A medical report shows me my husband's true colors.

I've been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. Yet, my husband gives our life savings to someone else. I lunge at him to take my anger out on him, but he shoves me to the floor. "Lillian needs the money to open up a shop, you madwoman! So what if I've given her the money?

"You have late-stage stomach cancer, so it's the end of the line for you! Why are you trying to compete with someone who has a long life ahead when you already have one foot in the grave? You can't expect Mom and I to lose everything because of you, right?"

I sit dazedly on the floor. I've never found him more unfamiliar. After that, I sneak all my wedding gifts out, wanting to sell them for money. However, I'm told they're all fakes.

My husband sneers. "I'm glad I had the foresight to switch them out for the real deal. You would've taken all the money if not for that!"

Later, the hospital called to say there was an issue with their system. The names on the medical reports were wrongly indicated.

I ask my husband, "Why are you competing with someone who has a long life ahead when you already have one foot in the grave?"

I was supposed to check into the hospital the next day.

As I was mentally preparing for it, I called out to my husband, Rupert Anderson, who was in the kitchen, "I'm going to the hospital tomorrow, babe. Do you have the money ready?"

He came out of the kitchen holding a plate of fruit, casually popping a piece into his mouth. "Money? I gave it all away."

I froze. He'd never talked to me like that in all our years of marriage. Without thinking, I asked him what he meant.

"I gave the money to Lillian," Rupert said.

He didn't seem bothered at all by the shock on my face. He was about to sit down and continue eating his fruit.

I couldn't believe it when I heard that name. That was my emergency fund! How could he do that to me? And to give it to Lillian Leary of all people? What the heck was going on?

I kept pushing, and he finally snapped and told me the truth, "I helped her start a shop. Ever heard of 'investing'?"

I was already on edge from everything that had been happening lately. His words were the last straw.

I lost it, hitting and kicking him in a blind rage, even knocking the plate of fruit to the floor. "That was my emergency fund, Rupert! How could you do that?"

He pushed me away, and I went crashing to the floor.

"You lunatic!" Rupert yelled. "Lillian needs the money for her shop. What's the big deal with me giving it to her? You've got advanced stomach cancer. There's no cure! Why would a dying person fight the living over anything? You can't expect Mom and me to end up with nothing, can you?"

I sat there on the floor, stunned, suddenly seeing a side of Rupert I'd never seen before. He'd never talked to me like that.

We met in college, went through all those years together, and eventually got married. He never cared that I was an orphan—if anything, he felt bad that I had to work so hard on my own.

Everyone who knew him always said such great things about him. How could he have turned into someone totally different? He always took care of me during our marriage, and we never fought like this.

Then came our routine checkup not too long ago, and the news that I had stomach cancer. That was when he dropped the act and rushed to hand over our 200 thousand dollars in savings to someone else to start a shop.

I couldn't help but wonder who I'd really been married to all these years. Maybe he'd been wearing a mask this whole time.

Seeing the shock on my face, Rupert softened his tone as he continued to explain himself, "We've only gotten 200 thousand dollars saved up. That wouldn't even cover your treatment. We might as well give it to Lillian as an investment.

"Once her shop starts bringing in money, the returns will cover your treatment. Just hang in there a little longer, babe. You really think I'd mess with your emergency fund, huh?"

I let out a dry laugh and fell silent. It was all nonsense. We'd been together for years, and I knew exactly how Rupert acted when he was lying.

I couldn't shake the feeling that Rupert had been seeing Lillian behind my back for a while. And now, with my terminal diagnosis, he didn't even bother pretending our marriage was still intact.

Just as I was getting disgusted by everything, my mother-in-law, Morwenna Flynn, stepped out of her room and shot me a judgmental look.

"Rupe handles everything around here. What have you ever done all these years? Now you even get yourself diagnosed with some disease that's going to drain all our money. You really deserve to die!" she snapped.

I got up, looked at Morwenna and Rupert, and couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous this all was.

"What have I ever done, you ask? Did you forget, Morwenna? I paid half of the down payment on this house!" I retorted. "And you're still asking what I've done? Maybe you should ask yourselves what you and Rupert have actually done!

"I'm not even going to get into what's going on between Rupert and Lillian. The most he did after losing his job was some light cleaning around here. Sometimes, he even makes me do it! How is that 'handling everything'?

"Don't I have a job? And it's my paycheck that's been keeping you both afloat! So, tell me, what have I done?"

Morwenna stood there, her face going through a bunch of different expressions as if she wanted to say something, but Rupert's glare shut her up.

I scoffed and continued, "And you, Morwenna. I used to think you were fair and would have my back. But now I see you're just like him! You two are the real family here, and I'm—"

Before I could finish, Rupert slapped me across the face. My ears were ringing. I clutched my cheek and shot him a death stare.

Since Rupert lost his job, he and Morwenna have been counting on me to keep things running. All he did was clean up a little here and there, and they acted like that was him holding down the fort.

Were they out of their minds? And now he actually had the nerve to hit me!

"Half of that money in our savings is mine!" I shouted.

Rupert and Morwenna probably thought I'd just break down in tears. They didn't expect me to stand my ground, yelling back without a trace of fear.

Seriously? I was already dealing with a terminal illness. What more was there to be afraid of?

Their faces were a sight after I said that, but the facts were clear. They wanted to argue, but couldn't come up with anything.

I added, "You're giving me that money back! Or we're taking this to court. Even if I can't be cured, I'd rather burn it all than leave a cent for Lillian!"

"It's not happening, Anne. Let it go. I'm not giving you a darn thing," Rupert shot back.

He glared at me, his eyes cold as ice.

"If you've got the guts, go ahead and file for divorce," he said. "But I'm not signing off on it. What's the big deal? All I have to do is stretch this out through the cooling-off period, right? I'm fine with that, I can wait! Now that you've made your stance clear, I'll outlast you, and the money's staying mine!"

I stared at him in disbelief.

Rupert must've thought I was backing down. He tried to smooth things over. "Why make this so ugly, Anne? If you just play along and cooperate, I'll make sure you're taken care of until the end."

All I could feel was regret when I heard him spout such nonsense. How the heck did I end up with a guy like this? How could I have been so blind, even putting all my hard-earned money into a house with him and marrying him?

I looked around at what used to be our cozy, welcoming home. Now, it felt like a total freezer in here. I clenched my fists so tight that my nails were digging into my palms.

Whining and waiting until the Grim Reaper found me? Not a chance. I wasn't just going to roll over and let people like Rupert and Lillian snatch my money without a fight.

I tried to steady myself. Then it hit me—I still had my wedding jewelry made of gold. Maybe that could help me get back on track.

I decided to go with the flow with Rupert and Morwenna for the time being. I told them I was feeling overwhelmed and just needed a moment to clear my head.

I explained that I'd been under a lot of pressure, but after thinking it through, it made sense what they were saying.

We went back and forth for a while, but eventually, my expression seemed to win them over. Honestly, being an orphan, it felt like I had no choice but to lean on them for now.

I sat on my bed, staring around the room, hoping for a chance. Sure enough, Rupert was heading out later that afternoon.

The moment he stepped out, I knew it was my only chance. My heart was pounding, but I moved quickly and quietly as I searched the room.

Just as I grabbed the gold wedding jewelry, I saw Morwenna standing in the doorway, her eyes full of suspicion.

"What are you doing in here?" Her words cut through me like a blade to the heart.

My brain started racing. I quickly tossed the jewelry into the trash can, then grabbed the bag, trying to stay calm.

"Oh, nothing," I said. "I saw the trash was full, so I thought I'd take it out. Didn't you say Rupe's been handling everything at home? Since I'm still feeling fine, I figured I'd lend a hand. After all... I'll need the family's money for my treatment."

Morwenna stared at me, clearly skeptical, but with no real proof, she turned and walked off.

I seized the moment to slip out of the room. All I could think about was turning those pieces of jewelry into cash. At least that might give me a chance to survive.

I walked into the jewelry store, feeling hopeful, and handed the pieces to the salesperson for a quick check.

But then, the news hit me like a ton of bricks. They weren't even real gold—just 'gold-plated silver'. The jewelry was a thin layer of gold over cheap silver.

My heart sank. All my hopes deflated in an instant. I'd picked out those pieces myself for my wedding. How was this even happening? The gold plating looked so real that I never even doubted it!

Just as I stood there, completely shocked, Morwenna and Rupert walked in with smug grins.

"I knew you were up to no good," Morwenna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Good thing we stayed sharp and had Rupert swap them out."

Rupert looked totally pleased with himself. He stepped forward and grabbed my arm, his voice laced with danger. "Luckily, I thought ahead. Otherwise, we'd be screwed. I've already given the real pieces to Lillian as an investment. She'll help us turn them into even more cash.

"As for these gold-plated pieces of junk, think of them as your burial gifts. Consider it our last 'favor' to you. Don't worry, babe. Once you're out of the way, I'll make sure to bury them with you."

His words sliced through me, over and over, like a knife.

Furious, I fought back, trying to break free, but suddenly, my body felt like it was shutting down from all the rage. Everything started to blur, and their mocking laughter rang in my ears.

No, I couldn't just collapse here!

I tried to clench my fists, to pull myself together, but out of nowhere, a wave of pure hatred crashed over me, and everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, everything around me felt both familiar and strange. I blinked as if I were stuck in a long dream, struggling to tell what was real and what wasn't.