During Labor Day weekend, my father-in-law was bitten by a venomous snake while hiking. The only vial of antivenom was used by a townsfolk to save a dog.

Soon after, my father-in-law died from the venom, his face contorted in agony.

I rushed to the villager’s house, only to find a whole pit of snakes being artificially bred, along with bags meant for “release into the wild.”

I was so furious I gritted my teeth, called the police on the spot, and swore to seek justice for my father-in-law.

But the next day, Ryan Carter asked me to meet him at the villager’s house and threw a document straight at my face.

“Emily Carter, your dad was bitten by accident. Why are you blaming someone else? Grace just graduated from college and has a bright future ahead of her. How can you be so cruel as to make her pay with her whole life for a dead man?”

“Sign this agreement, and she’ll give you nine hundred dollars as compensation for your dad.”

“Otherwise, you won’t get a single penny!”

I refused to sign.

Later, Ryan kept his word—he didn’t let me receive a cent.

But then he knelt on the steps outside the police station, slapping his own face until it was swollen and bloody, begging them to reopen the investigation.

“What did you just say?”

“Nine hundred? Compensation?”

I never expected Ryan to say something like this.

The man who died was his own father!

“What, you think it’s too little?”

Ryan’s face was cold as ice.

“Grace is just a low-level town official. Nine hundred dollars is her entire week’s salary—and she offered it to you out of pity.”

“Nine hundred dollars is exactly what a vial of antivenom costs. Your dad didn’t use it while he was alive—buying it now is just… some kind of comfort.”

My whole body shook with anger as I shouted at him:

“My dad died a horrible death! And as his son, this is how you honor him?”

Ryan seemed to be holding himself back, speaking with forced calm:

“Emily, I know your dad raised you alone. I understand that you’re grieving.”

“But I just want him to be laid to rest. Isn’t that me helping you be filial?”

Helping me be filial?

So after everything that happened, he hadn’t even checked on the family.

For days, we couldn’t find him—

turns out, he was here, protecting Grace.

That agreement must have been his plan all along.

Looking at his exhausted face, I asked coldly:

“Ryan, have you lost your mind? You don’t even know the whole situation, and you’re negotiating on behalf of the murderer?”

“What exactly is your relationship with her?”

At my question, Grace’s eyes welled up with tears, and she whispered timidly:

“What murderer? How can you say that about me…”

Ryan raised his voice, shouting at me:

“Emily! Don’t you dare use that word to insult Grace!”

He stood up, his eyes full of accusation as he glared at me:

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand the situation. Do you think just because there’s a dead man, the police will believe only your side of the story?”

“You probably don’t even know—Grace has a license to breed snakes. Even if the police investigate, they won’t find anything wrong!”

No wonder, when the snakes were discovered, Grace had looked so calm, so detached.

But I never said I called the police because she was raising snakes.

No—

I suspected that my father-in-law’s death wasn’t an accident at all.

Thinking of his eyes, wide open even in death, my heart twisted painfully.

My mother-in-law fainted several times from grief.

When she couldn’t find Ryan, she clutched my hands and begged me again and again:

“Tell Ryan—if his father’s death wasn’t an accident, we have to make the killer pay with their life!”

But the first person blocking my way was their beloved son.

Ryan looked down at me from above, tossing the pen in front of me.

“Sign it already. Your dad was bitten by a snake because he was careless. Don’t you know that Sandy was bitten too and still hasn’t recovered?”

He bent down and patted the big shepherd dog at his feet.

“Luckily, Grace still had one vial of antivenom—just enough to save Sandy.”

“I can’t even imagine—without Sandy, how could Grace survive living in this town all alone?”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Was this still the man who once put filial piety above everything?

Whenever his parents had even the slightest illness, he was always the one running around frantically.

Now he was putting a dog on the same level as his own father—

even treating the dog as more important.

That dog, the one who “won” over my father-in-law,

was now lying comfortably at Ryan’s feet, enjoying his touch.

Grace stood there, smirking at me, a mocking curve on her lips.

I stared at Ryan and asked:

“If it were your dad, would you say the same thing?”

Ryan’s breath hitched before he cursed:

“Are you crazy? How can you even say that?”

“My dad always treated you like his own daughter, and you dare curse him?”

He wasn’t wrong—

my father-in-law had been nothing but kind to me, always defending me no matter what.

In my heart, he was as good as my real father.

Ryan had no more patience for me. He shoved the agreement into my hands, forcing me to look at it.

“Sign it and get out. Don’t make me get nasty.”

I tore the papers into pieces.

“I will never sign this! I will get justice for my dad!”

Ryan raised his hand as if to hit me,

but Grace grabbed him, pretending to be gentle:

“Ryan, don’t yell at her. There’s another copy of the agreement inside. Go get it—give her some time to cool off.”

Ryan didn’t want to leave Grace alone with me,

but she smiled at him and tugged at Sandy’s leash.

He finally left.

Grace strolled over to me, her gaze full of challenge.

“Emily, since you’re so determined, let me tell you the truth.”

She lowered her voice.

“You guessed right. Your dad’s death wasn’t an accident.”

Her tone was excited, as if she was boasting of a victory.

“You didn’t see it—your dad crawling toward me, spitting blood, begging me for the antivenom. It was hilarious!”

My father-in-law had always been a kind man, never making enemies.

What had he ever done to deserve Grace’s hatred?

Watching her gloat over his death, I couldn’t hold back—

I slapped her across the face.

Grace didn’t fight back. Instead, she smiled triumphantly.

“What’s wrong? Can’t handle the truth?”

She covered the mark on her cheek and called out softly.

The dog immediately bared its teeth at me.

“Now you’ve hurt me—if my dog mauls you to death, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself!”

The dog lunged.

On instinct, I kicked it—

it yelped and ran into the corner.

I followed it, slamming my fist against its head. Within seconds, it collapsed, lifeless.

I grabbed the dead animal, gripping its jaws.

“Sandy, right?! You stole my dad’s antivenom, didn’t you?!”

With a violent twist, I snapped its jaw apart—

blood spilled all over the ground.

I looked up at Grace, spat at her feet, and snarled:

“You want to die?”

Grace hadn’t expected me to fight back so fiercely. Her legs went weak; she couldn’t even step back.

I grabbed her by the collar—

when suddenly, someone rushed in and shoved me hard.

“Emily! What are you doing?!”

Ryan’s eyes were blazing with fury as he glared at me.

“I can’t believe you went this far—you even dared to hurt someone?!”

Before I could respond, pain shot through my back like electricity.

I flung the snake that had bitten me against the wall.

She actually let a snake bite me!

Grace waved her hand dismissively, smiling.

“Relax. It won’t kill you. I have the antivenom.”

Ryan just stood there, watching coldly.

“Even after all this, Grace still wants to save you. Apologize to her—now!”

My vision blurred.

I dug my nails into my palm until blood dripped to the floor.

Ryan’s voice was icy:

“You brought this on yourself. Say sorry before you really die here.”

Blood filled my mouth.

Grace covered hers in fake disgust.

“Oh right, I forgot—she can’t talk anymore.”

Ryan frowned and came closer.

“Then get on your knees. You need to remember this, so you don’t try this nonsense again.”

My legs buckled—

I collapsed on the floor, clutching Ryan’s pant leg, trying to tell him the truth.

Grace laughed.

“Ryan, your wife is obedient after all. I think I feel a little better now.”

I shut my eyes in despair.

Cold spread from the bite to every part of my body,

and pain gnawed at my heart like a thousand ants.

Before I lost consciousness, I thought—

Was this how my poor father-in-law felt before he died?

...

The officers came to the hospital to take my statement.

Halfway through, one of them stopped and angrily called Ryan.

“Mr. Carter, your wife hasn’t slept in two days over your father’s death, and you let her almost get killed by a snake? Are you even human?”

Ryan snapped over the phone.

“Officer, don’t pity her just because her father passed away.”

The officer froze, then said sternly:

“This isn’t about pity. The man who died… was your father.”

Ryan frowned impatiently.

“I know. You don’t have to keep saying it. I don’t need reminders about respecting my parents.”

“Emily’s fine now thanks to the antivenom. But Sandy is still in critical condition at the animal hospital!”

The officer’s voice hardened.

“Your wife is the one who was seriously injured—she almost didn’t make it. As the head of your household, you should come to the hospital.”

After finishing the statement, I forced myself to walk to the morgue to handle my father-in-law’s paperwork.

The doctor sighed sympathetically.

“Poor man. That snake’s venom is brutal—the pain must have been unbearable.”

I shuddered involuntarily and gritted my teeth.

“I know. Even with the antivenom, it still burns to the bone.”

The doctor pulled the white sheet over my father-in-law’s body just as Ryan walked in.

His voice was flat.

“So you’re fine now? See how kind Grace is? She saved your life despite everything.”

“Next time, stop calling the police and wasting their time.”

I didn’t want to argue with him in front of the corpse. I just said quietly—