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—

“Dad’s autopsy is finished. He’s being prepared for cremation.”

Ryan finally showed up.

My father-in-law had been here for three days and nights.

If he was watching from above, he would probably want to see his son one last time.

But Ryan didn’t even try to lift the sheet. He just gave me a perfunctory nod.

“Say your goodbye. I’ll wait by the door.”

I grabbed his sleeve and pleaded,

“Just take one look. If you don’t look now, you won’t ever have another chance.”

Ryan shook me off, irritated, his face hard.

“What’s the point of looking? Everyone has their fate. This is your father’s fate. He had to accept it—and as his daughter, so do you.”

“Accept it?” My nose stung.

“Don’t you get it? His death wasn’t an accident. Someone did this.”

“And the person responsible is Grace!”

“Ryan, how can you be so heartless? He’s right in front of you. You won’t seek justice for him, and you can’t even look at him one last time?”

Ryan’s face darkened.

“You keep slandering Grace. What do you get out of it? Trying to cash in on my father’s death?”

“Fine. If you stop going after Grace, I’ll give you fifty thousand dollars. That enough?”

Ice seeped through my bones.

I never imagined he’d say something so shameless with my father-in-law lying right there.

My mother-in-law’s furious voice cut through the air:

“You unfilial son—you finally decided to show up!”

Ryan froze, then hurried to support her.

“Mom, why are you here?”

“It’s just paperwork. You didn’t need to come.”

Tears and rage shook her.

“What are you talking about? Your father is dead! You wouldn’t come yourself—and you wouldn’t let me come either?”

The doctor rushed over.

“Please—don’t agitate her. She’s fainted several times already.”

Right then, Ryan snapped. He shoved me hard against the wall and snarled,

“Emily, you’ve gone too far! You know my parents mean more to me than my own life!”

I twisted his little finger, pivoted, and slammed him back against the wall.

“Why are you taking it out on me?”

“Dad is gone, and Mom needs care. Instead of threatening me, maybe look at them!”

Seeing us struggle, my mother-in-law tried to pull us apart,

but the effort overwhelmed her—she fainted again and was rushed into the ER.

By the time she recovered, my father-in-law had been taken away in a hearse.

Maybe being cremated and laid to rest as soon as possible was better for him.

Ryan had no objections; he only insisted on sending my mother-in-law home.

“Mom, your health is fragile. Please, just listen to me this time.”

“I promise I’ll handle everything with Emily…”

She looked at me, worried. She knew she could only weigh us down right now.

Helplessly, she agreed.

Ryan exhaled in relief—then his phone rang.

He spoke in a low voice; his tone turned anxious. He hung up and bolted for the door.

“Sandy is in critical condition. I have to go—now! Emily, take care of my mom. If anything happens to her, I’ll make you pay!”

He hurried out.

My mother-in-law stared, bewildered, her voice trembling.

“Who… is Sandy?”

My eyes burned. I answered quietly,

“Grace’s dog. The antivenom was used on it.”

“But I’ve already dealt with that animal.”