However, a thought flashed across my mind. Since she was so eager to run into a fiery pit, why should I stop her?

I could play along if she wanted to.

I took a deep breath, putting on a helpless, frightened expression as I picked up the pen with trembling hands.

“Fine. I’ll agree to the divorce for the sake of our family.”

The pen touched the paper, and I signed my name, Ethan Johansen.

I could see Lisa let out a sigh of relief. She snatched the divorce agreement and stuffed it into her bag.

“Honey, don’t blame me. I’m doing this for you.”

Lisa said she was sorry, but her body language spoke differently. She rushed into the bedroom to pack.

She claimed she needed to lie low to avoid being caught at home by the police.

However, I caught a glimpse inside her open suitcase. It was stuffed with bikinis, sunscreen, and several sets of sexy lingerie.

Once she finished packing, she dragged her suitcase towards the door.

She did not even spare a glance when she passed her mother’s room.

All she left behind were a few cold words. “Don’t tell Mom the truth. Just say that I’m going on a business trip.”

The door slammed shut with a bang.

Silence filled the house.

…

Early the next morning, Lisa called to urge me to go to the courthouse.

Since it was a mutual divorce with no real disputes over property, the process was quick.

The moment she got the divorce papers, the joy in her eyes overflowed.

Lisa did not even bother to say goodbye. She turned around and got straight into a taxi, heading for the airport.

I stood at the entrance of the courthouse, looking at the divorce papers in my hands, and felt nothing.

As soon as Lisa left, Kevin updated his Instagram post.

A photo of two people with fingers tightly intertwined at the airport, with the international departure’s security gate in the background.

The caption below the photo was: [Let’s flee to the ends of the earth and never part again.]

In the photo, Lisa was smiling brightly. On her finger was a diamond ring I had never seen before.

I went back to that old house, which was soaked with the smell of medicine.

My mother-in-law, though paralyzed and slurring her words, was still mentally sharp.

She lay on the bed, staring straight at the ceiling.

When she saw me come back, she struggled to turn her head and asked in a slurred voice, “Is Lisa… abandoning me?”

So, she knew.

With all the noise Lisa made packing last night, there was no way she had not heard a thing.

Feeling sad for her, I walked over and tucked the blanket around her.

I picked up the bowl of millet porridge from the table, blowing on each spoonful before feeding her.

“Mom, she’s on a business trip. Somewhere far away.

“From now on, it’s just the two of us. I’ll take care of you.”

Cloudy tears slid from the corners of her eyes, tracing the lines of her wrinkles and into her ears.

She gripped my hand tightly, with surprising strength, letting out muffled sobs as if trying to speak.

At noon, I wheeled her outside to get some sunlight.

Suddenly, the sound of brakes came from outside.

A black sedan pulled up at the gate of our shabby courtyard.

Several people in uniforms stepped out, carrying briefcases and surveying equipment.

A middle-aged man in the lead walked over politely.

“Excuse me, who is the owner of this old house?”

I paused, then pointed to my mother-in-law in the wheelchair. “She is. I’m her… son-in-law.”

Ex-son-in-law, now technically, but I did not correct myself.

The man nodded, his face breaking into a wide smile.

“Congratulations. This area has just been included in a key municipal development plan. The official document was just issued.

“There will be demolition soon, and a subway station will be built here. It’s a major project.”

My mind buzzed.

This house had been passed down through my mother-in-law’s family for generations. It was so run-down it leaked when it rained, and the walls were peeling everywhere.

All around us were high-rise buildings. This area was the only remaining part of the old neighborhood that had remained untouched.

I never expected that it would finally be demolished at a moment like this.

I gulped and probed. “So… how much compensation are we talking about?”

The staff member tapped on a calculator and gave a number.

“According to the latest policy, it’ll be a combination of property and cash compensation.

“About two million in cash, plus two apartment units of around 1,200 square feet each as compensation.”

Two million.

Two apartments.

In a suburban city, that was an enormous amount, and enough to make someone rich overnight.

My emotions felt like a roller coaster.

First, the suffocating weight of being abandoned by Lisa struck me, and I felt bad seeing my mother-in-law in tears.

Now, I was overwhelmed with shock, followed by an indescribable surge of joy.

Lisa had just dumped the house onto her mother to avoid the so-called “debt.”

Right after that, this rundown place had suddenly turned into a goldmine.

If she found out, she would probably regret it so badly.

The staff member took out a letter of intent. “If the homeowner agrees to everything, she can sign here, and we’ll start the process.”

I looked at my mother-in-law.

She was the legal owner. The signature had to be hers, and the money would be hers too.

Even though Lisa had left the house to her, as her only daughter, the money would eventually go to her.

At that thought, disappointment stifled the joy deep down in me.

I was just an ex-son-in-law. What did any of this have to do with me?

At that moment, my mother-in-law slowly raised her thin, frail hand.

She pointed at me, her gaze unusually firm.

In a slurred but forceful voice, she said to the staff, “Give all… to… Ethan.”

The staff froze, pen hovering midair. “Ma’am, who did you say you want to give it to?”

I was stunned too. “Mom, what are you saying?”

With all her might, she reached beneath the wheelchair cushion with her trembling hand.

After fumbling for a while, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

On it were a few crooked lines of writing, stamped with a red fingerprint.

She handed it to the staff, breathing heavily.

“My… will… was written… long ago.

“He… will be my… son… from now on.”

…

The demolition office staff left, and silence returned to the room.

I held the letter of intent in one hand, and my mother-in-law’s shaky, handwritten will in the other.

It all felt like a dream.

My mother-in-law looked at me, her eyes full of kindness and a trace of relief.

“Ethan… you’ve endured…a lot…for the past…three years.

“I know… who’s been kind…to me.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I almost could not hold them back.

For three years, I had carried the title of a “freeloader”, enduring scorn from Lisa and her relatives.

Only my mother-in-law had never looked down on me.

I carried her back to bed and tucked her in.

My phone buzzed.

A notification from my pinned follower.

Kevin had posted again on Instagram.

The location tag displayed an overwater villa in Maldev. The photo was of Lisa in a revealing bikini, holding a glass of champagne.

Behind her, a turquoise sea and a blue sky stretched. It was a scene depicting pure luxury.

The caption was dripping with mockery.

[Some people spend their whole lives in rooms that smell like piss, while my woman deserves the stars and the ocean.]

The comments were full of flattery.

[What a generous man, Mr. Zauc.]

[Your girlfriend is gorgeous. She did the right thing, leaving that loser.]

Lisa replied with a “shy” emoji and added.

[Don’t mention that man. It ruins my mood. I want to enjoy life now.]

I looked at the screen and scoffed.

A room that smells like piss?

Very soon, that smell would be replaced by the scent of money.

I could not resist responding to Kevin’s post.

[Don’t celebrate too soon, things could still go wrong. That champagne looks fake.]

Kevin replied instantly, [Who the hell are you?]

I turned off my phone. I had no interest in arguing with an idiot like him.

I had more important things to do.

I immediately called the best housekeeping service in the city.

“I want your best packing team. Please come right away and help us move.”

After hanging up, I contacted the rehabilitation center at the city’s top hospital.

I booked a VIP room with full-time care and prepaid a year’s worth of fees.

While packing, I found something heavy inside a battered cookie tin under my mother-in-law’s bed.

When I opened it, the contents nearly blinded me.

The box was filled with gold bars.

That tin had been under the bed for years. Lisa always thought it was dirty and never touched it.

Seeing my shocked expression, my mother-in-law stuttered, “Those were… hidden by our ancestors.

“I kept them… from Lisa’s unreliable father… and never dared… tell her either.”

She sighed and pushed the cookie tin toward me.

“These… are for you… as a marriage fund.”

Holding the heavy tin in my arms, I felt different emotions welling up in me.

The anger from Kevin’s mockery had completely vanished.

All that was left in me was the contempt for Lisa’s clownish behavior and deep gratitude for my mother-in-law’s trust.

If this were defined as “freeloading”, then I would readily accept it.

After all, it was being given to me by my mother-in-law.

It brought tears to my eyes. I looked at my mother-in-law and said, “Mom, I’m not getting married. I’ll stay and take care of you.”

She giggled like a child.

That afternoon, the movers arrived.

The shabby old house was emptied.

Before leaving, I hung a warning board on the front door.

[Beware of dog. Keep out.]

Of course, that was meant for Lisa and Kevin when they came back.

As I sat in the car heading to the VIP hospital room, watching the scenery pass by outside, I thought, “Lisa, Kevin, this is just the beginning of your nightmare.”

…

Half a month later, the first installment of the demolition compensation was deposited into my account.

Looking at the long string of zeroes in my bank balance, I felt like I could finally breathe again.

I went straight to a dealership and picked up a Porsche Cayenne.

I paid cash in full and took the car.

The salesgirl looked at me like she was smitten, but I did not have time for that.

I chose this car mainly because the trunk was big enough to fit my mother-in-law’s wheelchair.

I rented a large, riverfront apartment for my mother-in-law to stay in.

It was just a temporary place, over 2,000 square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the river.

As for the two compensation apartments, they were still under construction. I planned to rent them out later.

After receiving careful care in the VIP hospital ward, my mother-in-law’s condition improved a lot.

Her complexion looked better, and she smiled more often.

Then, just as we were settling into our new life, Lisa and Kevin returned.

They were both noticeably tanned, reluctantly saying goodbye to each other at the airport.

To cover her lies, Lisa even changed her clothes in the restroom.

She messed up her hair, making herself look worn and miserable, before taking a cab back to the old house.

She was planning to put on a whole “released on bail” act.

However, the driver could not proceed further when the car reached the alley entrance.

A cordon had been set up ahead, and bulldozers were rumbling loudly at work.

Lisa froze in shock.

Dragging her suitcase, she stumbled forward.

What she saw was a pile of ruins.

The home she had lived in for over twenty years had been reduced to rubble.

She dialled my number again and again like a maniac.

However, she noticed she could not get through because I had already blocked her number.