บททั้งหมดของ Crowdfunding My Dying Mother‑in‑Law: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

Today was the day my mother-in-law, Fiona Lopez, was discharged from the hospital.To take care of her, I'd bitten the bullet and turned down a major contract—one that could have saved my struggling company. For ten full days, I'd personally waited on her hand and foot at the hospital.Emptying bedpans, bathing her, giving her massages—I'd done it all, and I could honestly say I'd cared for her better than most sons would care for their own mothers.Once the discharge paperwork was done, I helped Fiona out of her room, and a crowd of relatives immediately gathered around us."Oh, look at him!" one of them gushed. "Howard really is the model son-in-law of the Lawson family!""You can say that again," another chimed in. "These days, you can't even count on your own son to do half as much."Their genuine praise brought me some comfort, making those ten grueling days feel completely worthwhile.However, what Fiona said next felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head, chilli

When I got home from the hospital, the first thing I did was set my phone to Do Not Disturb so none of my relatives could get through.Then, I brewed a cup of coffee, booted up my computer, and started digging into the mountain of work that had piled up over the past ten days. I also had to figure out how to win back the ten-million-dollar contract I'd turned down.Jenna came home around dusk.The moment she walked in, she hurled her bag onto the couch and yelled at me. Her face was flushed with rage. "Howard! What the hell were you thinking? How could you leave my mom all alone at the hospital? Her arm's still in a cast!"I didn't bother to look up. My fingers kept flying across the keyboard as I replied flatly, "She isn't alone. She's got that wonderful son of hers.""This isn't about Kyle! You're my husband!" Jenna barked, her voice shooting up an octave. "Can't you just humor her a little? She's getting old. She doesn't always watch what she says, but her heart's in the right

After I tagged Kyle in the family group chat, I figured he was ready to skin me alive.I'd put him on trial and tied him firmly to the stake. Every pair of eyes in the "One Big Happy Family" chat was another log thrown onto the fire, piling up until the flames were roaring and he was practically roasting in his own juices.If he donated too little, he'd never be able to show his face around the family again. His mom was critically ill, so if he—the dutiful son and big-shot boss his mom was always bragging about—refused to part with a dime, his name would be dragged through the mud forever once word got out.And if he donated a lot…Who was he kidding? He was all show, keeping up appearances by dipping into his clients' advance payments and wringing money out of me. Did he even have that kind of cash?I wanted him ruined.I wanted him to get a taste of what it felt like to be publicly humiliated.Time ticked by, minute by minute.In the chat, the relatives who had only tagged hi

Kyle was drowning in his relatives' accusations, reduced to a whipped dog with no fight left in him.Still, selling my car would take time, and the shortfall for the surgery fee remained. Outside the ICU, the angry accusations slowly died down, and a deathly, despairing silence fell over everyone once again.Just then, I noticed Fiona in a corner of the hallway. With nowhere left to turn, she dialed a number with trembling hands. She pressed the phone tight against her ear. Her usual pride was completely gone, and her voice was so weak it was barely above a whisper."Hello? Is this Tina?"The woman on the other end had to be Jenna's aunt, Tina Lopez—someone I'd only heard about but never met.A shrill, crystal-clear voice blasted through the phone, dripping with open mockery. "Well, well, if it isn't my high-and-mighty big sister! What a rare treat. What made you think of calling me? Did hell freeze over?""Tina, I-I can't hold out much longer," Fiona pleaded. "I urgently need mo

As the alarm blared, doctors and nurses swarmed into the ICU, and the room instantly erupted into chaos.Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Kyle and Megan's fight was coming to an end."I'm done! I can't live like this anymore! I want a divorce!" Megan screamed at the top of her lungs one last time. With bloodshot eyes, she shoved a relative out of her way and stormed off toward the elevators without looking back.Kyle slumped on the floor like a marionette with its strings cut. Five distinct finger marks stood out clearly on his face, and his eyes were completely blank. Not a shred of his usual swagger remained.The truth had come to light, and everyone had turned their backs on him.The relatives he'd once used as pawns to guilt-trip me now looked at him like a pile of trash they couldn't get away from fast enough. They practically tripped over themselves trying to leave, mumbling lame excuses like "I left the stove on" and "I have to pick up my grandson from school."In the blink