Chapter 2

After we got married, I became pregnant and gave birth. Once I stopped working, my mom worried I'd feel pressured without an income, so she secretly slipped me money every month.

When Blaine hit a rough patch at work and wanted to start his own business, my mom didn't hesitate to hand over the savings she'd set aside for retirement. She gave everything she possibly could so that the little family Blaine and I had built, as well as I, could have a better life.

Even after she fell ill, she quietly told me, "Nathalie, I'll be fine. Just take care of your own family."

But now, Blaine and his family were telling me to let her die.

I clenched my fists and looked at them one last time. Without another word, I picked up the lunch box and left for the hospital.

Had they forgotten that the house they were living in—the one owned by the "useless woman" they looked down on—had been paid for in full by my mother?

Were they so worried I'd use their family's money to pay for my mom's treatment?

Fine, then I'd sell the house.

My mom wouldn't need a single dollar of theirs, and they wouldn't get to live in her house anymore.

…

The first thing I did at the hospital was help my mom with dinner. She was only fifty-five, but the hardships of life had etched so many lines into her face that she looked closer to sixty.

"Nat, go home." She'd barely finished half her meal before she started urging me to leave. "It's Christmas Eve. If you're not home, Rosalia will have something to say about it."

She'd always been more afraid that I'd suffer because of her than she was of anything happening to herself. All she'd ever wanted was the best for me.

"It's okay." I just smiled and fed her another spoonful of food. "They have their family with them. I just want to be with you, Mom."

After dinner, I watched her take her medication, then helped her wash up.

By the time everything was done, it was only 8:30 p.m.

A nurse had just handed me the physical exam reports for my in-laws' family when Blaine called.

"Why aren't you home yet? The dishes are still waiting for you to wash. And Mom said the roast beef was too salty tonight. Think about what you must have done wrong and make it again tomorrow."

Not once did he mention the promise he'd made that afternoon—that I could stay at the hospital with my mom. He didn't ask whether she was feeling any better, or even tell me to wish her a Happy Christmas.

Looking at my mom's face, worn down by illness, I said quietly, "You can wash the dishes yourself. I'm not coming home tonight."

On the other end of the line, Blaine clicked his tongue in obvious annoyance. "I already told you. Your mom should stop treatment. Why keep wasting money? I'm telling you now—I won't pay a single cent toward her medical bills."

I nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Fine. Don't."

"And don't even think about touching our marital assets. If I find out you spent a single dollar on your mother, don't blame me when I take you to court for misusing our marital property."

I nodded again, my eyes drifting to Rosalia's health screening report.

Late-stage cancer.

The words stood out in bold print.

"Yeah. I won't. By the way, Blaine, how much savings do your parents still have?"

He froze for a second before his voice turned wary. "What are you trying to do? Nathalie, I'm warning you. If you even think about going after my parents' money for your mom, I'll divorce you."

I smiled. "Don't worry. I won't."

I was simply curious.

If Rosalia found out she had terminal cancer...

Would those savings be enough?

Or would she decide she wasn't worth the expense?

After hanging up, I did two things immediately.

First, I handed the health screening report back to the nurse.

From today on, I'd treat Blaine's family the same way they treated my mother and me. As an outsider, whatever happened to their family was none of my business.

Second, I called a real estate agent to sell the house. The sooner, the better. I wasn't about to give them time to react.

After searching online, I found an agency that looked reliable and dialed the number.

"Hello?" A cheerful woman's voice answered.

"Hi. I'd like to sell my house."

"Is it urgent? It's Christmas Eve today. If you can wait a couple of days until after the Christmas, I can find you a much better buyer."