My parents were stranded in the middle of a blistering desert—no water, temperatures through the roof—while my wife, Michelle Reid, was three miles away building a splash park for her buddy Teddy Williams's dog.

By the time I found them, they had already died of thirst. Their bodies were decomposing in the sun.

I called Michelle, livid.

She brushed it off like it was nothing.

"I told you I was in a meeting. They're just lacking a little water. Relax."

Then she added, "If they're still alive, don't give them any water. Let Teddy 'stumble' onto them during his livestream—he can hand them a bottle on camera. It'll be great for his numbers."

She paused awhile before continuing, "And if they're already dead? Say Teddy found them. Makes his survivalist act look more legit."

I laughed—because every word out of her mouth was for Teddy.

But she didn't realize: the ones who died of thirst were her parents—my in-laws.

The bodies had just been bagged when Michelle Reid showed up with Teddy Williams.

They looked pristine—designer clothes, flawless skin, even Teddy's dog had a gleaming coat. A stark contrast to me, sun-scorched and cracked, after hours scrambling through the desert for my in-laws.

Michelle wore her usual sweet face, but her voice dripped with irritation.

"Your parents better be dead. Do you have any idea how hot it is out here? You dragged me all the way across town to bring them water. I'm always cleaning up your messes. What did I even marry you?"

My brain felt like it was detonating.

I'd taken an eight-hour flight, no rest, no break—rushed straight here to save her parents. I'd called her ninety-nine times before she finally picked up, and she hadn't even bothered to listen. She thought I was talking about my parents. And that's what came out of her mouth.

My face went dark. My voice was barely held together.

"Congratulations. They're dead."

Michelle followed my gaze to the body bags, then shifted awkwardly.

"I didn't mean to be late. I was really in a meeting..."

She actually looked like she was telling the truth with her sweet, wounded act.

I would've believed it too—if I hadn't seen Teddy's post.

A photo of Michelle, who'd never lifted a finger in her life, hauling steel panels under 140-degree heat. The caption read: [My boss loves me so much she built a splash park for my dog in the middle of the desert.]

Teddy stepped forward, looking like he was walking to his own execution.

"Look, man—I'm sorry for your loss. But you can't blame Michelle. She's been grinding for years, and she really couldn't step away from the water park project. The second you called, we dropped everything and came.

"If you need someone to blame, blame me. I'll take the fall. I'll die for it if I have to."

The more dramatic Teddy got, the more venom Michelle shot my way. She yanked him behind her like a mother bear.

"We brought the water you asked for. What more do you want? Who told your parents to wander into a desert in the middle of summer? They got themselves killed. That's on them.

"And if you so much as touch Teddy, I'll make your life a living hell."

Behind her, Teddy held up a bottle of yellow liquid, swishing it with a smirk.

"Sorry, man. Water's scarce out here. Best I could do."

He twisted the cap off. The heat did the rest—a wave of acrid stench hit the air.

That wasn't water. That was piss.

Michelle shrugged, unfazed.

"They're dead anyway. Even this is wasted on them. Let them do something useful for society one last time."

She pointed at the body bags. "Open them up. Leave them out in the sand. Teddy can go live right now—you show up a little late, play the grateful part, thank him for finding their bodies."

I didn't answer.

Michelle stepped closer, ready to push harder—but Teddy stopped her, tapping his phone screen.

"My stream's about to start..."

She shot me one last glare, furious.

I clenched my fists. The rage was white-hot.

The stream went live. Thousands poured in.

They walked toward the bodies. The stench of decay hit them like a wall.

Teddy gagged—actually forgot he was on camera—and dumped the whole bottle of urine right over the corpses.

"God, what is that smell? Here, drink that."

Michelle kicked one of the bodies. It rolled down the slope, where birds and scavengers descended, tearing at it.

She watched the remains get picked apart, a twisted satisfaction flickering across her face.

"Your parents died and still found a way to make our lives miserable. Pathetic. At least now the birds are doing the cleanup for us—saves me the trouble."

I laughed under my breath.

She still thought it was my parents.

I couldn't wait to see her face when she found out it was hers.

After Michelle and Teddy left, I looked back at the scavengers and decided to shoo them off. I loaded the bodies into the car and drove straight to the crematorium. Consider it my final act as the Reids' son-in-law.

Out of some lingering pity, I figured I'd buy them a decent urn.

That's when I ran into Michelle and Teddy—cozying up like a pair of lovesick teenagers.

"Well, well. Look who's adjusted fast," Teddy said, all fake sympathy, pulling Michelle's arm a little higher against his. "Parents just died, and you're already out shopping?"

I almost laughed.

Shopping? Did he see a mall anywhere nearby?

We were surrounded by funeral homes and the police station.

But then a thought hit me—something I'd never considered before.

My in-laws had always treated me like garbage. We weren't close, but I knew them well enough from all the years they'd bossed me around. They hated hot weather. They'd never go to a desert unless...

I tested the waters.

"Actually, I was heading to the police station. Filing a report on a desert murder conspiracy."

The second the words left my mouth, Teddy's hand started trembling. Guilty as sin.

My internal alarm went off. There was something there.

But then a warm hand covered his. Michelle's voice dripped with honey.

"It's okay. Don't be scared. I've got you."

That same tenderness used to be mine alone. Now, it wasn't so exclusive anymore.

Ever since Teddy had joined the company and come back into her life, Michelle had been doting on him nonstop. He worked late? She let him crash in our master bedroom. He couldn't sleep? She'd lie right down beside him.

I'd told her it was crossing a line. She'd just pecked my forehead and said, "I'm just a boss looking out for her employee."

Yeah, right. That wasn't boss-to-employee care. That was lover-to-lover devotion.

Michelle whipped around, glaring at me with pure venom.

"Grant! What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're actually accusing Teddy of murder? What possible grudge could he have against your parents? Get over yourself.

"If you keep slandering him like this, I swear—I'll divorce you."

In the past, right or wrong, I would've caved. Apologized. Begged.

Not this time.

I pulled a divorce agreement out of my bag and slapped it onto the counter between us.

"Fine. Let's do it."

The papers caught her off guard. Michelle's pupils shrank.

"Over something this small? You're throwing us away over this?"

Teddy's eyes went red and watery in an instant.

"Grant, please—don't do this. I know you're grieving. I don't care if you blame me. But you can't divorce Michelle out of spite. She's already getting torn apart online by trolls. If this affects the company... you wouldn't be kicking her while she's down unless you had some other agenda."

He practically bit the words out, pointing the finger straight at me.

Michelle snatched my phone out of my hand. The screen was still open to a video I'd been half-watching earlier—a clip I'd liked without thinking. The comments section was full of people dragging her and Teddy through the mud.

She stared at it, then at me, teeth clenched.

"I'm your wife. I can't believe you're so vicious! The Reid family made you, Grant. You've gotten bold, haven't you?

"You're destroying Teddy's career with this. His entire professional future—gone. You will go online right now and issue a statement. Say it was petty jealousy. Say you made it all up to get back at him."

Watching them "protect" each other like that... I almost laughed at how stupid they both looked. I took a step back—needed distance so their idiocy didn't rub off.

Anyone with eyes could see that clip was straight from Teddy's own livestream.

I rubbed my temples and gave them some genuine advice.

"You have eye problems? See an ophthalmologist. Brain problems? See a neurologist."

Teddy acted like he hadn't heard me. He put on his most pitiful voice.

"Honestly, I don't care what people say about me. If it helps Grant feel better, so be it. But Michelle can't take that hit. Grant—how about you hand over the ashes and the cremation certificate? We can put out a statement, clear her name."

He feigned hesitation. Michelle jumped in immediately.

"Yes. Give them to us. All Teddy has to do is say he was the one who found them, got scared, and made sure they were cremated properly. The narrative flips, the heat dies down."

She paused, as if sweetening the deal so I couldn't refuse.

"Hand them over, and I'll sign your divorce papers on the spot."

"Done," I answered without a second's hesitation.

After all, they were Michelle's parents' ashes—they needed to go back to her.

I picked up the ashes, threw them in whatever bottle I had on hand, and handed it over.

"Here. Mom's remains."

Michelle snatched it from me with a scoff.

"We're about to be divorced. Don't act like we're still family. I don't have parents that stupid."

She spat right into the ashes.

Teddy grabbed the cremation certificate before I could stop him, let his dog pee all over it, and stomped on it a few times for good measure.

I'd just gotten off the phone with the police when I saw Teddy exhale in relief.

He shot me a smug look. He thought that by destroying the name on the certificate, I wouldn't be able to prove who the bodies belonged to—let alone get the police to arrest him.

Too bad for him.

I stared back without flinching.

Michelle noticed his strange behavior and gave him a confused look.

Teddy started stammering.

"I—I was just taking the dog out to do his business. I was going to clean it up since we're in public, but I didn't expect the certificate to fall right into the puddle."

Michelle, who'd just called her own parents brain-dead, wasn't exactly a genius herself.

She brightened like she'd figured something out.

"Oh, is that all? Let me help."

She marched over to the puddle of urine and dumped the ashes straight into it.

The loose powder instantly clumped together.

Michelle wore a sweet smile, but her actions were anything but.

"See, Grant? Isn't this thoughtful of me?"

Thoughtful? I didn't see that. Cruel? Absolutely.

First, she didn't even claim her parents' bodies—left them for the birds to pick apart. Then she mixed their ashes with dog urine.

Any one of those alone would be enough to get her punished by the heavens.

I'm guessing when they reincarnate, they'll carry that stench with them.

Raising a daughter like that—they really failed as parents.

I couldn't be bothered to argue. I just said flatly, "Sure. Can we sign the papers now?"

She froze. Something felt off to her.

Maybe she realized she'd gone too far, because her voice suddenly turned small and hesitant.

"If you're upset, I can rinse the ashes off when we get home."

Hearing that, I didn't even question her brain—I questioned why I'd ever married someone like her in the first place.

I snapped impatiently, "Are you signing or not? Because if not, I'll make sure everyone sees what you two just did."

I held up my phone. Teddy's voice went shaky.

"Michelle..."

She'd been about to say something to me—maybe even try to hold on—but Teddy's teary eyes cut her off.

Michelle looked at the man pleading with her, softened, and shot me one last hateful glare.

She signed in a flash and flung the divorce papers right in my face.

"I was going to show you some pity. But you threw that away yourself. You've gotten used to the good life my family and I gave you. Without me? Let's see how you manage."

Before I could react, she grabbed my phone and smashed it to pieces.

"Ungrateful dog—can't change its nature. I gave you a privileged life, and you still try to bite the hand that feeds you."

Watching her make a complete fool of herself actually put me in a good mood.

Not because I'd lost it—but because the Reid family had only gotten where they were with my help. And now, this ingrate was barking at me like I was nothing.

I picked up the divorce papers and let it slide. She wasn't worth the energy.

But Michelle, seeing I wasn't angry, only got more furious. She ripped a fire hose off the wall and washed the entire mess of ashes straight down the drain.

As she laughed like a maniac, I watched the gray slurry swirl into the sewer and spoke with satisfaction.

"No grave. No rest. Just a drainpipe, in-laws."

What do you call that? Evil people get what's coming to them—from other evil people.

"Are you cursing my parents?!" she screamed.

She aimed the hose at me, but hit the police officer who'd just walked in instead.

The officer shot her an annoyed look, but did his job and walked straight up to Teddy.

"Teddy Williams. You're under suspicion for the murders of Michael and Susan Reid. You'll need to come with us."

Michelle froze solid. Her face went blank.

"That's impossible! You've got the wrong names!"

The officer, already irritated with her, held up his badge right in front of her face.

"The deceased are your parents, ma'am. We understand you're grieving, but please don't interfere with official business."

At those words, Michelle collapsed to the ground.