Chapter 1
At our Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law suddenly threw a bowl of noodles straight into my face and screamed that I was useless in the kitchen. My husband just sat there and watched.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Hot broth ran down my hair and onto the sweater my mother had given me.
“You can’t even cook one decent meal for this family?” Linda shouted.
I stared at her.
The noodles weren’t even mine.
She had cooked them.
My husband, Michael, lowered his eyes and kept eating.
“Are you seriously going to say nothing?” I asked him.
He sighed.
“Sarah, just don’t make Christmas worse.”
Something inside me snapped.
For two years, I had been sending Linda $1,500 every single month.
Groceries.
Utilities.
Her car payment.
Even the Christmas dinner she had just thrown in my face had been paid for with my money.
I slowly wiped the sauce from my cheek.
“You know what, Linda?”
She folded her arms.
“What?”
“You’re not getting another dollar from me.”
The room went silent.
Linda’s expression changed instantly.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I already canceled next month’s transfer.”
Michael finally looked up.
“Sarah, what did you do?”
I laughed because that was the first thing he had said in my defense all night.
Not when his mother humiliated me.
Only when the money disappeared.
Linda rushed across the table and slapped me hard across the face.
My chair nearly tipped over.
Then she grabbed my shirt and tried to hit me again.
I caught her wrist.
“Don’t touch me.”
She swung her other hand.
This time I grabbed her hair and shoved her away from me.
She screamed and grabbed mine back.
Within seconds, we were both struggling beside the Christmas tree while Michael shouted at me to let his mother go.
“Me?” I yelled. “She attacked me!”
Then Linda screamed something I will never forget.
“Michael, tell her the truth before she stops paying for everything!”
I froze.
Michael’s face went completely white.
“What truth?” I asked.
May you like
Nobody answered.
Then my sister-in-law stood up slowly and whispered, “Sarah… you really don’t know why this family married you, do you?”
