My mother-in-law, Eleanore Johnson, was critically injured in a car accident and rushed to the hospital. The only one capable of performing the surgery was my wife, the top surgeon.

Frantically, I dialed her number, but her ex answered instead.

"Wendy is busy. Don't call if it's not important."

Ignoring his irritation, I spoke urgently, "Get her on the phone. Her mom was hit by a car and is in the hospital. She's waiting for Wendy to save her life."

Suddenly, Wendy's voice came through the phone, sharp and impatient.

"Gerald, I finally have a day off. I'm just here to help Neil with his Golden Egg on the big sale. Can you stop causing trouble?"

Before I could say anything else, she hung up.

When I tried to call back, her phone was already off.

That day, Eleanore died on the operating table.

"Gerald, the glass shard that pierced her chest is compressing her aorta. The blood flow is too fast. Hurry and find out where Dr. Simpson is," Dr. Zangwill said as he emerged from the emergency room, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Tell her to hurry, or it'll be too late," he urged.

Panic engulfed me.

Desperately, I dialed Wendy's number again.

Thankfully, this time, she answered.

"Gerald, what now?" Her voice was irritated and dismissive.

"Come back quickly, Eleanore is dying..."

Before I could finish, she hung up again.

When I called back, her phone was off.

I collapsed onto the floor, stubbornly trying again and again, only to hear the same disconnection tone.

Eleanore had always treated me like her own son.

I couldn't just give up on her.

I slapped myself hard and forced myself to calm down.

Wendy had mentioned that Neil Garden had recently bought a new house in our neighborhood and secured a discount from the renovation company.

Rushing out without a moment's delay, I headed straight to the renovation company.

Sure enough, Neil and Wendy were there at the company entrance.

My wife was on her tiptoes, adjusting his collar, smiling tenderly.

They looked so intimate, like a loving couple.

Ignoring their apparent closeness, I hurried over.

Wendy noticed me and stopped, her tender expression turning cold instantly.

"Gerald, are you following me? Aren't you tired of this?"

She scolded me, her tone full of blame and her eyes full of disgust, as if I was something shameful and shouldn't be here.

I couldn't care less about her attitude. All I could think of was Eleanore in critical condition. Desperately, I grabbed Wendy's arm, trying to pull her away.

"Eleanore was hit by a car. Come to the hospital now! You're the only one who can save her!"

She stepped back, looking at me with disdain and disbelief, like I was a clown trying to gain her favor.

"Mom called me half an hour ago, saying she was at a senior citizen's class. Think before you lie."

Wendy was convinced I was lying.

Neil stood up, positioning himself between Wendy and me, his tone displeased.

"Gerald, that's just evil. Wendy is just helping me break a Golden Egg, and you use her mom to get attention?

"All these years, her mom has treated you like a son. How could you curse her like that?"

His words made Wendy even more indifferent to me.

She said angrily, "You've really hit a new low, using my mom to get sympathy. Are you even human?"

I didn't care how Wendy thought of me; all I wanted was to drag her back to the hospital to save Eleanore.

"I swear I'm telling the truth! Eleanore was hit by a car just after she left the house. A piece of glass pierced her chest, and it's dangerously close to her heart artery.

"She's in the operating room at your hospital right now. If you think I'm lying, call her and see if she answers."

The image of Eleanore, covered in blood, was haunting me.

I was desperate, but Wendy only saw my urgency as an act.

She sneered, her eyes filled with disdain.

Neil said, "If Eleanore were really in the hospital, wouldn't they have called Wendy?

"I know you're unhappy with Wendy helping me, but we're just friends. There's no need to be so paranoid and drag Eleanore into this.

"Aren't you afraid that your curse will come true and something really happens to her?

"How can you be so selfish?"

After he said that, he shook his head and sighed, as if I were some unforgivable criminal.

I couldn't hold back my anger and shouted at Neil. "Shut up!"

This seemed to trigger something.

Neil, acting like a wronged woman, whimpered.

"Wendy, I was being nice, but he..."

Wendy's face darkened with anger.

"Gerald, can you stop making a scene? I am just helping Neil break a Golden Egg. Why are you so angry?

"Neil has so much on his plate, with work and the renovation. I'm just lending a hand. What's wrong with that?

"You don't understand Neil's struggles and still create a scene. Is this your idea of decency?"

Her twisted logic made me furious, but this was not the time to argue.

Taking a deep breath, I suppressed my anger and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Wendy, think clearly. Your mother is waiting on the operating table. Are you really going to let her die for a Golden Egg?"

Wendy hesitated, her expression wavering as she considered my words.

But before she could respond, Neil's excited voice interrupted.

He pointed to the big screen in the hall and shouted, "Wendy, we're next! Let's go!"

He looked at Wendy with trust, encouraging her. "Wendy, you've always had good luck. This time, the fifty percent off on my renovation fee depends on you."

Wendy, flattered by his words, decided immediately. "Alright, watch me get that discount."

With that, she started walking in the renovation company with Neil.

I grabbed Wendy's arm, pleading desperately.

"Eleanore is waiting for you at the hospital. She's your mother. Your father passed away early, and she raised you with so much difficulty. You can't just abandon her..."

Neil focused on the discount and urged again. "Wendy, if we miss our turn, we won't get the chance."

Thinking of Eleanore's kindness, I steeled myself and begged again.

"Eleanore is in real danger. Please come back with me to the hospital. If we delay any longer, she will die. She will really die..."

Wendy showed a hint of hesitation.

Neil, sensing the shift, quickly interrupted.

"Gerald, can you stop acting? You just don't want Wendy helping me with the Golden Egg, right?"

He put on an act of grievance.

"Wendy, don't worry about me. Go with him.

"It's my fault for causing all this trouble."

He walked away dejectedly.

It was all a ploy.

Sure enough, Wendy, blind and foolish, immediately reached out to stop him.

She shoved me aside.

"You can't stand seeing Neil doing well, can you? You just can't bear to see me helping him."

With that, she and Neil walked away quickly. No matter how much I pleaded, she didn't look back.

I collapsed on the ground in despair, feeling so weak that I couldn't even get up.

Just then, Dr. Zangwill called.

"Gerald, you and Dr. Simpson need to get back immediately... Eleanore's condition is worsening. She's fading fast..."

A shiver ran through me as I struggled to my feet and drove back to the hospital alone.

Eleanore's face was pale, yet she strained to look behind me.

She was looking for Wendy.

But Wendy wasn't there.

She was off smashing Golden Eggs with her ex.

I hated Wendy's heartlessness and my own helplessness.

Standing by Eleanore's bed, tears filled my eyes as I kept apologizing.

"Eleanore, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

She seemed to understand what had happened, giving a bitter smile as tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's not your fault. You're a good boy. Dr. Zangwill, bear witness, I want Gerald to handle all my affairs. Gerald, don't put up a tombstone, plant papaver rhoeas instead..."

My father-in-law loved papaver rhoeas.

When he chose a sea burial, Eleanore had joked about planting papaver rhoeas around her grave.

I nodded through my tears. "I'll do as you wish. Don't worry."

Her breath grew weaker until it ceased altogether.

Finally, I let my tears fall.

As I looked at her now still body, I composed myself and began to handle her funeral arrangements.

I called Wendy again, but she hung up immediately.

If even the closest family member didn't matter as much as her infatuation, then seeing her one last time didn't seem to matter either.

I bought a funeral outfit for Eleanore, contacted the funeral home, and arranged for her body to be taken away.

When I left the crematorium, I carried a small box.

I couldn't understand how such a kind and considerate woman had raised someone so foolish and heartless.

I took the urn home.

Wendy wasn't there.

She was still with Neil.

I sat on the couch with the urn all night, waiting for Wendy to come back.

She never did.

The next morning, I dressed in a black suit, ready to select a burial plot for Eleanore.

But at the door, I ran into Wendy, who had been out all night.

Seeing me, she looked momentarily guilty.

Then she quickly explained. "Yesterday, I won Neil a great discount on his renovation. He was so excited that we drank too much..."

Her voice trailed off as her eyes locked onto the urn in my hands, pupils dilating in shock.

"What's that?"