Chapter 2

That line caught me off guard.

Just as Claire said, this was a cheap, dirty wholesale market that only poor people came to. It was no place a wealthy, refined madam like my mother-in-law would ever step foot in.

On the other hand, my mother, despite our family doing better now, still had the habit of coming here to grab discounted groceries from our previous tough life.

Could it be… I immediately shut that thought down. Even though my mother-in-law’s face was unrecognizable, we had done a DNA test in my previous life that confirmed it was her.

At the thought of that, I forced myself to stay calm and said, “We’ve been married for years. There’s no need to lie to you over something like this. Go send your mother off properly.”

However, the words had barely left my mouth when I got slapped.

“Kevin! Do you even have a conscience?! My mom treated you so well, and you’re cursing her to death?”

Henry stepped in to play peacemaker. “Claire, don’t hit Kevin. He’s already devastated. It’s all my fault! I’ll pay with my life!”

Then, he acted like he was about to jump out of the window.

Claire panicked and rushed over to stop him. “Kevin! Are you even human? Henry already feels so guilty, and you still can’t be a little more forgiving? If I had known you were this petty and narrow-minded, I would never have let you marry into my family!”

She glared at me with pure hatred, as though I were the one who had killed her mother.

Meanwhile, Henry, still in tears, had a trace of smug satisfaction hidden in his eyes.

I swallowed the pain and met her gaze with icy eyes. “Claire, dare to make a bet with me? Let’s see whose mother is the real victim here.”

“Oh? What are we betting?” She looked completely confident.

“After this, regardless of the truth, we’re done as husband and wife. We already signed a prenuptial agreement. Neither of us gets the other’s money. Let’s bet one million dollars. Call it compensation for emotional damage.”

“Fine. But I have one condition—sign this waiver first.”

She handed me the waiver. I took it and immediately took a photo of it to keep as a copy.

“I have a condition too. You sign one as well.” Then, I signed it without hesitation.

Claire raised an eyebrow and signed it as well.

Under the surveillance camera, we both read the contents aloud, confirming we were signing of our own free will while fully conscious. This way, the waiver could not be revoked.

“I hope you don’t regret this,” I said calmly.

“Your mother is dead. Why would I regret it?” Claire scoffed.

My heart tightened painfully. No matter what, we had been married for five years. After marriage, I treated her parents as my own, honoring them as family. My mother-in-law’s death was a huge blow to me as well.

Yet in Claire's eyes, whether my mother lived or died seemed completely irrelevant. It was like the death of some stray cat or dog on the street.

Suppressing the pain in my chest, I dialed my mother’s number. There was no answer. I called again and again, seven or eight times in a row, but still, no one picked up. That was impossible.

My mother was a heavy phone user. Her phone was always in her hand, especially at this time of day. There was no way she would not answer. The sudden abnormality made my heart uneasy.

“You’re expecting a dead person to answer the phone?” Claire let out a cold laugh and dialed her own mother’s number. The call was answered almost immediately.