I pleaded once more. "Just unfreeze the cards so I can settle the bills."

"Your excuses are pathetic."

Huxley snorted and hung up just like that.

I trembled with rage and tried calling again, only to discover I'd been blocked.

Just then, I received a message from Jennifer through WhatsApp. It was a short video.

The video depicted Jennifer and Huxley passionately kissing in the office as if no one else existed.

"Stop calling. Interrupting someone while they're blowing off steam is a crime worthy of death."

Jennifer's message dripped with spite and mockery.

My eyes burned with tears as I stared at the video in disbelief.

The man who had once been gentle and loving was now wrapped in another woman's arms. But this wasn't the time for me to dwell on my heartbreak. My in-laws were still waiting for money that could save their lives.

Even if not for Huxley, I had to save them. After all, they had always treated me with kindness.

I began reaching out to everyone I could—friends, relatives, and even business contacts I barely knew. But each call only dragged me deeper into despair.

"You know how things are these days, Kathy. My business isn't doing too well. I really can't spare anything…"

"My finances are a little tight at the moment, Katherine. I'm afraid I can't help…"

One polite rejection after another left me utterly disheartened.

Finally, I pressed a close friend I'd always gotten along with. Only then did I find out that Huxley had spread the word throughout our social circle.

He spread the word that anyone who helped me financially would be considered his enemy and would never receive a dime back.

I couldn't believe it. How could he be so ruthless?

Even so, I swallowed my pride and continued to explain, to beg, promising them I would pay them back no matter what.

But they still turned me away. Some even blocked my number outright.

Out of options, I collapsed on a hospital bench, defeated.

…

We hadn't returned to Sansville for two years to spend the holidays with my in-laws. They missed Huxley dearly.

So, to surprise Huxley and make up for lost time, I brought them to Huntingburg, hoping we could all share a joyful family reunion.

No one could have imagined that the surprise would turn into a nightmare.

The moment my in-laws stepped into the mansion, they weren't met with warm hugs, but a bucket of wastewater.

Jennifer stood at the entrance, eyes filled with open disgust.

"Who allowed beggars to come into Mr. Carlson's mansion? Are these your parents, Katherine? Figures. Total hillbillies. I can practically smell the dirt on all of you. Disgusting!"

I suppressed my rage and rushed to help my in-laws wipe off the filth.

My mother-in-law had a fiery temper and was never one to tolerate this sort of humiliation. She immediately snapped back, "And who do you think you are? Where are your manners? How dare you insult Katherine?"

Jennifer didn't back down. Her aggression escalated as she grabbed a ceramic ornament and hurled it at my mother-in-law.

I reacted instinctively, raising my arm to block it.

It missed her, but the sharp edge grazed my hand and blood gushed out instantly.

Jennifer stepped forward smugly and arrogantly declared, "I'm the future lady of this mansion. Huxley Carlson's current girlfriend. Your darling Katherine will soon be kicked out, you old hag!"

My in-laws were stunned speechless. They had never imagined the son they had raised with so much pride would turn out like this.

Fuming, my father-in-law stepped forward to confront Jennifer.

But she shoved him without hesitation. He crashed into the shoe cabinet behind him.

"Some penniless nobody like you dares step foot in Mr. Carlson's mansion? Look at how poor you are. Do you think you're worthy of being his father-in-law?" Jennifer sneered, her voice full of contempt.

My father-in-law groaned in pain, the color draining from his face.

I rushed to his side and frantically called out to the household staff for help.

However, the household staff who were usually deferential now acted as if they couldn't hear me at all. My cries went completely unheard.

Jennifer blew on her nails with disdain, as if brushing off filth.

"Can someone come tie these three hillbillies up? Toss them into the snow. A few spins in the field and we'll be rid of the bad luck!"

The household staff swarmed in.

My mother-in-law threw herself in front of my father-in-law and me, screaming, "Don't you dare! Huxley is my…"

Before she could finish, Jennifer shoved her out, causing her to stumble and fall into the snow.

My eyes blazed with fury as I tried to rush over, but two household staff pinned me down.

They roughly tied us up with ropes and dragged us out of the mansion like stray dogs.

The winters in Huntingburg were brutal. Snowfall was heavy, layering the ground with snow so thick that it crunched underfoot.

I was thrown into the snow. The icy cold soaked through my thin clothes in an instant, and the biting chill made me shiver uncontrollably.

Jennifer stood at the door, a smug smile tugging at her lips.

She clapped her hands, and the household staff immediately understood the order.

They grabbed handfuls of snow, packed them into tight balls, and pelted us mercilessly.

The snowballs hit hard, the sensation cold and sharp against my skin. But what stung more was how they treated us like playthings to be mocked.

I struggled desperately and yelled, "Stop! They're Huxley's parents!"

But the howling wind and the falling snow drowned out my screams, and no one paid any attention.

The snowballs continue to rain down on us, hitting my face and body.

My cheeks stung with pain, and my limbs began to go numb.

My father-in-law was getting on in years and was of poor health. His face had gone deathly pale from the torment. Even his lips were turning purple.

My mother-in-law wasn't faring much better against the cold and insults. She cursed Jennifer fiercely.

Then, she suddenly went silent.

I turned just in time to see her face turn a frightening shade of purple before she began convulsing violently. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.

"Mom!" I screamed in terror and scrambled to her side.

Even the household staff were startled by her sudden collapse. They paused and exchanged uneasy glances.

Seizing the moment, I broke free and knelt beside her, calling her name over and over.

My mother-in-law's breaths grew weaker with each passing second. The color drained from her face.

I frantically begged the servants for help, pleading with them to call an ambulance.

Perhaps my mother-in-law's condition scared them enough because finally, someone ran off to call emergency services.

Jennifer remained at the door, watching with that same smug, condescending expression.

"Well, lucky you. You have a mother who knows when to collapse," she said mockingly.

"Leave. You're dirtying my home!"

…

My father-in-law lay in the hospital bed, tears streaming silently down his face. He clutched my hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His lips quivered in an effort to speak, but no words came out.

It felt like a crushing weight lodged itself in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I despised Huxley for being so heartless. I even thought about walking away and letting him deal with the consequences. But then, I saw the hopelessness in my father-in-law's eyes. I couldn't bring myself to leave.

I had to confront Huxley and force him to take responsibility for his actions.

I burst into his office. But the sight before me froze me in place.

Jennifer was straddling Huxley, wearing nothing but a man's shirt, the front gaping open.

Their clothes were disheveled, and their hair was messy. The scent of lust hung thick in the air.

Huxley didn't even flinch when he saw me—only a scornful smile played on his lips.

I bit down on my lip, barely holding back the tears threatening to fall.

Still, my eyes reddened. Tears blurred my vision.

"Oh, here to play the part of a pitiful wife again?"

"You're putting in this much effort just to get your credit cards unfrozen?"

Huxley brushed Jennifer aside with slow, deliberate movements and walked up to me.

He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke directly into my face.

The acrid stench made me cough uncontrollably.

He knew I couldn't stand cigarette smoke. He would've never done this to me in the past.

I held back my anger and asked as calmly as I could, "How many times do I have to tell you that they're your parents? Why won't you just go see them?"

"You're a habitual liar. Why should I believe you? For all I know, this is just another one of your sob stories to get money out of me."

I threw my mother-in-law's critical care notice in his face. "Take a good look at whose name is on it!"

He didn't even glance at it. Instead, he stomped on the paper and slapped me across the face.

"You're putting on quite the show, aren't you? You even brought props this time. If you put half as much effort into pleasing me as Jenny does, you wouldn't need to beg me for money. Face it, you've been playing the wrong game."

I wasn't keen on listening to the filth coming out of his mouth. I turned to leave.

"Did I say you could go?"

Huxley walked over, grabbed my arm, and shoved me to the floor. I tried to break free, but his grip was too strong.

"Are you crazy, Huxley? What are you doing?"

Jennifer drove the tip of her stiletto into my cheek. The sharp heel bit into my skin.

Huxley wasn't the least bit concerned by what she was doing. If anything, he was letting it happen.

"Where do you think you're going? Don't want the money anymore? That's not like you at all. Aren't you always scheming to get money? What's with the holier-than-thou act now?"

My cheek burned from the pain. Humiliation surged hot through my veins.

"Let go! You won't save your parents? Fine. But what's the point of rehashing old grudges now?"

I forced the words out through clenched teeth, every syllable trembling with rage and helplessness.

"Still playing the victim? And now you're cursing my parents too?"

Huxley pressed his shoe into my face. The sole ground into my skin like he wanted to break a bone.

I could barely breathe.

Jennifer, clearly enjoying herself, strutted over and kicked me square in the stomach.

A cry of pain escaped me as I curled up on the floor, my insides twisting violently.

Huxley stood by, watching it all unfold with cold indifference, completely devoid of sympathy.

Jennifer sidled up to him, her hands wandering across his chest. "Why are you keeping her here, Hux?"

Huxley grinned, pulling her into his arms. He whispered into her ear, "So she can see how good you are at serving me. If I let her go, who knows what disgusting stunt she'll pull next?"

I lay on the floor like a mangled dog, listening to their sickening exchange with a heart full of ice and fire.

While my in-laws were fighting for their lives at the hospital, I was trapped here.

I was starting to regret it all. I never should have brought them to Huntingburg. If they'd stayed in Sansville, at least they could've had a peaceful holiday.

With my father-in-law's medical bills unpaid, he'd been moved to the hallway.

The weather was only getting colder. How could his aging body possibly withstand that?

A sharp pain twisted through my lower abdomen. I felt myself on the verge of blacking out.

Just then, Huxley's phone began to ring.

He picked it up impatiently and put the call on speaker.

A weak, strained voice came through the line. "Huxley…"

Huxley froze and blurted out in shock, "Dad? Why are you calling from an unknown number?"