Chapter 1

My mother-in-law demanded a million dollars from me to officially sever her relationship with her son.

My heart ached for my husband, Silas, as I watched him scrape every penny together to pay her off.

But the moment the money was transferred, he handed me a stack of divorce papers.

He claimed he felt too much guilt for everything I had done for him and couldn't bear to look at me anymore.

With a hollow heart, I signed. Before the ink was even dry, he was back in his mother's arms, rushing to get a marriage license with his mistress.

When the truth came out, my friends and family hounded me to pay back the debts Silas had incurred.

Silas denied everything, leaving me to face the wolves alone. In a moment of pure desperation, I was pushed down a flight of stairs during a confrontation.

I died on the cold pavement, watching my life fade away while they celebrated their new beginning.

1

"One million dollars. Consider it Silas's final payment for all the years I spent raising him," my mother-in-law, Martha, said.

She stood there with her hands on her hips, her eyes full of disdain. She spoke as if a million dollars was as easy to pull out of a pocket as a crumpled five-dollar bill.

I sat on the sofa, gently rocking my five-year-old daughter, Lily. I knew exactly where her arrogance came from.

Silas sat in the corner of the couch, his head buried in his hands. He looked like a man in total agony.

But this time, I didn't feel a single spark of pity for him. If he wanted to put on a performance, I would let him win an Oscar.

Seeing me remain unmoved, Martha hesitated. She shot a frantic look at her son, silently asking for his next move.

The scene was almost comical. Thinking about how I used to tolerate his behavior made me feel like I had swallowed poison.

Silas and I dated for three years before marrying, after which I became a stay-at-home mom.

We had been married for six years. I had kept his life perfect, but he had grown bored and sought excitement elsewhere with a female client.

Ever since Nadia appeared, Silas's heart had left our home. A single text from her could make him drop his fork in the middle of a family dinner to rush to his phone.

I used to ask him what was so urgent. He would always snap that it was work and that a woman who stayed home all day wouldn't understand.

Nadia was clever. They had been together for over a year before I caught a single hint of their affair. But lately, she was getting impatient.

"Elara, just give it to her," Silas said, his voice raspy. He finally looked up at me.

I was busy patting Lily to sleep. I tried to stand up to carry her to bed, but my leg had gone numb, and I fell back onto the sofa.

Throughout the struggle, neither of them reached out to help me. They just stared, waiting for me to hand over the money.

It was sickening. Martha eventually lost her patience and grabbed my arm, nearly waking Lily.

"Ugh, what a waste of space. You're raising her to be so fragile," Martha hissed, looking at Lily.

"You can't even give me a grandson. I don't expect you to take care of me in my old age. Just give me the money so I can leave. You make me sick."

I didn't argue. I carried Lily to the bedroom, tucked her in, and locked the door to drown out the noise from the living room.

"I don't have it," I said simply when I returned.

They both froze. Martha pointed a finger right at my nose and started screaming.

"You little brat! My son brings home a huge paycheck every month. Where did you hide it? Are you spending it on some secret lover?"

She slapped her thigh and began a fake wail. Silas looked at me with an expression of pure disbelief.

"Your son makes fifteen thousand a month, but he only gives me eight thousand for household expenses," I said, pulling out my phone.

"Even if we didn't eat, drink, or pay bills for six years, that only adds up to a little over half a million. Can you not do basic math?"

I flashed the calculation in their faces. Martha's eyes shifted nervously.

"What about your inheritance? I know your parents left you half a million. Give us that, and I'm gone," she demanded.

I let out a cold laugh. So, that was the real target. They were after my parents' money.

"I was talking about a scenario where we didn't spend a dime! For years, I've paid for everything―your clothes, your food, even your medical bills."

Martha slammed her hand on the table. "I spend my son's money! How dare you say you paid for it!"

Silas stepped in, trying to play the peacemaker. "Elara, just give it to her. You're my wife, so your money is mine anyway. It's just a few hundred grand. Don't make a scene."

"I'll make it up to you. I'll treat you better from now on," he added, his eyes turning red as he tried to look sincere.

In my previous life, I fell for this. I felt sorry for him because his mother didn't love him, and I ended up drowning in debt.

I remained silent. Silas began hitting his own head, pretending to be in extreme pain. He knelt before his mother, apologizing for being a useless son who couldn't control his wife.

The emotional blackmail was a well-rehearsed routine for them.

"Fine. How about this? I'll give you whatever cash I have on hand, and I'll borrow the rest from my relatives," I said, acting like I was relenting.

Silas froze for a second. "Maybe... maybe you should borrow the money first. I'll try to find another way to get the rest."

"You don't trust me!" I shouted, my voice trembling with fake sorrow. I wiped away a tear and walked away, ignoring Martha's frantic excuses behind me.

The negotiation ended in a stalemate. They could have just asked for a divorce and left quietly, but they were too greedy. They wanted me to be saddled with debt so I could never recover.

This time, I was going to make them pay for that greed.

That weekend, after picking Lily up from her art class, I took her to the playground. It was our usual routine.