I took the property deed out of the safe.
This house was a gift from Dad before he passed away. It wasn't a fancy one, but it was decent and could probably fetch a considerable price if I sold it to pay Mom's bills.
Just as I was about to step out of the door with the deed, I ran into Hans, who was accompanied by Yvette.
"What's that in your hand?"
I decided to come clean with him, saying that I was going to sell the house to save Mom.
Looking at how disheveled I looked, Yvette pinched her nose in disgust and hooked her arm around Hans'.
"Your mom only has pneumonia, doesn't she? Why do you have to sell the house to pay for her treatment?" she asked. "I bet you probably have some tricks up your sleeve. You just want to sell Hans' house for your own benefit!"
I couldn't be bothered with her. All I wanted was to rush to the hospital with the money as soon as possible, but once I saw Hans' skeptical expression, I knew he wouldn't agree to my plan.
"Move, please. I'm in a hurry," I said with a stoic expression.
Before I could reach the door, however, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and bellowed, "Lauren, are you out of your mind? It's just pneumonia. How expensive can the treatment possibly be? You have no right to sell my house!"
Trembling, I pulled out Mom's medical report from a canvas bag that had faded from repeated washing. I was about to hand it to him when he snatched it and tore it to shreds.
"Don't you dare try to trick me!" he shouted. "Listen, I won't allow you to sell this house! I've given my all for you and your mom all these years, and yet you're selling my house. What are you plotting, huh?"
Hans shoved me to the ground. The moment the back of my head collided with the ground, I inhaled sharply.
"Quit the act. You're just a DoorDasher. Stop wincing like you're absolutely exhausted!"
I could no longer keep my emotions at bay. Spiraling in turmoil, I screamed, "My mom has cancer. She's dying! What's wrong with selling the house my dad left for me to save her?"
Hans froze.
Seeing this, Yvette immediately chimed in, "Hans, you've been with her all these years, and her mom has always been fine. Why does she suddenly have cancer?
"Judging by how much money they gleaned from you over the years, perhaps this is a trick they pulled to swindle you out of money."
Just like that, she made it look like Mom and I were nothing but gold-diggers.
Indeed, Mom's medical bills had weighed heavily on our finances over the years. Hans seemed to have realized this too, and his expression immediately hardened.
"Lauren, we've been married for ages. There's no need to lie to me. I hate liars like you the most!" he spat.
"Stay here and reflect on yourself. I'll go confirm whether your mom's situation is true."
Ignoring my cries and pleas, he locked the door and left.
I curled up in a corner, utterly devastated. Clasping my hands together, I silently prayed for Mom's health.
Later that night, Hans returned with a takeout of my favorite mac and cheese place.
He crouched in front of me and wiped my tears away gently, though I couldn't discern whether the tenderness in his eyes was genuine.
"Lauren, I didn't mean to lose my temper with you today," he began. "I was just thinking that if you sold the house, we wouldn't have anywhere else to go. Your mother also wouldn't have a place to recover after being discharged from the hospital.
"Come on, finish this. Then, I'll take you to the hospital and see your mom, okay?"
Scrubbing my tears away, I scarfed down the food—almost as if the faster I ate, the sooner Mom would recover.
"We can work out the finances together," Hans continued. "If worse comes to worst, I can apply for a year-long business trip at work. My salary would go up from 2,000 to 6,000."
Hearing this, I gaped at him.
A business trip? Was it really a transfer to another city, or just an excuse to be with Yvette?
"What's wrong? Can't bear to be apart from me?" he teased.
I held myself back and simply shook my head. My top priority now was to gather the money for Mom's treatment, not to dwell on whether he had cheated on me.
When I settled into the front passenger seat of his car, I habitually flipped open the sun visor to fix my appearances a little, hoping to look a bit more presentable.
But a small note slipped out.
That was when I immediately knew it was Yvette staking her claim, warning the other women that only she had the right to sit in this seat.
Pressing my lips together, I put the note back where I found it.
Hans let out an awkward chuckle. "That must have been from a female passenger when I was Uber driving for extra cash to cover your mom's medical expenses. She must've left it by accident. Don't take it to heart."
Massaging my throbbing temples, I leaned against the window. I had become numb to the anguish after being deceived by him over and over again.
Still, I decided to trust him one last time. If he could lie about his salary to buy Yvette a house, then surely, as a son-in-law, he could pay for Mom's medical bills.
Just as the car came to a stop in front of the hospital, Mom's attending doctor texted me.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Smith. Your mother passed away after an unsuccessful resuscitation attempt."
My heart beat thumped dramatically. Suddenly, I couldn't move.
Hearing the sound of my phone clattering to the ground, Hans sauntered over with a puzzled look.
"What's wrong? Can't even hold onto your phone properly?" he quipped. "We're short on money, so don't expect me to buy you a new one."
His amused expression suddenly threw me in a fit of rage.
Pounding my fists against his chest, I screamed, "Mom's dead! If you hadn't locked me up at home or lied about your salary and used it to buy Yvetter a house, she wouldn't have died!"
A tight knot formed between Hans' brows. "No way. Wasn't it just a mild case of pneumonia?"
But he quickly caught on. Grabbing me by the collar, he roared, "You were spying on me!"
My choked sobs did nothing to dampen his fury.
"Answer me!" he bellowed. "How dare you spy on me?
"Listen, I earned my salary and have every right to spend it however I want. What gives you the right to interfere?
"You and your mom have spent so much of my money all these years, and it's still not enough for you? If I hadn't planned ahead and safeguarded my own interests, I would've been drained dry by you two by now!"
I mustered all my strength to push him away, rushing to see Mom one last time, but he held my wrist in a vice-like grip.
"Well, are you trying to escape after all your lies have been exposed? I took time out of my busy schedule to be here with you, yet this is how you repay me! You're a disgrace!
"Listen to me. You're not setting foot in that hospital today. You're coming home with me and staying put until you understand who's in charge in this house!"
Cornered, I summoned all my strength and slapped him hard across the face. I glowered at him, fixing my bloodshot gaze on him as I gritted out, "Hans, I'll hate you for the rest of my life!"
He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and returned the slap promptly.
"Go home and stay put," he ordered.
Refusing to obey, I started lashing out at him frantically and shouted, "I'm not going back! I'm staying here with Mom!
"What's the matter? Don't you want to go back to the home you share with Yvette?"
Visibly flustered, Hans shot me a glare and hissed, "I won't allow you to tarnish Yvette's reputation. If you insist on staying at the hospital, fine. Don't ever come home again!"
He got in his car and sped off.
Still looking like a mess, I thrashed wildly on the ground as a burning sensation spread across my lower abdomen. Beads of sweat began to form on my forehead when I suddenly felt a warm flow trickling between my legs.
I had lost my baby.
This was supposed to be a surprise for Hans, but in the end, the child we had longed for was dead at his own hands.
I crawled weakly across the dimly lit underground parking lot, leaving behind a trail of blood. At that moment, I had only one thought in my mind—I had to see Mom one last time.
But darkness engulfed me like a beast. Almost instantly, grief and fear clenched my heart.
"Hans, I don't want you anymore. Let's get a divorce."
