The Discarded Son-in-Law Is a Billionaire Heir

Chapter 2

Gasping violently, Zade jerked upward.

A sharp, blinding white light pierced his eyes, making him squeeze them shut with a groan.

The terrifying, sterile smell of bleach and antiseptic replaced the metallic tang of blood and hospital decay.

There was no rhythmic beep of a failing heart monitor. There was only the harsh, fluorescent glare of a delivery room and the frantic hum of medical equipment.

Then, a sound cut through the air, piercing straight into Zade's soul.

Waaaah! Waaaah!

The sharp, healthy cry of a newborn baby echoed off the tiled walls.

Zade froze. His breath hitched in his throat. That sound—he could remember it even in a million years.

It was the exact sound that had marked the beginning of his greatest joy and his deepest heartbreak.

"It’s a girl," a tired nurse announced, holding a tiny, squirming bundle wrapped in a pale blue blanket. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Brighton."

Zade blinked rapidly, clearing the blur from his vision.

He looked down at his own hands. They weren't bruised, battered, or stained with death, they were steady.

He touched his chest; his heart hammered against his ribs with fierce, vibrant life.

I’m back.

The realization hit him like a physical blow, bringing hot, heavy tears flooding down his cheeks.

Fate had not let him rot in that cold hospital room, it had dragged him back through time, reversing the clock to this exact second—the day Jemima was born.

All his memories of the past four years, the crushing betrayals, his daughter’s agonizing death, and his own lonely, miserable murder remained locked crystal-clear inside his mind.

Before the nurse could even step forward, Zade lurched out of his chair.

His legs felt strong, powered by a surge of pure adrenaline and fierce, protective love.

He crossed the room in two long strides, gently taking the tiny, fragile infant from the nurse’s arms.

The moment he pressed the baby against his chest, Zade let out a ragged, broken sob.

Jemima was so small, so impossibly light, like a delicate feather in the storm of the world.

Her skin was pink and smooth, untouched by the cruel disease and neglect that would later steal her life.

She blinked her tiny eyes, her little fists twitching against the blanket.

Zade clutched her tighter, burying his face against her soft cap, whispering words he never got to say.

“I’ve got you, my baby girl,” Zade choked out, his voice trembling with overwhelming emotion.

“Daddy is here. In this life, no one will ever touch you. No one will ever hurt you. I swear on my soul, I will give you the world, and I will burn down anyone who tries to take you from me.”

"Ugh, stop making such a pathetic scene, Zade."

The cold, sharp voice sliced through the emotional warmth like a rusty blade.

Zade stiffened.

He turned slowly, lifting his head.

Seated on the hospital bed, propped up against white pillows with a face twisted in absolute disgust, was Binta.

Her designer hair was slightly out of place, and her eyes flashed with pure annoyance.

Standing right beside her was her mother, Mrs. Brighton, dressed in an expensive silk blouse, folding her arms with a sneer of supreme contempt.

"Look at you, crying over a baby like an idiot," Binta snapped, rolling her eyes and glaring at the infant in Zade's arms.

"Honestly, Zade, getting pregnant with this sick little accident ruined every single career plan I had. My friends are traveling the world, and I'm stuck in a maternity ward with a broke, useless husband."

"Binta is right," Mrs. Brighton chimed in, her tone dripping with venom.

"You bring nothing to this family, Zade. You live under our roof, you eat our food, and now you give us a sickly child that will only drain our resources. You are a parasite."

In his first life, Zade would have lowered his head.

He would have swallowed the humiliation, forced a weak smile, and apologized, begging them to accept him for the sake of the family and would have cowered in fear of losing them.

Never again!

The man who stood in this room was no longer a naive, broken fool. He was a survivor carrying the bitter vengeance of a murdered father.

Zade’s eyes turned pitch black, cold enough to freeze boiling water.

He cradled Jemima securely with one arm, his gaze locking onto Binta and her mother with an intensity that made both women instinctively flinch.

Before Binta or Mrs. Brighton could launch into another barrage of insults, Zade moved with sudden, terrifying composure.

He stepped forward, his posture rigid and commanding.

With his free hand, he reached briskly into the inner pocket of his jacket.

Binta narrowed her eyes, confused by his sudden silence and unreadable expression.

"What are you staring at? Hand the baby to the nurse and go pay the hospital discharge fees. Though God knows you don't have the money—"

She stopped talking.

Zade pulled a crisp, folded document from his jacket pocket and casually tossed it onto the edge of her hospital bed. It landed with a sharp thud.

Binta looked down at the folder. Her breath hitched. Her face drained of all color in a single second.

It was a pre-printed set of legal divorce papers.

For months, Binta had secretly kept these exact documents hidden away, desperately plotting ways to divorce Zade and throw him out onto the street without a dime.

But out of pathetic obsession and fear of losing her, Zade had foolishly stolen the papers from her desk back then, folding them up and keeping them tucked safely against his own body every single day just to trap her in the marriage and prevent her from walking away.

Now, the stolen paper was back in his hands. And he was using it to bury her.

"Don't you want a divorce, Binta?" Zade asked, his voice low, steady, and dangerously calm. "You won't have to wait another second."

Binta stared at the papers, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Z-Zade... what is this? How do you..."

"I’m granting your wish right now," Zade interrupted, his eyes flashing with lethal intent. "I want an immediate, unconditional dissolution of this marriage. And I am taking full, exclusive custody of Jemima."