During our New Year’s Eve dinner, I told my family that my company was not giving out year-end bonuses.

The table went silent. Even the TV host counting down to midnight suddenly sounded grating.

My husband and daughter slammed the table in frustration.

“No year-end bonus?! How are we supposed to pay the mortgage and the car loan? I didn’t marry you so you could live off me!”

“Other moms either buy designer bags or send money. You’re the most useless one. You can’t even bring home a $100,000 bonus.”

My in-laws sat there with dark looks on their faces and said nothing.

I looked at their self-righteous faces and felt a lump in my throat.

All these years, every expense in this family was paid with the money I earned from late nights, overtime, and project commissions.

But all they could see was the $100,000 bonus I did not bring home.

“If you can’t make any money, then get out!”

My husband grabbed my arm and pushed me toward the door. My daughter was not satisfied and kicked me on the lower back.

I did not turn around. I took out my phone and booked the presidential suite at a downtown five-star hotel.

My bank account had just received a $1 million dividend payout.

It was true that I did not get a year-end bonus.

But I got promoted to management. From this day onward, I would receive $1 million in dividends every year.

I put my phone away. The cold wind bit through my thin clothes.

I had been so caught up in booking the presidential suite out of spite that I forgot my ID inside.

I turned around and pounded on the door.

“Open the door, Johnson! I need to take my ID!”

There was no response. Then, my daughter, Phoebe Clark, spoke through the crack in the door. Her voice was sharp and mocking.

“You’re leaving anyway. Why do you even need your ID?”

“How can you speak to me like that? I’m your mother!”

“You think you deserve to be called a mother?”

Johnson’s voice sounded next.

“You want your ID? Fine! Transfer all the money in your account to me. Otherwise, you’re not coming back inside!”

I was shaking with anger.

All they wanted was to squeeze me dry.

I was about to bang on the door again when I heard something being dragged inside.

Then there was a loud crash. A bundle of old clothes flew out of the window and landed at my feet.

Phoebe leaned out of the window. Her eyes shone with disdain.

“Take your trash, and get lost! From now on, this family has no relation to you!”

I stared at the pile of old clothes on the ground and laughed.

All these years, I had poured my heart into supporting this family. In the end, I was not even worth a decent set of clothes.

I stopped banging on the door. I sank onto the cold steps and pulled out my phone.

They only wanted my money. I would not let them have a single cent!

I locked every supplementary card that was linked to my name and closed our shared family account.

They had spent my money for years like it was theirs. From this moment on, they would not be able to touch another dollar.

I had just finished doing that when a text message popped up.

It was from an online lending platform.

[Your personal information has been submitted for a loan. Amount: $50,000.]

It was Johnson! He had used my ID to take out loans online!

My phone kept buzzing. More notifications from different lending apps kept coming in.

That jerk was trying to drag me into a mountain of debt!

I called him right away, but he blocked me.

I went through my contacts. Everyone connected to that family had blocked me.

In a single New Year’s Eve dinner, I went from being the family’s pillar to having nowhere to turn.

The wind grew colder. I wrapped the old coat Phoebe had thrown out tighter around me and finally curled up outside a convenience store.

My phone buzzed again. It was not a call. It was a notification from a food delivery app.

New orders kept showing up on my account.

A seafood platter of $2,000, a bottle of liquor of over $800, fruits, and snacks were all being delivered to my house.

I shivered in the cold as I watched them use my account to order food worth thousands of dollars.

Looking at these orders, I was suddenly numb to the cold.

They thought that without money and ID, I would just let them do whatever they wanted.

That was not true!

I would get back everything they owed me, little by little.

The cold wind hit me and cut through my thoughts.

I looked down at the old coat I had worn for three years. The cuffs were worn through, and fuzz spilled out of the holes. It was ugly.

The coat reminded me of my life. It was worn-out, broken, and far from respectable.

Last month, I ran to meet a client with a high fever of 102 °F just to earn a little commission to cover my in-laws’ medical check-up.

Whitney Parker, my mother-in-law, pocketed the money and looked at me with disgust.

“What’s this tiny bit of money even for? Mr. Watson’s daughter-in-law got him a full high-end health check.”

She took my whole paycheck and only gave me $300 a month for pocket money.

Last week, I tried to buy a $30 lipstick. She glared at me and said, “Why do you need so much money? Supporting the family is your responsibility!”

Later, I found out that she had used my salary to buy liquor for Johnson and the latest phone for Phoebe.

A chill ran through me. Light snow began to fall.

The flakes landed on my old coat and melted instantly.

The convenience store owner watched me through the glass. Her eyes shone with pity.

I stood up and brushed the snow off my coat. I needed to find a place to stay for the night.

Since they had taken my ID, I had no choice but to cancel the hotel I had just booked.

Finally, I called Jane Langley, my best friend.

“Mindy?” she asked right away. “Where are you? Why are you breathing so hard?”

“Jane, can I stay at your place tonight?”

Half an hour later, she arrived to pick me up.

When she saw me standing in the snow in my worn-out coat, her eyes filled with tears.

“Get in the car!”

The heater was on full blast. My frozen fingers slowly began to feel warm again.

“I always told you that Johnson’s useless! When you married him, I told you he was unreliable!”

I froze. “Why are you saying this now?”

“Don’t you know? Your family has been tearing you apart on social media!”

She handed me her phone.

Several posts from the Clark family were on display.

[What a disaster! My daughter-in-law ran off with the money and spent the holiday with some random man!]

[Some people don’t deserve to be mothers! She didn’t get a single cent of the year-end bonus and still acts like she owns the place. From now on, I have no mom!]

[Mindy ran off with all the money! A woman like that doesn’t deserve to be a wife or a mother!]

“How dare they say that?! They were the ones who kicked me out!”

Jane sighed. “They did this first. They made you look bad so that no one will pay attention to what they actually did.”

I was about to speak when my phone rang.

It was the company’s HR.

“Ms. Zimmerman, I’m sorry to call so late. Your family contacted me through the recruitment app to ask about you. They even mentioned details about your private life.

“While the company trusts your character, this doesn’t reflect well on you.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to contain the anger building inside me.

“Mr. Lane, that’s all slander! My family kicked me out of the house! They’re taking revenge on me.”

“I understand. But for the sake of the company’s image, please don’t come to work after the holiday until this matter is resolved.”

After the call ended, I leaned back in my seat and felt completely drained.

“What good does it do them to make me lose my job?”

It was ridiculous.

I had planned to use the fact that I did not get a year-end bonus as a setup to surprise my family with a promotion after the holidays.

I had not only been promoted to the post of director, but I was also going to receive a $1 million bonus.

My careful plan had turned into a complete joke.

Jane parked the car under her building but did not unbuckle her seatbelt right away.

“Mindy, there’s something I have to tell you.”

She turned to me with a serious expression.

“Last week, I was at our company, and I saw your husband.”

I frowned. Jane worked at a high-end insurance and healthcare company.

“What was Johnson doing at your company?”

“I looked into it. He bought a high-value accident insurance policy in your name. The beneficiaries are himself and your daughter.”

It felt like I had been thrown back into the freezing snow.

“How much coverage?”

“$2 million. Mindy, why would he suddenly buy a large accident policy in your name?”

The heat in the car felt suffocating.

I recalled Johnson’s strange behavior recently. He had been unusually attentive. He served me soup and said I worked too hard. He even offered to take me on a trip.

“Mindy,” Jane said and touched my hand in concern, “are you okay?”

I looked out at the swirling snow and slowly lifted my head.

“Jane, can you help me find a lawyer? I’m going to get a divorce. I can’t believe people can be so cruel.”

After I went back to Jane’s place with her, I had just sat down on the couch when my phone buzzed.

It was a voice note from Johnson.

“Mindy, come home. Let’s talk. We’re family. There’s nothing we can’t sit down and sort out.”

I stopped the voice message and tossed my phone aside.

Jane handed me a cup of hot tea with her brows furrowed.

“He still has the nerve to act like that?”

“They realized they can’t get any more money out of me. Now, they’re panicking.”

I took a sip of tea. The heat stung my throat, but it cleared my mind.

“No year-end bonus. The supplementary cards are locked. The online loans are only a few tens of thousands. It’s nowhere near enough for them.”

Over the next few days, I replaced my ID and checked into a hotel.

Johnson kept sending me messages. At first, he sounded apologetic. Then, he became impatient and hostile.

[Honey, where are you? Can we meet and talk?]

[Mindy, don’t test me.]

[Transfer the money, or I’ll make sure you won’t like what happens next!]

I did not respond to any of them until he sent his final warning.

[I know which hotel you’re staying at. If you don’t come home, we’ll come get you.]

Of course, I knew he would do it. That same afternoon, I went to see a lawyer.

I showed him everything. My bank transfer records, a copy of the insurance policy, and the online loan applications.

When I left the law firm, it was almost dark.

The lawyer’s words kept repeating in my head.

“Ms. Zimmerman, the evidence you have right now is not strong enough.”

What was I supposed to do?

I walked back to the hotel and was lost in thought. I did not notice the three men standing in the shadows at the corner.

“You’re Mindy, right?” The man in the front had a cigarette in his mouth. He walked toward me with a lazy swagger. “Your husband wants you home.”

My chest tightened. I stepped back and gripped the pepper spray that was in my bag.

“I don’t know you. Move!”

“Don’t push your luck.”

The man behind him suddenly grabbed my arm.

I yanked out the spray and sprayed him in the face.

He let out a scream and covered his eyes.

But there were too many of them. Someone shoved me hard, and I hit the ground.

A foot lifted and was about to come down on me.

“Stop! I called the police!”

Jane’s voice came from a distance away.

The three men cursed and ran into the alley.

Jane rushed over and helped me up. Her voice was shaking.

“Mindy, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

She helped me up. My whole body was trembling.

I was not shaking in fear but in anger.

As I stared at the corner where they had disappeared, the last bit of hope I had about my family fell apart.

They truly wanted me dead.

Back at her place, Jane helped clean my wounds.

The alcohol pad pressed against my scraped skin. I sucked in a sharp breath from the sting.

Then, I laughed bitterly.

“You’re laughing?”

Jane’s eyes filled with tears.

“I’m laughing at myself. Even after everything, a small part of me thought maybe I was overthinking things.”

I picked up my phone and called Johnson.

“Mindy, you finally picked up—”

“Johnson, just stop! I’m tired.”

I cut him off. My voice was calm and steady.

There was a pause on the other end. He clearly had not expected that reaction.

I continued as I softened my voice and pretended to give in, “I got promoted. I’ll receive a $1 million dividend bonus after the New Year.

“Let’s get along from now on, okay?”

He went quiet for a few seconds. I could hear him whispering to someone beside him.

After a moment, he said, “Fine. Come home tomorrow night. We’ll settle everything.”

After I hung up, Jane looked at me in worry.

“You’re really going back? That’s dangerous.”

Of course, I was going back.

If I did not go back, how would they carry out their plan?