Chapter 3

Two days before New Year's Eve, my mother-in-law showed up.

She was the kind of old woman who had to win every argument, no matter how trivial.

Carrying a bag of wilted vegetable scraps left over from a supermarket clearance sale, she stood outside my door and began wailing.

"What did I do to deserve this? My son married a jinx who doesn't respect her in-laws or care about her husband's reputation! She won't be satisfied until she's torn this family apart!

"Everyone, come and see! This daughter-in-law of mine is trying to drive us to our deaths!"

It was the evening rush hour, and neighbors were constantly coming and going.

Quite a few stopped to stare and whisper.

I opened the door, looking both surprised and aggrieved.

"Mom, what brings you here? Come inside. It's cold out."

I didn't argue with her and simply invited her in.

That only encouraged her.

She marched inside, dropped heavily onto the sofa, and tossed the bag of wilted vegetables onto the coffee table.

"Claire Lane, delete all that garbage you posted online right now! So what if a man fools around a little when he's out socializing? It only proves he's capable!

"You must have been mistaken about that bag. Where would he get tens of thousands to spend on another woman? Doesn't he hand over all his earnings to you?"

I poured her a cup of tea.

Beneath the coffee table, the red light on my voice recorder was glowing.

"You're right, Mom. I shouldn't have checked his accounts, much less questioned whether he had any money.

"I really should clarify the situation where money is concerned. I wouldn't want you thinking Ethan didn't care about his own mother. "

My mother-in-law paused.

I took out my phone. "Have some tea, Mom. I'll record a video and explain everything right now."

She snorted and began cracking pistachios.

Her smug, overbearing expression formed the perfect backdrop.

My third video went live.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Claire Lane.

"Today, my mother-in-law came over to lecture me. She said I had no right to question Ethan's finances.

"I'm sorry, honey. I shouldn't have checked your bank statements."

A screenshot of an Excel spreadsheet appeared on the screen.

It was densely covered in red markings, reflecting the work of a professional auditor.

"I shouldn't have questioned the 10,000 dollars you transferred to Sophie Shaw with the note, 'Happy Birthday, my darling.'

"Yet when you transferred money to your mother for her birthday, you sent only two hundred dollars and wrote, 'Get yourself something nice.'"

I changed the image.

On the left was the record of his 10,000-dollar transfer to Sophie.

On the right was the record of his 200-dollar transfer to his mother.

"I also shouldn't have questioned why you used the money meant for our son's Math Olympiad classes to book Sophie a luxury ocean-view room in Summerbank.

"After all, Mom said that a man has to maintain his image when he's out in the world. It doesn't matter if his wife and child have to suffer a little."

I ended the video with the recording of my mother-in-law saying, "So what if a man fools around a little when he's out socializing?"

Less than five minutes after I posted the video, my mother-in-law's phone rang as she cracked another pistachio.

It was Ethan's eldest aunt calling from their hometown.

"My goodness, your son is really something!

"He gives his mistress tens of thousands on her birthday, but only gives you two hundred bucks? To think you were just boasting on video about how capable he is! Apparently, his greatest talent is cheating his own mother!"

Pistachio shells spilled from my mother-in-law's hand and scattered across the floor.

With trembling hands, she pulled out her phone and opened the video I had just posted.

The moment she saw the screenshot of the 200-dollar transfer, her hands shook with rage.

"That wretched bastard!"

She hurled the teacup onto the floor, shot to her feet, and stormed toward the door.

"Where is Ethan? Where's the bastard? I'm going to settle this with him!"

I stood by the door and thoughtfully handed her the bag of wilted vegetables.

"Mom, Ethan is at Sophie's place. I've sent the address to your phone. Take care. The roads are slippery."

I watched as she stormed away.

One of my neighbors poked her head out. "Is everything all right, Claire?"

I smiled. "Everything's fine. I'm just getting rid of some trash."

The netizens in the comments were already howling with laughter.

"That spreadsheet looks better than my audit reports. Girl, you're a pro!"

"Two hundred dollars for her birthday? Did he come free with a box of cereal?"

"Using an enemy to take down another? Absolutely brilliant. Sometimes it takes a villain to deal with a villain!"