I called Jenny to question her, "Who said you could secretly sell my house?"

Jenny did not show the slightest guilt. She even sounded smug, as if she had a hold on me. "So what if I sold it? It's all because you refused to pay the 326 dollars for Christmas Eve dinner! How dare you talk back to me? Watch how I'll deal with you!"

"It's my pre-marital property. It has nothing to do with the Zachary family! This is stealing. It's illegal!" I shouted furiously as I trembled with anger.

Jenny argued stubbornly, "Illegal? You're my daughter's husband. What's yours is hers, and what's hers is mine! How is it illegal for me to sell my own things? Anyway, I've already sold the house and received the payment. Do you really think I can't handle your spoiled brat attitude?"

I had been giving in, but all I had gotten in return was Jenny's defiant attitude. It was impossible to reason with an unreasonable person like her, so I hardened my heart and called the police.

When I arrived at the local police station at my in-laws' place, Jenny was throwing a tantrum. Seeing me, she rolled over and was about to slap me. "You bastard! How could you call the police?"

Winona also hurriedly came, her expression looking a bit grim. "Aaron! That's my mom! How could you be so extreme?"

I shoved Jenny aside and looked coldly at Winona. "Your mother made things difficult for me at Christmas Eve dinner, yet you didn't even say a word. Now, she's stolen my property deed and sold the house, and you're accusing me instead?"

Winona's expression turned grimmer.

Jenny kept insisting she was not stealing. She had just sold her own house.

I did not waste time explaining and directly showed the police all the documents proving the house was my premarital property.

If investigated further, Jenny could indeed face criminal charges. Jenny was ignorant about the law, and so was the relative who bought the house. They simply thought that obtaining the property deed meant the sale was complete.

They had no idea about the specific procedures for property transactions and the transfer of ownership. Therefore, the transaction was invalid.

My house was still mine.

If I did not pursue the matter, Jenny would not need jail time.

Winona pleaded with me, saying Jenny was old and could not go to jail.

I did not want to pay her any attention, but she eventually knelt before me and swore that she would never let me suffer any more mistreatment. Only then did I reluctantly agree not to pursue the matter.

However, I decided to move out of our marital home. I felt I needed to seriously consider whether my marriage to Winona was worth continuing.

After I got home, Winona tugged at my suitcase, constantly apologizing. "I really didn't know my mom would do that. She knows she's wrong now. If you refuse to go back, we won't go back. Darling! Please don't do this!"

I did not soften my stance and only told Winona that I would not divorce her if Jenny stopped causing trouble as she promised.

Now, I needed some peace and quiet.

Winona showed her attitude through her actions, sending me to work and picking me up from work every day, as well as cooking for me.

Jenny seemed to have stopped causing trouble.

However, Winona said she had to work overtime and could not pick me up one day, so I went home by myself.

As soon as I got to the complex entrance, the security guard said to me, "A group of menacing-looking people was looking for you, but I had no reason to stop them since they had an access card."

I frowned and thought to myself that I had not given my access card to anyone. Maybe the security guard made a mistake. Thus, I sent a message to my parents and complained a bit before going straight home.

Unexpectedly, I saw quite a few people in the house as soon as I opened the door. They immediately surrounded me the moment I entered.

I panicked and hurriedly backed away, shouting angrily, "Who are you? How did you end up in my house? Believe it or not, I'll call the police to sue you for trespassing on private property!"

Someone quickly closed the door. The most menacing-looking person among them, Jake Farlow, who looked just like what the security guard described, came up to grab my hair forcefully and slam my head against the wall. "Bastard! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

A sharp headache erupted. I struggled to take out the phone in my pocket, wanting to call the police directly.

Jake saw me and grabbed my hand. He had someone pull out the phone and smash it into pieces. Then, he grabbed my hair and pulled my head back. "How dare you call the police? Watch how I teach you a lesson!"

Once he finished threatening, he started punching and kicking me.

I could only try to protect my head, but blood still trickled from the corner of my mouth.

After hitting me, he added viciously, "Besides, Aunt Jenny already sold this house to me. What right does a son of a b*tch like you have to take it back?"

He had someone hand me the sale and purchase agreement. "You have to sign the agreement today! Give me the house!"

Aunt Jenny? Sold the house?

It suddenly dawned on me that these people were talking about my mother-in-law. Winona's claim that Jenny knew she was wrong was complete nonsense!

I endured the pain and glanced discreetly at the security camera in the house. "I won't sign this agreement. I never said I was selling the house to you!"

Jenny stepped out from behind the crowd, hands on her hips as she spat in my face. "Looks like you haven't had enough!"

She said to the men, "Don't need to mind me, just beat him to death! Then my daughter can remarry a man even richer than him!"

Hearing Jenny say that, the men kicked me in the stomach again and again.

I was in so much pain that I could not say a word.

Jake forcibly pulled my hand, making me sign the sale and purchase agreement and press my fingerprint on it. He waved the agreement. "Now, this house is mine. You can get out!"

Seeing I was still alive, Jenny's eyes darted around, and she reached out to tear at my clothes. "Strip this bastard naked and throw him out! Say he's a homewrecker who seduced someone else's wife. Let's see how he'll ever face anyone again!"

My pupils constricted as I looked at these men in terror. "You can't do this!"

With a single glance from the men, someone pinned me to the ground.

With her face contorted with rage, Jenny ripped my clothes open. The winter wind made me shiver.

Several men scoffed. "What a scrawny weakling!"

Jake suddenly grinned maliciously and said to Jenny, "Aunt Jenny, since you're going to make your daughter marry a new husband anyway, how about we train this guy like a pet?"

Jenny agreed without a second thought, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Of course, you can. If he doesn't obey, break both his legs. It'll save me the trouble of finding a reason for my daughter to divorce him. You'll make things much easier for me. My daughter wouldn't want a cripple as a husband."

Jenny stepped back after saying that.

Several men approached me and forced me to kneel down.

"How could a pet stand? It should be on all fours."

"Come on, bark twice."

I was furious and disgusted. I bit onto Jake's wrist and managed to bite off a piece of flesh. Jake let out a scream and slapped me in the face after breaking free. The slap split the corner of my mouth open.

Still unsatisfied with the slap, he straddled me and strangled my neck, punching me in the face with one punch after another. The pain overwhelmed all my senses, and blood stained everything in sight. I felt like I was about to be killed.

Someone seemed to open the door and push Jake away.

"Mom! Stop it! How could you do this to Aaron? He's my husband! Aaron! Aaron! Are you okay?"

Driven by rage, Jake kicked Winona away. "Get out of my way! How dare he bite off a piece of my flesh? I'm not a man if I don't kill him today!"

Jenny grabbed Winona too. "Why feel sorry for a vicious man who'd send your mother to jail? If you help him, I'll never forgive you!"

I weakly raised my head and looked at Jenny. I could not figure out why she hated me so much, even wanting me to die. After marrying Winona, I had even bought her quite a lot of gold and jewelry.

Even if I was going to die, I wanted to die knowing why. "Just because I didn't pay you 326 dollars for Christmas Eve dinner, you want me dead?"

Jenny raised her chin and said matter-of-factly, "Yes! It's all because you didn't pay for Christmas Eve dinner and tried to freeload! So what if you have money? Since you married my daughter, you have to follow the rules of the Zachary family!"

I suddenly realized that this really was not about the 326 dollars.

My mother-in-law had tried to intimidate me on Christmas Eve but failed and was humiliated, so she held onto it. She also believed that only a submissive son-in-law was good. Therefore, she wanted to break Winona and me up so that Winona could find her a more submissive son-in-law.

She could not tolerate anyone preventing her from asserting her authority.

Besides, Jenny finally felt she could exercise her rights as my mother-in-law. She was extremely arrogant as she ordered the men around, "Are you going to discipline this slave or not? If not, quickly strip him naked and throw him out! We'll see if any woman will want to marry him after this!"

When I resisted, the men became even more determined to teach me a lesson and forced me to kneel down.

I was outnumbered and already exhausted from the beating, so I was quickly pinned to the ground like a slave. My mouth was even pressed against his shoe. They humiliated me enough before stripping me naked to throw me out.

Winona looked conflicted, wanting to stop them, but afraid to intervene because of Jenny.

I completely gave up on her as I curled up in despair, covering my vital part.

Just as they were about to throw me out naked, the door was kicked open.

"Don't move! Police!"

Immediately afterward, my father rushed in and kicked Jake aside. "Don't be afraid. We're here!"