The Return of The Forsaken Son-in law

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The morning dragged itself out like a punishment, every tick of the clock a reminder of how far Marco had fallen. He had been cleaning since morning, bent over with a rag in one hand and a bucket of soapy water in the other. He had been asked to use a rag instead of the mops available. For a better job done, they said.

His knuckles were raw from scrubbing, and the sting of detergent never left his nostrils. Every few minutes, one of the other workers would pass by and mutter something under their breath...mocking, jeering, and daring him to react.

He did not.

When they laughed loudly in corners, he stayed silent. When someone deliberately walked across a patch of floor he had just polished, leaving muddy footprints behind, Marco swallowed the sharp words that rose to his lips. He simply bent down again, scrubbing until the tiles reflected light once more. It was humiliating but it was also fuel. Every insult, every sneer...it all hardened his resolve.

By noon, the others announced th