My Perfect Husband’s Perfect Lie

During the Thanksgiving holiday, my mother-in-law Mary came to visit us from Ohio.

I took her to my husband Liam's new spa in Manhattan, Apropos.

We enjoyed a basic facial treatment together, which I had purchased for $9.90 on an e-commerce platform.

Right after the treatment, the beautician slapped a high-priced package down in front of us.

She glanced at us contemptuously and said:

"Do you really think you can enjoy our premium services with a $9.90 coupon?Stop kidding. You two look like you’re here to freeload. A single facial here costs thousands of dollars. This isn’t some free trial for cheapskates like you."

I suppressed my anger and said coldly:

“We have already paid for the basic treatment. How can you call this taking advantage for free?. Go get your manager.”

A flashy woman walked over. Her arms were crossed. She looked down her nose at us.

“I’m the Boss lady of this place.You and this old hag are just trying to get something for free, aren’t you? Let me be clear. You're buying this five-thousand-dollar hydration treatment today. Or you're not walking out that door.”

A five-thousand-dollar hydration treatment?

So this was it. This was why Liam suddenly got into the beauty industry. He didn't open a spa. He opened a scam shop to bankroll his mistress.

I was about to call Liam, but she beat me to it, dialing a number.

“Darling, you need to get down to the spa, right now. I've got a couple of hicks from the sticks making a scene, trying to get free services!”

There seemed to be a promise on the other end of the line, and Chloe grew even more confident.

After hanging up, she pointed at me and my mother-in-law and shouted angrily.

“You two pieces of low-life trash,you actually dare to come here and enjoy the service for free.”

Her voice was sharp as a needle. “This is a luxury spa. Who do you think you are, lowlife trash, to even step foot in here?

“My husband is coming soon, and you’re done for.”

Her shrill voice drew the attention of every customer.

Several uniformed spa employees gathered around and echoed arrogantly:

“I suggest you just buy this expensive package.Our boss lady is not someone you can afford to provoke.”

“Yeah, a couple of days ago, an internet influencer left us a bad review on purpose, saying our boss lady had a terrible attitude.The very next day, the boss broke her legs and had all her social media accounts suspended.”

“Now she’s lost her job. I hear she’s washing dishes in a restaurant,” another employee added with a gloating smile.

I felt Mary tremble beside me.

“Ava…” she whispered, tugging on my sleeve. Her voice was full of fear. “Are we in the wrong place? My son… he couldn’t…”

She didn’t finish, but I heard the terror in her voice.

My kind mother-in-law, a retired nurse, just couldn't process it. She'd rather believe we'd made a simple mistake than face the truth: that her son was a cheat. Or that he would let a woman be this cruel.

So you are.

In our eyes，Liam comes from an ordinary Midwestern family but has become a Wall Street elite. He is a man who loves his wife and is deeply filial to his mother.

A month ago, he was a top VP at an investment bank. Then he suddenly proposed investing in this spa.

I asked him why.

“To help people find a piece of tranquility in their high-pressure lives,” he’d said at the time.

I was so proud of his vision.

I never imagined he’d used our family’s trust fund. Not to give back to society. But to open a scam shop for his mistress.

I pulled Mary behind me and stared straight into Chloe’s eyes.

There was no kindness there. Only raw, vicious hatred.

“Are you sure your ‘darling’ is coming?” My voice was calm.

“Of course!” Chloe lifted her chin. “He said he’s on his way to deal with you two freeloading psychos.”

The employees started jeering. “Want us to rough them up a bit first?”

“No.” Chloe waved them off, a cruel glint in her eye. “When he gets here, I want him to see for himself. I want him to see the kind of trash that dares to cause trouble on his turf.”

I looked at her and almost laughed. It was all so ridiculous.

I looked at Chloe, my voice steady.

“Fine. I’d love to see it. Let’s see how your ‘darling’ is going to deal with us when he gets here.”