The factory had just finished expanding when my wife insisted on bringing her older brother in as our driver.

The very next day, my brother-in-law sold my $45,000 business car to a used car dealer. Not only that, he had the nerve to lecture me.

"You're just a small business owner," he said. "Driving a car this expensive is a waste. You might as well sell it and buy gold for my sister. At least that'll appreciate in value."

I swallowed my anger and tried to explain.

"I've never treated her poorly. I've never missed a holiday gift. Compared to what others spend, driving this car is already modest."

He flew into a rage instantly.

"You still dare talk back? My sister gets treated like a maid by your mother every day, and you pretend not to see it.

"Driving a luxury car, pretending to be rich, probably thinking about keeping a mistress. As long as I'm around, don't even think about it.

"In my family, women handle the money. You'd better transfer all your assets to my sister."

I turned to leave, but he punched me straight in the eye.

When my wife rushed over, she did not defend me. Instead, she scolded me for looking down on her family.

While I was being treated for my eye injury, she even allowed her brother to sell all the gold and expensive watches in our house. They used the money to buy a car for his son and even sold the house just to show off their wealth.

Meanwhile, she went online and complained about how miserable her married life had been.

I was so furious I was speechless. In the end, I called the police.

Since they were so eager to get their hands on my money, I decided they would not get a single cent.

I was drilling the crew on job safety when my phone started blaring. It was my wife, Ella Jamison, on the line. I picked it up immediately.

"Honey!"

She cut me off before I could get another word in.

"It's my brother, he's in deep trouble. You need to go help him, now!"

Her voice was panicked, and I knew that was no small matter. It smelled like danger.

Without hesitation, I grabbed a few of the guys, and we booked it to the spot Ella mentioned.

To my surprise, it was a used car lot.

My brother-in-law, Harold Jamison, spotted me and shot a glare at the bespectacled man next to him.

"See? This is the owner of the car, my brother-in-law. Satisfied? Now hand over the cash."

I was lost but relieved to see Harold in one piece.

I chuckled, "Harold, what's this all about? Is this guy ducking out on a debt to you?"

Given Harold's lordly air, I could not imagine any other scenario, and Ella sounded so urgent that it had to be a hefty sum.

The glasses guy looked me over and popped the question, "Sir, are you selling this car? 30 grand, firm."

He gestured to the side.

I glanced over and was stunned.

My voice cracked with disbelief. "That's my new car, what's it doing here?

"No, I'm not selling." I started to say.

However, Harold lost it, lashing out with a kick, "This isn't your place to talk, beat it."

He spun around, grabbed the glasses guy by the shirt, and bellowed, "You said bring the owner and we'd swap the car for cash, right?

"You think you can pull one over on me? I swear I'll wreck this dump of a dealership," he snarled.

He then turned to the crew I brought along, puffing up his chest in pride.

"Take a good look. These guys are my ride-or-die brothers. They wouldn't dream of stepping out of line. If you know what's good for you, you'll pay up now. It's your best bet."

The situation clicked into place for me in an instant.

Rage flared up, sending a chill through my voice, "Listen up, I'm not selling the car, and he's got no say in it."

"And if he doesn't back off, don't hesitate to call the cops."

What a ridiculous man. I shook my head in disbelief.

All that worry for nothing, not to mention the time wasted for my crew and me.

He was trying to hawk my new ride at a steal, thinking he could line his pockets and play me for a fool. I seethed inwardly.

I bit back my fury, gave my workers the nod, and we started to head out.

However, Harold clamped onto me, oozing arrogance. "Jim, you really want to cross me? One word from me, and my sister will dump you. You'll be left a lonely old man no one wants."

With that, he spat right in my face; A clear insult.

The workers inhaled sharply, scrambling to hand me tissues. I wiped the vile spit away, again and again, but it just would not come clean. All I could do was wrench away from Harold's grip and grit out, "Go on, call Ella now. Let's hear what she has to say."

…

When he saw the anger on my face, Harold froze for a moment. Then he glanced at the bespectacled man beside him, who was clearly enjoying the show, and immediately straightened up and began lecturing me as if he were completely in the right.

"I just think a small business owner like you has no business driving a car that expensive. It's a waste. You might as well sell it and buy gold for my sister. At least that'll go up in value.

"Why are you getting so worked up? Can't you talk like a civilized person? Or have you forgotten I'm your brother-in-law?"

Back when my wife and I were dating, she told me her brother was more than ten years older than her.

Harold was like a father to her, raising her all on his own after their parents passed away. It was not easy.

Up until today, I always looked up to Harold, a man known for his solid honesty and good nature.

So when my wife suggested we bring him on as our driver, I did not think twice before saying yes.

I never expected it to lead to that kind of baseless headache.

Trying to keep my cool for my wife's sake, I tried to reason with him, "I've always treated Ella right, never missed a single holiday gift."

"Driving a car like this is pretty modest for our crowd. Ella will tell you the same."

However, my words just set Harold off.

"Talk back? While your mom's got my sister slaving away like a maid, and you turn a blind eye? And you want me to ask her?"

As he spat out lies about my parents, he shoved me around, hurling insults.

"You lowlife, flaunting your fancy car, acting all high and mighty, thinking you can cheat on us Jamisons because we're down on our luck, huh?

"I'm warning you, you won't get away with it, not on my watch."

His spit was flying, and his breath was rank.

I backed away, fighting nausea and fury, until I bumped into Ella, who came running.

She jumped right in, all blame and no questions, "Jim, what the heck did you do to set my brother off like this? He's got a heart condition, he can't afford to get worked up."

"Apologize to him, now!"

I could hardly believe it. I was just about to set the record straight when Harold, smirking with satisfaction, beat me to the punch.

"In our family, the women handle the finances. You better transfer everything to my sister in the next thirty minutes, or I'll air your dirty laundry for all to see."

His booming voice drew a crowd, all eyes and ears on us.

Ella turned on me.

"What dirty laundry, brother? Don't tell me he's actually got a mistress on the side?"

Her eagerness for drama was a far cry from the gentle wife I thought I knew.

Humiliation washed over me, and I spun on my heel, ready to bolt home and clear things up later. However, before I could escape, Harold's fist came out of nowhere, slamming into my eye.

A sharp cry escaped me as I crumpled to the ground, the world turning into a blur of darkness.

He yanked my hair, his voice a venomous whisper in my ear, "You see what happens when you cross me about that clunker? From now on, I'm the one calling the shots in your family. You don't get a word in, understand?"

Ella, indifferent to my agony, stood smugly with her arms folded.

"Big bro's always looking out for me, knows how to settle scores. That's what you get for crossing me. Serves you right, just deal with it."

The workers sensed trouble and rushed over to break it up.

Harold cursed and spat as he drove everyone away, threatening to gouge out my eyes if anyone dared try to stop him. No one dared step any closer.

My eye throbbed with unbearable pain, and as I blindly swung my arms and yelled for a hospital, I tried to stand.

However, in the next instant, Harold lost it.

He jammed his fingers into my eye socket, yanking with savage force, spewing curses.

"Think you can fight back? I'll show you who's king here."

A scream tore from my throat.

As the crowd gasped in horror, I staggered and fell, my cries echoing in the air.

…

"Harold, your hand's bleeding so much, does it hurt?"

Ella was only worried about her brother, who just attacked me, oblivious to my suffering.

Pain was edging me toward unconsciousness, my heart turning to ice.

The workers stood frozen in shock.

Finally coming to their senses, they scrambled to get me into a car and off to the hospital.

Harold, that monster, did irreparable damage to my eye.

The doctor could do nothing but offer empty words of comfort, suggesting a glass eye and a long hospital stay for healing.

I was a mess, inside and out.

Then came Ella's piercing cries from outside. She burst in, collapsing on me in a flood of tears. "Jim, I'm so sorry. I had no idea my brother could be so brutal. What he did to you, he's a monster.

"I swear, I won't let him get away with this."

In the past, her tears would melt my resolve, and I would agree to anything she asked. She was, and still is, the love of my life.

However, as she wept bitterly, I could not help but hope. "How do you plan to hold him accountable?"

Ella looked up, her eyes swimming with tears, and hesitated before answering.

"Maybe, maybe he can make it up to you somehow. An eye for an eye?"

"And how would he do that?" I pressed.

She avoided my gaze, but finally made a promise, "He'll be there for you, wherever you go, to be your eyes. That's fair, isn't it?"

I was down an eye, and she did not seem to want Harold to pay any real price.

To have him in my sight all the time was like a deliberate twist of the knife in my chest.

I shoved her away, gritting out a single word, "Leave."

I would call the cops and make sure Harold paid for what he did.

I was never harsh with Ella before, but then, as she heard that word, she froze, her eyes wide with shock.

It took her a moment to recover.

She reached for my hand, her voice filled with worry, "Jim, please, don't get worked up. I wasn't thinking straight about how to deal with my brother."

She paused, then promised, "Once you're out of the hospital, I'll make sure you get the justice you deserve."

I just watched her, my gaze icy.

She rushed to explain herself, "At the garage, I thought you were cheating. I couldn't handle it, and I overreacted.

"You're my partner, the rock of our family. Of course, I'm on your side. That's never been in question."

Her tears started to flow again, and despite myself, my resolve began to waver.

Husband and wife were supposed to be a united front, so I figured I would give her one more chance.

While I was laid up in the hospital, Ella was back to her old self, sweet and supportive, by my side every day.

Her brother, though, was nowhere to be seen. I bet he knew he screwed up big time and hightailed it back to the sticks.

He might have dodged the rap, but he could not escape the reckoning. I was not about to let him off the hook.

A few days later, I checked out of the hospital early. Walking into my house, I was gobsmacked by the chaos that greeted me.