My father-in-law, Luther Smith, got into a car accident and was sent to the emergency room.

I called my wife, Meg Smith, who was a lawyer, more than twenty times before she picked up.

“What are you doing now? Hugh ran into trouble, and I’m helping him. Please don’t be a nuisance.”

I suppressed my feelings and said, "Dad got into a car accident, and he needs a hundred thousand dollars for surgery."

However, she believed Hugh’s words instead. She said viciously, “It’s your father who got into the accident. What does it have to do with me? Don’t covet my money for your family. Stop harassing me. I’m busy.”

She then quickly ended the call. They did not manage to save Luther, and he died.

Three days later, in court, I saw Meg defending Hugh as his defense lawyer for his drunk driving case.

She was extremely good at her job, so she managed to win the court case for Hugh due to insufficient evidence. Hugh was acquitted.

I was extremely disappointed. After the court session, I asked for a divorce.

She started to panic.

“My dad is so kind to you. He’ll be very upset if you divorce me!”

I sneered and threw the hospital receipt and death certificate at her face.

What an idiot. She did not know that she no longer had a father.

I was a little dumbfounded when I received the call from the hospital.

My father-in-law, Luther Smith, had just brought my wife Meg Smith’s favorite food over. He had just left when he got into a car accident.

I immediately rushed to the hospital. On the way, I kept calling Meg.

She was a lawyer, and she was usually very busy. It was normal for her to ignore my calls.

However, this time, it was important that she pick up the phone. Luther was in a critical condition in the hospital!

I called her again, but she still did not answer. I put my phone down with a frown. Then, I rushed to the emergency room and panted as I asked the nurse.

“H-How’s Luther?”

The nurse sighed and said, “He’s still receiving emergency treatment, but it doesn’t look great. Please be prepared for the worst.”

I was extremely anxious. I quickly gave Meg another call.

She finally answered the call, but she sounded really impatient. “Easton, what are you doing? Why are you spamming me with calls? Don’t you know I’m busy?”

I was about to speak when I heard a man’s voice. “Meg, please don’t go. Can you accompany me for a little longer?”

Meg immediately comforted him, saying, “I’ll be here with you. I won’t go anywhere.”

It had been a long time since she had used such a gentle voice to speak to me.

At that moment, I felt my heart suddenly turn cold.

My voice was a little hoarse. “What’s keeping you busy?”

Meg clicked her tongue impatiently over the phone.

Even though I could not see her expression, I could also sense her frustration.

“Hugh’s mother passed away today. He’s very upset. I’m just here to help. Can you be a man and refrain from throwing a tantrum?”

Hugh Reid. It was Hugh again.

Hugh was Meg’s first love. He had only returned to the country a month ago, but Meg mentioned him countless times since then.

Hugh was injured, and she had to go and bandage his wounds.

Hugh’s cat had died, and she could not bear to see him upset, so she needed to comfort him.

Meg had always said that Hugh was an independent and a bit of a male chauvinist.

However, I felt that he was like a man-child who could not take care of himself. His presence was felt in every aspect of my life.

Meg was spending all her free time on him.

Due to that, I had fought with her many times.

Initially, Meg promised not to contact Hugh anymore. However, she became increasingly impatient with me after that.

In our last fight, she even said, “It’s over between him and me. Don’t overthink it. If there was still a possibility of him and me being together, do you think I’d have married you?”

I felt my heart sink when I thought about that.

I was just about to tell her about Luther when I heard the phone beep.

Meg hung up on me!

I immediately called her again.

However, she did not answer any of my calls. I felt defeated.

I kept calling her until she finally picked up again.

I was afraid she would hang up on me again, so I quickly told her about Luther.

“Dad got into a car accident! He’s in critical condition. You have to get over here! Hurry! Besides, the medical bill surpasses my card limit. Can you transfer me a hundred thousand dollars?”

However, to my surprise, it was not Meg who answered the call.

Hugh spoke softly, and his words made me furious.

“Easton, I know you want Meg to head back now, and that’s why you’re coming up with this excuse.

“But I really need her here now. After everything’s over, I’ll give her back to you, alright?

“As for money… Please don’t lie to Meg again. A while ago, I heard that your father was asking you for a hundred thousand dollars so he could gamble.”

Meg was beside Hugh. I heard her angry voice as she said, “Easton, you’re a compulsive liar! You’re hopeless!

“It’s your father who got into the car accident. What does it have to do with me? Even if he dies, don’t dream that I’ll give you any money. Stop annoying me! Just go away!”

She hung up on me again.

I did not expect that, just because of Hugh’s words, Meg had misunderstood that it was my father who got into the car accident. She thought that I was calling her to get my hands on her money.

I was anxious and frustrated. I stood there with a thick wad of receipts in my hand as I looked at the nurse standing before the operating room.

However, when I called Meg again, I realized she had blocked me.

I was extremely anxious. I exhausted all contact methods, but none of them worked.

She said she was busy, but why did she still have the time to block me?

It was her own father who was lying in the operating room!

How could she believe in Hugh’s baseless words?

I suppressed my emotions so I would not embarrass myself in the crowded hospital.

It was not the right time to be mad at Meg.

Nothing was more important than Luther’s life. I called a few friends and managed to borrow a hundred thousand dollars. Then, I quickly went downstairs to make the payment.

My back was drenched in sweat when I rushed back to the emergency room again.

I clenched my fist as I stared intently at the red light on top of the operating room doors. I kept praying that Luther would be fine.

Luther had always been very kind to me. He knew that I had a lot of siblings, and I was the awkward middle child. Hence, he had treated me like his own son.

Even though he had been divorced for years and single-handedly raised Meg, he was not the type of father who was overbearing.

On the contrary, he respected Meg and my personal space. He lived alone in a different house, and he would only visit us on the weekends. He would even bring us our favorite food.

This time, he had come over because Meg had mentioned that she missed his chili. He had remembered.

He had just made the chili and delivered it to our place. On the way back, he got into a car accident.

Our houses were actually very close to each other; he only had to cross a small junction.

I heard that the Good Samaritan who sent Luther to the hospital was a drunk driver. The drunk driver was speeding, and Luther landed a few feet away. Blood was pooling around him.

When I recalled what the nurse had told me, I had a bad feeling.

The doctor walked out of the operating room and shook his head at me. He sighed and said, “It was too late to save him. We tried our best. He’s still awake, but maybe…

“You should go and talk to him.”

Something snapped in my mind.

My legs went limp as I fell onto the floor. I started crying uncontrollably.

However, I had no time to waste. I struggled to my feet and went into the ward.

Luther was hooked up to several tubes.

A few hours ago, he was still smiling and telling me that he would bring me his tiramisu the next time.

Instead, he was lying in a hospital bed with an ashen face.

He forced a smile when he saw me.

“Easton, you’re here. Where’s Meg?”

I did not know how to answer him, and I hated that Meg did not believe me.

I could only force a smile. “Luther, Meg’s at work, and she can’t step away.”

I did not know if Luther believed my words. His smile faded a little.

He gestured for me to come closer.

I scooted closer and saw tears in Luther’s eyes.

“Easton, I know that Meg has done you wrong. I know about it. Recently, no matter what time I arrived at your place, Meg would not be home. How busy could she be?”

He was speaking without any difficulties, and his face was a little more flushed.

My heart sank. I knew it was terminal lucidity, and I felt even sadder.

Luther could tell that I was upset. He patted my face with his cold hand and wiped my tears away.

“After I die, no one will help you to teach Meg a lesson. Easton, you’re a good kid. You deserve to be happier. Don’t force yourself into spaces you don’t fit. Divorce her. It’s my fault. I didn’t expect her to be like her mother…”

A tear slid down Luther’s cheek, and his hand faltered and dropped to the bed.

I bit my lower lip, but I still could not control my sobs.

“Luther!”

The monitor indicated that he was flatlining.

I would no longer be able to try his tiramisu.

When I went to his place to pack some of his belongings, I saw a handwritten letter lying on his desk.

It was addressed to me.

I opened the letter. It was then that I realized that Meg’s mother had cheated on him too.

Luther had a hard life. He only started to be happier when Meg found success in life.

He hated disloyal people.

However, he did not expect that his daughter, the person he loved the most and took care of all her life, was corrupted as well.