Chapter 1095 Reap What You Sow
"Laura, you're here. Have you had breakfast?" Eric waved with a smile. "Come join us."
"Thank you, Eric." Laura sat down confidently and started eating breakfast with a fork.
Michael watched and felt increasingly pitiful.
Back in the day, when he was born, he was so popular in the Jude family. Everyone liked him.
Now, he was reaping what he had sown.
"Grandpa," Michael called out softly.
Eric seemed to remember Michael finally and said to Laura, "Laura, are you curious why he suddenly came back to apologize? He got dumped by Megan a few days ago."
"No wonder," Laura remarked.
"Yeah, no wonder he suddenly came back," Eric said with a sarcastic smile, "He thinks we care about him and will eventually let him come back."
Michael's head hung low in shame, almost touching the ground. "Grandpa, it's okay if you don't let me return to the Jude family. I'm here today mainly to apologize for my past foolishness. I was blind before. I'm really sorry."
Caroline sighed.
Eric sneered. "Let me ask you. If Megan hadn't dumped you, would you have come to your senses? You would have fought against us for her for the rest of your life."
"Sorry," Michael said, blushing with embarrassment.
James said, "When we said Megan was no good, you thought we were slandering her. Do we need to slander her? You believed everything she said. We raised you, but you were willing to abandon us for Megan."
"Dad, I won't do it again," Michael said, looking miserable, "I never intended to abandon you. I thought that with time, your anger would subside, and I could come back again."
James sneered. "Have you apologized to Laura since you came in? Have you apologized to the child in her belly? You forced her to have an abortion because of Megan, and the child almost didn't make it."
Michael's face turned pale from the scolding.
He remembered the ultrasound picture Lucas had given him. The child had almost been dead.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how terrible he had been.
His gaze slowly shifted to Laura.
Laura, who was eating breakfast, didn't expect the topic to turn to her. She quickly put down her fork and said seriously, "You don't need to apologize to me. The child in my belly has nothing to do with you."
Michael's lips moved. "I used to..."
"Stop," Laura raised her hand to interrupt Michael and turned to Eric, "Eric, although I don't understand why you called me here, I want to make it clear that I have nothing to do with Michael. From the moment he forced me to have an abortion, I had no expectations of him. If he wants to return to the Jude family, I have no objection. But I and my child have nothing to do with him because he doesn't deserve it."
Laura was calm and different. Michael, however, felt ashamed.
"Eric, I'm done. I have something to do later, so I'll leave now." Laura stood up gracefully.
"Laura, you didn't drive. I'll take you." Derek followed her.
Caroline sighed. "I didn't expect Derek and Laura to get along well with each other."
"Yeah." Carl nodded. "It's a pity Laura is pregnant."
He glanced at Michael with some regret. "I really don't understand how you could have mistreated Laura back then."
"Carl," Michael said with some resentment. In the past, Carl always said Michael was the most handsome man in the Jude family and that few women in the world were worthy of him. He didn't understand why they were all siding with Laura now.
"Carl is right." Eric snorted. "If you want to return, you must endure the eighty-one lashes of EchoReach."
Michael shivered. He knew about the nine family laws of EchoReach.
Those weren't ordinary lashes. They had to be soaked overnight to reach maximum flexibility and then coated with salt and chili powder. The further the lashes went, the more unbearable the pain.
It was not easy to survive after being lashed, especially for Michael, who had never suffered before.
"You can choose to return or not," Eric said indifferently, "However, this is just the first requirement."
"Is there a second one?" Michael shivered.
"Yes, you have to marry Laura." Eric suddenly sighed. "We, the Jude family, always keep our promises. If we let you back in, it would make us look like a joke. The younger generation of the Jude family would think we have no authority. You can't be recognized back unless you marry Laura, who is now part of the Jude family. Marrying her would be a way to return to the family."
Michael was stunned. If he wanted to return to the Jude family, the only way was to marry Laura and become their son-in-law.
He couldn't believe he had fallen to this point, where even returning home was so difficult.
"Mom." Michael looked at Caroline.
Caroline coughed awkwardly. "There's no other way. Back then, James and Carl publicly severed ties with you. If you don't want to, you can leave. I can't bear to see you get whipped eighty-one times."
Julia glanced at him indifferently. "Don't worry. Aaron and I will take care of Dad and Mom."
Michael didn't know what to say.
If he couldn't go home in the future, he would be all alone.
"That's all. It's getting late, and we have to go to work." Carl waved.
"So do I. I have a meeting this morning."
As everyone started to leave, Michael, on the verge of tears, said, "I accept your conditions."
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