Chapter 2

I pleaded once more. "Just unfreeze the cards so I can settle the bills."

"Your excuses are pathetic."

Huxley snorted and hung up just like that.

I trembled with rage and tried calling again, only to discover I'd been blocked.

Just then, I received a message from Jennifer through WhatsApp. It was a short video.

The video depicted Jennifer and Huxley passionately kissing in the office as if no one else existed.

"Stop calling. Interrupting someone while they're blowing off steam is a crime worthy of death."

Jennifer's message dripped with spite and mockery.

My eyes burned with tears as I stared at the video in disbelief.

The man who had once been gentle and loving was now wrapped in another woman's arms. But this wasn't the time for me to dwell on my heartbreak. My in-laws were still waiting for money that could save their lives.

Even if not for Huxley, I had to save them. After all, they had always treated me with kindness.

I began reaching out to everyone I could—friends, relatives, and even business contacts I barely knew. But each call only dragged me deeper into despair.

"You know how things are these days, Kathy. My business isn't doing too well. I really can't spare anything…"

"My finances are a little tight at the moment, Katherine. I'm afraid I can't help…"

One polite rejection after another left me utterly disheartened.

Finally, I pressed a close friend I'd always gotten along with. Only then did I find out that Huxley had spread the word throughout our social circle.

He spread the word that anyone who helped me financially would be considered his enemy and would never receive a dime back.

I couldn't believe it. How could he be so ruthless?

Even so, I swallowed my pride and continued to explain, to beg, promising them I would pay them back no matter what.

But they still turned me away. Some even blocked my number outright.

Out of options, I collapsed on a hospital bench, defeated.

…

We hadn't returned to Sansville for two years to spend the holidays with my in-laws. They missed Huxley dearly.

So, to surprise Huxley and make up for lost time, I brought them to Huntingburg, hoping we could all share a joyful family reunion.

No one could have imagined that the surprise would turn into a nightmare.

The moment my in-laws stepped into the mansion, they weren't met with warm hugs, but a bucket of wastewater.

Jennifer stood at the entrance, eyes filled with open disgust.

"Who allowed beggars to come into Mr. Carlson's mansion? Are these your parents, Katherine? Figures. Total hillbillies. I can practically smell the dirt on all of you. Disgusting!"

I suppressed my rage and rushed to help my in-laws wipe off the filth.

My mother-in-law had a fiery temper and was never one to tolerate this sort of humiliation. She immediately snapped back, "And who do you think you are? Where are your manners? How dare you insult Katherine?"

Jennifer didn't back down. Her aggression escalated as she grabbed a ceramic ornament and hurled it at my mother-in-law.

I reacted instinctively, raising my arm to block it.

It missed her, but the sharp edge grazed my hand and blood gushed out instantly.

Jennifer stepped forward smugly and arrogantly declared, "I'm the future lady of this mansion. Huxley Carlson's current girlfriend. Your darling Katherine will soon be kicked out, you old hag!"

My in-laws were stunned speechless. They had never imagined the son they had raised with so much pride would turn out like this.

Fuming, my father-in-law stepped forward to confront Jennifer.

But she shoved him without hesitation. He crashed into the shoe cabinet behind him.

"Some penniless nobody like you dares step foot in Mr. Carlson's mansion? Look at how poor you are. Do you think you're worthy of being his father-in-law?" Jennifer sneered, her voice full of contempt.

My father-in-law groaned in pain, the color draining from his face.

I rushed to his side and frantically called out to the household staff for help.