Blurb：
When Daniel’s mother-in-law Susan arrives unannounced, his wife Emily reacts with shocking hostility, unaware it’s her own mother. As tensions escalate, Daniel uncovers Emily’s secret late-night outings and her hidden connection to Jacob, her childhood crush. Pregnant and distant, Emily’s lies threaten to shatter their marriage. Will Daniel expose the truth behind her betrayal, or will Jacob destroy everything? A gripping tale of family drama, infidelity, and suspense.
Content：
My mother-in-law was rushed to the ER with a severe allergic reaction. The doctor issued a critical condition notice.
I frantically called my wife, Emily, but she said, What does it matter if your mom is dying? I’m busy right now!
Then she hung up immediately.
When I tried calling again, her phone was already turned off.
Hearing the laughter and cheers in the background during the call, I knew she was busy throwing a birthday party for her childhood crush, Jacob.
The drama started a week ago, when Emily found out she was pregnant.
I was overjoyed and shared the news with my parents. My mom was so excited she immediately offered to visit, wanting to bring some fresh eggs from a local farm back home to make Emily a healthy meal.
I quickly refused. Emily never liked my mom. Aside from our wedding day, she never wanted to see her.
If my mom showed up unannounced, Emily would be furious.
Hearing how firmly I said no, my mom was hurt, but for my sake, she held back her disappointment.
But my mom didn’t come—Emily’s mom, Susan, showed up first.
Seeing Susan standing at the door with multiple bags, I was stunned. It looked like she planned to stay for a long time.
I let my mother-in-law in and immediately called Emily.
It rang for a long time before she picked up. Her voice sounded groggy, like she’d just woken up. “Yeah?”
“Emily, mom is here. Can you come home early today?”
The moment I said that, Emily exploded.
“Daniel, did you tell your parents I’m pregnant? Why can’t you keep your mouth shut? I told you not to say anything before the first trimester! Are you trying to jinx me and the baby?”
“Got your mothe out of my house—now! I don’t want to see her!”
“If she really so cares about me, she should just wire some money. There’s no need for her to show up unannounced.”
I was stunned into silence by her outburst. I’d barely gotten a sentence out, and she was already on the warpath.
I tried to explain that it was her mom, not mine, but she hung up before I could say another word.
Fine. If she didn’t want to talk, I wasn’t going to beg.
Emily and I had been married for two years, and Susan had only visited once before—she stayed for half an hour and left. So she wasn’t very familiar with our place.
After I got off the phone, Susan nervously rubbed her hands and asked when Emily would be back.
I felt awkward. I couldn’t possibly tell her the truth: ‘Your daughter thought you were my mom, she’s furious, and she just ordered me to throw you out.’.
So I lied, “Emily is working late tonight. She might not be back until later.”
By sunset, Emily still wasn’t home, so I took my mother-in-law out for dinner.
When we got back, I asked Susan to have a rest, but she sat on the couch watching TV, saying she wanted to wait for Emily.
We waited until 10 PM. Emily still wasn’t back, and she wasn’t answering her phone.
Seeing how exhausted Susan was, I convinced her to go to sleep. I told her I’d wait up.
Emily didn’t come home until 2 AM.
When I heard the key turning in the lock, I looked toward the door and met her eyes.
She jumped, clearly startled. “What the hell? It’s the middle of the night—Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
I didn’t move from my chair. “Where have you been? Work never keeps you this late.”
She didn’t even look at me. Her eyes were fixed on the duffel bag and suitcase on the floor.
“Daniel, why is your mom still here? Are these her stuff? Why did she bring so much luggage? Is she planning to stay?”
I noticed her hair was damp, clearly washed but not fully dried. “Emily, since when does overtime include washing your hair at the office?”
“Daniel, I’m asking you a question! Stop changing the subject!”
“I’m asking you a question too! Since when does work require you to stay out until 2 AM? Where were you really?”
Emily shot me a look of pure contempt, didn’t bother answering and walked straight into the guest room.
The moment she slammed the door, my heart sank completely.
Emily’s late return dates back three months ago.
Three months ago, I left the company where we both worked. That same month, her childhood crush, Jacob, joined the same company.
From that day on, Emily worked overtime every day—sometimes until 8 or 9 PM, sometimes until midnight. But 2 AM was a new low.
Seeing her damp hair and the scent of shower gel lingering around her, anyone could guess where she’d just been.
Before, when Emily came home late and slept in the guest room to “not disturb me,” I could delude myself into thinking she was being considerate.
But now, with the evidence right in front of me, I had to face the truth.
Emily was cheating on me.
I tossed and turned all night, only falling asleep as the sun rose.
When I woke up, Emily was already gone.
She’d left breakfast on the table: scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice, and a bottle of hot sauce.
Having grown uo in Louisiana,I’ve always loved spicy food. But Emily prefers mild flavors, so since we got married, I’d given up spicy food altogether.
This time, Emily had specifically bought that hot sauce—clearly her way of apologizing.
Under the jar was a note: “Honey, I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean it.”
“I know your mom likes spicy food, so I bought this hot sauce for her. Please don’t be mad.”
Reading that note made me feel a little better.
Maybe I’d overreacted. Emily and I had been married for two years—would she really cheat on me just because Jacob joined her company?
With that thought, I unscrewed the cap, shook a generous amount of hot sauce onto my eggs, and dug in.
A little later, Susan came out. When she saw the hot sauce, her eyes lit up.
I invited her to join me. “Emily bought breakfast—there’s hot sauce too.”
But the moment she took a bite of her eggs with the sauce, she started coughing. It grew rapidly worse, becoming violent. Her hands flew to her throat, clutching it, her face turning a deep, alarming red.
I dropped my fork in alarm and rushed to pat her back, thinking she’d choked.
But after a few pats, she went rigid and toppled backward, hitting the floor hard.
My hands shook as I dialed 911.
The ambulance arrived quickly. Within fifteen minutes, I was in the back with her.
The paramedics said it was an acute allergic reaction—her throat was already swelling shut.
Watching Susan being rushed into the ER, my legs gave way, and I collapsed to the floor.
How could this have happened? What caused the allergy?
I thought about what she’d eaten: the same as me—eggs, toast, hot sauce. She hadn’t touched her orange juice yet. So it had to be the eggs or the sauce.
I knew Susan was allergic to shellfish—just like my mom.
But how could there be shellfish in steamed buns or hot sauce?
Just then, the ER doors swung open. A doctor came out with a critical condition notice for me to sign.
“The patient’s condition is critical. We need a next-of-kin signature.”
“I’m her son-in-law. Does that count?”
The doctor shook his head. “Where’s her daughter?”
I pulled out my phone and called Emily. Like yesterday, the first call went unanswered. So did the second. The third one rang for a long time before she finally picked up.
“Emily, where are you? Come to Valleywise Health Medical Center now! Mom had an allergic reaction—she’s in the ER!”
I don’t know if I imagined it, but I could’ve sworn I heard Emily chuckle.
“Daniel, why are you calling me about your mom?”
“I’m busy! Stop bothering me!”
Before I could say another word, she hung up.
When I tried calling again, her phone was off.
The doctor frowned at me. “Are you sure you called her daughter? She seemed to think the patient was your mom.”
I didn’t have time to explain. “Her daughter can’t make it. Can I sign?”
The doctor eyed me suspiciously. I knew he had doubts—first I said I was the son-in-law, then the person on the phone thought it was my mom.
“Doctor, I’ll take full responsibility for any decision.” I raised my hand as if taking an oath.
As much as I disliked Emily right now, Susan didn’t deserve this.
The doctor handed me the form. I signed quickly and begged him to save her.
No matter what, she had to make it.
I sat on a bench outside the operating room, scrolling through my contacts.
Emily and I had worked at the same company for three years. I knew everyone there except the new hires.
Soon, I reached out to a mutual friend, Josh.
“Is Emily there? If she is, tell her to call me back.”
Josh replied instantly: “Dan, isn’t today your birthday? Emily took the day off. She said she was celebrating her husband’s birthday.”
“We’re all jealous—you two are still so in love after all these years. She took a whole day off just for you.”
I was confused. My birthday? My birthday is in November. It’s only April now.
Then it hit me—she wasn’t celebrating my birthday. She was celebrating Jacob’s.
“Wait, today isn’t your birthday?” Josh asked.
“Can you try reaching Emily for me? If you can’t, try Jacob.”
“Tell Emily her mom is in critical condition. The hospital needs her to sign the forms.”
“Wait, what?” Josh sounded stunned.
“Now that you mention it, Jacob isn’t here today either.”
Josh, clearly intrigued, promised to help me reach Emily while asking for details.
A few moments later, Emily called.
“Daniel, what is your problem?”
“I told you I’m busy, busy! Why can’t you get that through your head?”
“You’ll stop at nothing to make me come to the hospital for your mom, you’ll really say anything, huh? Even lie and say it’s my mom?”
“Let me be clear—I mixed two spoonfuls of shellfish butter into that hot sauce on purpose.”
“I wanted to make it clearthat my home is not a free hotel for your country-bumpkin family!”
“Your mom’s allergic reaction? She brought it on herself. Once she’s better, she needs to go back to wherever she came from. I don’t want her dirtying my home!”
Emily had grown up in a small rural town. Since elementary school, she’d always been the top student in her class.
When she tested into a top high school, the school waived her tuition and even gave her a $200 monthly stipend because her family couldn’t afford it.
It was in high school that she met Jacob, her childhood crush.
Jacob came from a comfortable middle-class family, so Emily always felt inferior around him. She liked him but never dared confess.
They ended up at the same college. Just as Emily gathered the courage to tell him how she felt, Jacob announced he was studying abroad.
Studying abroad was something Emily never even dreamed of.
Getting out of her small town through scholarships was already a miracle. She didn’t even dare accept a grad school offer—she just wanted to graduate quckily, land a good job, and support herself.
So, her feelings for Jacob became a cherished secret memory.
I’d always known about Jacob, but I didn’t care.
Everyone has a past. Besides, Jacob was overseas—who knew if he’d ever come back?
Emily and I had similar backgrounds—both from small towns, both hardworking. We joined the same company and supported each other, then we naturally fell in love, and got married. Everything felt right.
But then, not long after I left the company, Jacob joined as Emily’s colleague.
From that day on, Emily started working late—later and later every night.
Emily kept ranting on the phone, but I’d stopped listening.
My mind was consumed by one horrifying fact:: Emily had intentionally given my mom shellfish butter to make her leave.
She knew my mom was severely allergic—even a trace could send her to the hospital—yet she did it anyway.
How was this any different from murder?
Ding. The operating room doors opened. The doctor walked out.
He removed his mask and bowed slightly. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.”
“You, as the family, knew the patient had a severe shellfish allergy. How could you let her consume so much of it? Was this intentional?”
Intentional?
Yeah, I could tell him it was.
I spoke into the phone, “Did you hear that?”
“Because of that spoonful of shellfish butter, Mom is gone!”
“Gone—do you understand? She died from an allergic reaction.”
Emily fell silent. Then, the phone was snatched away. Jacob’s voice came through.
“Dan, stop scaring Emily. She’s sensitive, you know?”
“It’s just an allergy. I’ve had allergies before—just some red hives. Take an antihistamine, and it’ll be fine. Don’t make it sound so serious.”
“Today’s my birthday. Emily’s helping me celebrate. We’ll bring you back some cake, so don’t be jealous.”
“If we weren’t worried you’d ruin the mood, we would’ve invited you too.”
“Alright, gotta go. We’re still setting up.”
He hung up.
The hospital said the body could only be kept in the hospital morgue for 24 hours without charge. But by noon the next day, Emily still hadn’t shown.
I couldn’t huld back any longer—I called again. Jacob answered.
“Hey, Dan, we partied pretty late last night. Emily’s still asleep.”
“If it’s not urgent, I’ll let her rest.”
I forced down my anger. “Tell Emily her mom’s body is in the hospital morgue. The hospital said they can only hold it for 24 hours.”
“I’m giving her two more hours. If she doesn’t come to identify the body, I’m having it cremated.”
Jacob snorted. “Dan, you’re too old for these cheap tricks.”
“I know you’re mad about the birthday party, but we’re just friends—really. Don’t overthink it.”
“Also, mixing shellfish butter into the hot sauce was my idea. Don’t blame Emily.”
“I just didn’t want to see her upset. Consider it a lesson for your mom, heh.”
As soon as Jacob finished, I heard Emily’s sleepy voice in the background. “Jacob, who is it? So annoying.”
Then, I heard the distinct sound of a kiss, followed by Jacob’s tender reply, “No one, sweetheart. Just a telemarketer.”
Then, the call ended.
When I tried calling back, I was blocked.
Fine. I’d given Emily three chances. Since she didn’t care, she’d made her choice.
When the hospital told me to claim the body, I contacted a crematorium directly and had it sent there.
Emily didn’t come back until the evening of the third day. The moment she stepped inside, she saw the living room turned into a memorial space.
For a second, she just stared, then she started screaming, “Daniel, are you insane? Why would you turn our home into a funeral parlor? How am I supposed to function with this here?”
“So what if I threw Jacob a birthday party without you? So what if I stayed out for two days? Was this really necessary?”
Emily stormed forward and, without even looking at the memorial photo, and gestured wildly at the setup.
“Daniel, I’ve had enough of your mind games. You’re just trying to guilt-trip me.”
“Truth is, I’m with Jacob now. The baby isn’t yours—it’s his.”
“I came back to tell you: let’s get a divorce. I’m done with you!”
As she said this, I saw Jacob walk in behind her. He carried Emily’s purse in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
“Dan, not gonna lie—this isn’t how you win a girl back.”
I looked at his triumphant face and found the whole situation so absurd that a dry, humorless laugh escaped me.
Hearing me laugh, both Emily and Jacob froze.
They probably thought I’d lost my mind.
I coldly stared at them, my eyes settling on Emily. She seemed uneasy under my gaze and took a step back. “Daniel, what are you doing?”
I stood up slowly, picked up the offerings Emily had knocked down, and placed them back on the table. Then, I spoke calmly.
“Emily, take a closer look. See who this memorial is for.”
As I spoke, Emily finally looked at the portrait. When she saw her mom’s photo, she staggered.
Jacob quickly steadied her.
He glanced at the photo too. For a second, panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly composed himself. He pointed at the picture and told Emily,
“It’s fake. It has to be fake. How could it be your mom?”
My eyes shifted between them. “Yeah, how could it be your mom?”
“I told you three times, and you never believed me. Since you’re so sure, why don’t you call your mom? See if she picks up.”
Emily frantically grabbed her purse from Jacob, her hands shaking as she dialed her mom’s number.
Just then, a familiar ringtone—Emily’s own singing voice—chimed from the direction of the mantel.
Emily turned toward the sound. When she saw the phone on the table, she began trembling uncontrollably.
She snatched the phone and shoved it in my face. “Daniel, why is my mom’s phone here?”
“Where is she? What did you do to her?”
“This is some kind of sick joke!. Tell my mom to come out—now!”
She rushed from room to room, throwing open doors and even checking closets. But there was no sign of her mom.
By now, Susan was ashes in an urn.
Emily gripped the phone, marched up to me, her eyes bloodshot. “Daniel, I’m asking you one last time: where is my mom?”
“Where. Is. My. Mother.”
Jacob sensed something was wrong but kept trying to calm Emily.
“Em, this has to be a trick. Daniel’s just mad about the birthday party and you staying out. He wants you to get this upset.”
“Maybe that’s not even her phone. He probably put it there to mess with you. He’s probably laughing inside seeing you like this.”
But no matter what Jacob said, Emily didn’t respond.
Emily wasn’t stupid. She’d bought that phone for her mom herself. The sticker on the case was one she’d put on.
She knew it was her mom’s phone.
Jacob tried to speak again, but Emily cut him off. “Just shut up and let me think!”
Jacob looked hurt, his lips trembling, eyes welling up. “Emily, you’re yelling at me…” He gently tugged her sleeve.
But Emily was too focused on the phone and her mom to care.
I took a deep breath and pulled out Susan’s death certificate.
Emily glanced at it and screamed, stumbling backward before collapsing to the floor.
“It’s fake, isn’t it? Daniel, tell me this is all a lie!”
“How could it be my mom? You said it was your mom who came. Why would it be my mom?”
Suddenly, as if everything clicked, she screamed at me, “I get it now, Daniel. This was all your plan! You knew it was my mom, but you said it was yours. You did this on purpose!”
“You knew I didn’t like your mom, so you tricked me into making a mistake!”
“Daniel, you’re cruel! My mom was always good to you. How could you do this to her!”
Furious, Emily grabbed a fruit plate from the table and swung it at my head. I caught it just in time.
“Emily, get a grip! I never said it was my mom. You assumed it was.”
“When you came home, I tried to tell you, but you didn’t want to listen. You went straight to the guest room and locked the door.”
“This is all in your head. What does it have to do with me?”
I turned to Jacob, who’d been watching. “If anything, he’s more to blame. You missed your last chance to see your mom because of him.”
Emily’s eyes filled with hatred as she stared at Jacob.
Jacob looked terrified and tried to run, but Emily grabbed his shirt.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot you.”
“If you hadn’t convinced me to throw your birthday party, I would’ve gone to the hospital.”
“If you hadn’t suggested mixing shellfish butter into the hot sauce, my mom wouldn’t have had an allergic reaction.”
“If you hadn’t refused to wear a condom every time, I wouldn’t be pregnant. My mom wouldn’t have known. She wouldn’t have traveled all the way here to take care of me.”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became. Her eyes burned with rage.
I had a bad feeling. Emily was directing all her grief and anger toward Jacob, forgetting that she herself was responsible.
I moved to stop her, but I was too late.
The next moment, Emily grabbed a fruit knife from the table and stabbed toward Jacob’s stomach.
The blade went in clean, came out red.
Jacob stared in horror at the blood dripping from the knife in Emily’s hand and the gash on his arm.
If he hadn’t blocked with his arm just in time, the knife would’ve gone into his stomach.
“Are you crazy, Emily? You actually stabbed me!” Jacob screamed.
“Yes, I’m crazy! You killed my mom! I’m avenging her!” Emily’s eyes were wild as she raised the knife again.
“How did I kill your mom? Emily, you need evidence!”
“Fine, I told you to mix shellfish butter into the hot sauce. But I only suggested it—you’re the one who did it! Did I force you? No! You did it yourself!”
“You’re the one who killed your mom!”
Emily screamed and lunged at Jacob again, shouting, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t!”
One ran, the other chased with a knife. I sat back and watched.
These two, who’d been all over each other just hours ago, were now enemies. What a show.
Eventually, Jacob overpowered Emily and knocked the knife away.
Unarmed, Emily could only scratch and claw at Jacob.
As they fought, someone knocked on the door.
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