The Forgotten Son-in-law's Magical Rise

“Mom! I really don’t want to take him! He’s a dumb freak!” The voice belonged to no one else but his wife’s younger sister, who’s had it in for him since the first day he joined their family. Sofia Laurent was only five years younger than him, yet she made him feel like he didn’t even deserve to be the dirt under her feet. That was all he had known for the longest time—that he wasn’t fit to be the dirt under someone’s toes. “You have to,” Came Esther’s voice, Sofia’s mother and Liam’s in-law. She was marching to his room as she spoke. “He’s the only one who can take you there and bring you back. No one has been able to tolerate your bad attitude, Sofia, so you should be happy that Liam can’t even speak to defend himself or reject you.” Sofia scoffed scornfully. “Ha, as if! Liam should be happy to be a part of this family.” And he was. Liam was happy to have joined them in the beginning. He had even taken their last name because his wife Taylor demanded it. She needed to keep the authenticity and the virality of her line going, and he needed money for his grandmother’s treatment. It was the best arranged marriage he had ever had—not that Liam had been married before. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so desperate to treat his grandmother and she had died easily, he wouldn’t be in the position he was in right now. He fell down from the bed in a hump, still clawing at his throat. Soon, the darkness that loomed over him stopped. It was as if his bare feet touching the ground had chased it away. Liam straightened and looked around his room, searching for anything that would ensure his death went smoothly and quickly. All this clawing was really depressing. He wanted a smooth death, not being choked. Something smooth like jumping into a river and drowning. Esther banged loudly on his door. “Liam! Open up this minute. I need you to take Sofia to the mall.” “Is the freak even allowed to keep the door locked?” Sofia kicked her foot on the wood. “Just tear it down if he won’t answer.” “Sofia, if you break down this door, you’re going to pay for it.” “Ugh, I just can’t stand him.” Liam glanced at the door and then rushed to his window. What he would give to jump down from here and have his head smashed into pieces. Oh, what he would give. ‘No!’ the voice in his head violently rejected the thought. He groaned and raised a hand to his forehead. It was severely hot. The voice in his head had started when he tried to kill himself three years ago. He’d just gotten newly married to Taylor Laurent and hated every bit of his existence. She made his life so miserable, he just wanted to die. And he had. He had jumped off the city’s bridge into the ocean underneath, only to wake up in the arms of an old man under the said bridge. “You will live,” the man said then. “I have a proposition for you. Will you take it?” “No…” he murmured as he tried to get away from the scary man and crawl back to the water. Liam needed to die that day. The old man stood surprisingly strong on his feet. When he spoke, his voice traveled far and boomed through the air. “I give you two choices,” he said. “You die here and remain completely forgotten in the world, or you become mute now and extremely great in three years. Which is it?” “Mute?” Liam asked, his voice crooked. “Your emotions and voice will be locked inside you. All these will be unleashed in three years and you will be great.” He took a step towards Liam. “You can be whoever you want, then. You can do whatever you want.” Liam had taken the deal. He didn’t know what drove him to do it; perhaps the desperation to find meaning in life. The man had drawn Liam’s head back with slippery fingers and poured a black powder down his throat, forcing him to swallow. He could vividly remember the taste of the powder—so depressing and horrible. The faint voice in his head had been faint in the beginning, but then it grew stronger over the years, occupying everything space within him. Esther pushed inside the room just as he was looking down the window. “Liam, didn’t you hear me call you? You must take Sofia to the mall now.” “God, he’s the worst,” Sofia said. “I can’t believe you’re making me go with him.” “Go with him and be done with it, Sofia. Your sister and I need to finish up the cooking.” Liam moved slowly. He went to the garage and drove the car to the front of the house. It was until the pedal began to heat his feet did he realize that he was barefoot and in his pajamas. He stared at his feet in surprise, lost. Why was the pain so bearable? Sofia jumped into the car and glared at him. “When we get to the mall, you must remain hidden in the car. I can’t let my friends know that I brought my sister’s dumb husband with me.” She rolled her eyes and pushed her hair over her shoulders. “I don’t even know why she married you in the first place.” Liam started to drive. His eyes glazed over; he wanted to say so many things but couldn’t find the words. He was cocooned in his thoughts until a certain shrill voice jerked him back to reality. “Stop!” Sofia yelled. “Stop this car right now!” Liam blinked. They were moving into a building. He immediately pressed his legs on the brake, abruptly stopping the car. His head hit the steering wheel while Sofia’s head plummeted into the dashboard.