Indifferent to My Mother-in-Law’s Car Accident

After renovating our new house, I spent my days picking out the new furniture the designer had sent over. Just as I finalized the style for the bed in the master bedroom, a call came in from the hospital.

“Hello, is this Ms. Lily Carson, daughter-in-law of Wendy Wilson?”

“Your mother-in-law was in a severe car accident at the Emerald intersection. We can’t reach her other family members. Could you please come to Lichfield Hospital right away?”

I hung up the phone and rushed to the parking lot, asking the driver to take me there immediately. Along the way, I kept trying to call my husband, who was away on a business trip, but every time I called, all I got was the same automated message: “The phone is currently turned off.”

Wendy had only moved to Jasper City from her hometown two months ago. Her only next of kin here was Xavier Smith, my husband.

If she didn’t make it through the surgery, I had to ensure Xavier could see his mother one last time. To do that, I contacted a friend who worked as a private investigator.

While my friend was looking into Xavier’s whereabouts, I received a payment notification on my phone. It showed that a reservation had been made for three days in the presidential suite of a five-star hotel in the New City area.

With this clue, my friend quickly used their connections to obtain surveillance footage of Xavier checking into the hotel, along with a phone number I hadn’t seen before.

I had no idea what Xavier was doing with a second phone number behind my back. I opened the surveillance video, and the first thing I saw was Xavier holding our company’s newly hired secretary in his arms.

From the moment they checked in, the two couldn’t keep their hands off each other, kissing all the way up to the 23rd floor, where their room was located.

My friend kept sending me messages, trying to comfort me. “Don’t be upset. Xavier’s just a freeloader anyway. He’s not worth it.”

When I didn’t respond, my friend shifted their tone. “I know a lot of great lawyers. Let me recommend someone to you.”

As I was about to reach the hospital, I collected myself and dialed Xavier’s other phone number. This time, he picked up quickly. His voice was filled with irritation. “Who is this?”

I could hear a woman’s playful giggling in the background.

“Honey, Mom was in a really bad car accident. She’s in the ER at Lichfield Hospital. You need to come back right away, just in case—”

“Enough.”

Xavier cut me off, his tone harsh and impatient. “It’s just a car accident, right? She’s not dead yet. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it if she dies. Stop bothering me while I’m working.”

With that, he hung up.

When I tried calling back, the number was already turned off.

I wondered why Xavier could be so cold toward his mom. After all, he was such a mama’s boy, often picking fights with me over her. But then it dawned on me.

He must have misunderstood and thought it was my mom, his mother-in-law, in the ER. No wonder he was so indifferent.

When I arrived at the hospital, the light above the operating room had just turned off. The result? Wendy didn’t make it. She died on the operating table.

I gave my instructions right then and there. “Contact the funeral home. Let’s lay her to rest as soon as possible.”

I sent my assistant to handle everything. After the death certificate was finalized, the funeral home arranged for the cremation. Wendy who had insulted me endlessly and used her position to bully me was now nothing more than a jar of ashes. I didn’t feel much of anything.

But the thought of Xavier coming back from his business trip soon had me intrigued.

When he found out that the person who died was actually his own mom, would he still be able to dismissively say, “It’s just a car accident. We’ll deal with it if she dies”?