughter.

Despite deciding not to involve herself in Isaiah’s affairs, Daphne couldn’t ignore that he was still her husband.

His embarrassment in front of the relatives reflected poorly on her too.

“Thomas, that's enough. Your wealth is your business. You don’t need to show off,” Daphne said, displeased.

Surprised, Isaiah looked at Daphne. This was the first time in three years that she had spoken up for him.

“Showing off? Daphne, you got it wrong. Why should I show off in front of a loser? I'm just upset that he doesn’t value Grandma’s birthday. And you, he’s clueless and broke, but couldn’t you help him out? Or do you also not care about Grandma’s birthday?” Thomas retorted with a cold smile.

Daphne, the least influential and poorest in the Easton family, was unable to afford lavish gifts.

Then, Isaiah stood up, approached Thomas, and sniffed the wine bottle.

“What are you doing? This is a gift for Grandma, not for a loser like you!” Thomas exclaimed angrily.

Isaiah frowned, “The older the wine, the better its fragrance, a reason why aged wines are expensive. But this has led to some merchants faking the aging process to inflate prices.”

“The quality of wine depends not just on its age, but also on the grape variety, brewing process, and storage conditions. A truly good wine must withstand expert evaluation and the test of time.”

“But this bottle, due to artificial aging and inadequate storage, will surely harm the drinker’s health.”

“I may be a loser, but you, passing off inferior goods and even risking Grandma’s health, are far worse.”

Isaiah’s words echoed powerfully, silencing the entire Easton villa.