Chapter 1

My father-in-law, Rick, woke from his afternoon nap. I brought him a freshly brewed tonic broth.

“Dad, give this a try. I made it especially for you.”

I was about to turn back to the kitchen when Rick suddenly slammed the bowl onto the table with a crash.

The scalding hot broth splashed all over my hand, but he just pointed at the bowl and spat, “The number of berries in here is odd! Odd numbers bring bad luck, you wicked woman! Are you trying to curse me to an early grave?”

“I watched you put them in! Don't even try to deny it!”

“Son, listen to your dad. Divorce her! Our family has no room for such a vicious woman!”

I looked at my husband, Brandon. Not only did he not stand up for me, but he frowned in disgust.

“Then let's get divorced. Marrying you was the worst luck imaginable.”

Suddenly, a system notification popped up before my eyes: [Filial Duty Audit System detected divorce intent. Calculating in-marriage filial duty contributions…]

My hand was bright red and throbbing with a fiery pain.

Brandon’s words, though, burned even hotter than the scalding broth.

Three years of marriage, and I’d spun around this family like a top, waiting on my in-laws, supporting my husband. And all I got in return was “the worst luck imaginable.”

My father-in-law, Rick, was still stirring the pot. “See? She’s not even apologizing! This kind of woman should just get lost!”

I was trembling with rage, a knot of fury tightening in my chest, making it impossible to breathe.

Just then, those cold, blue lines of text slowly unfolded before my eyes.

[Contributions being calculated…]

[During your marriage, you provided Filial Duty Contributions to your father-in-law, Rick, a total of 2,358 times, equivalent to $1,179,000 USD.]

[During your marriage, you provided Filial Duty Contributions to your mother-in-law, Carol, a total of 3,102 times, equivalent to $1,551,000 USD.]

[Your support and contributions to your husband, Brandon, are not included in Filial Duty Contributions and have been automatically converted to marital assets, to be divided separately upon divorce.]

[Total Filial Duty Debt: $2,730,000 USD.]

[Please select settlement mode: A. Private Settlement B. Public Settlement (requires a $100,000 activation fee)]

I froze.

What was this? A hallucination?

I blinked, but the lines of text remained clearly suspended in mid-air, visible only to me.

Two million seven hundred thirty thousand dollars.

Had my three years of effort truly been worth so much?

Brandon saw me standing there, speechless, and grew even more impatient.

“Eleanor, are you mute? Tomorrow, we’re going to the lawyer’s office to file. The house and cars were bought by my parents, so you won’t get a single cent. Now get out!”

Rick crossed his arms, a smug look on his face.

“Hear that? Our family isn’t a charity.”

I looked at their tag-teaming faces, and the last shred of warmth in my heart flickered out.

I took a deep breath and lightly tapped a finger in the air.

I chose A.

Private Settlement.

I wanted to see the expressions on their faces when this bill landed squarely in front of them.

Almost simultaneously, Brandon’s and Rick’s phones rang sharply.

They impatiently pulled out their phones.

The next second, their expressions froze.

Brandon’s eyes widened, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

“W-what is this thing?”

He shoved his phone screen in my face. It was an official text message from a Bank Notary Office.

[To Mr. Brandon Chen and Mr. Richard Chen: Pursuant to the In-Marriage Filial Duty Audit Agreement, you collectively owe Ms. Eleanor Lin $2,730,000 USD. Please settle this amount within 72 hours, or forced enforcement procedures will be initiated.]

Rick snatched the phone, squinting to read, his presbyopic eyes repeatedly confirming the long string of zeroes.

“Two million seven hundred thirty thousand? Is she crazy? This must be a scam text!”

Brandon also snapped out of it, glaring at me fiercely.

“Eleanor, is this your doing? Did you hire someone to fake this to extort money? I’m telling you, no way!”

As he spoke, he lunged to grab my phone.

I stepped back, watching him coldly.

“Whether it’s a scam or not, you both know deep down.”

“How many times did I cook tonic broth for your dad, how many times did I rush him to the ER in the middle of the night, how many times did I act as your mom’s personal shopper and ATM on her shopping sprees? You may deny these, but the system won’t.”

Rick’s face flushed crimson with anger. He pointed a finger at my nose and yelled, “You ungrateful wretch! We’ve wasted three years feeding you! Every cent you spent came from our family!”

Just then, the door opened.

My mother-in-law, Carol, walked in, laden with shopping bags.

“What’s all the shouting about? I could hear you all the way downstairs.”

The moment she entered, she saw our tense standoff and immediately pointed her accusations at me.

“It’s you again, you jinx! Always making my old man angry?”

Brandon looked like he’d found a savior and quickly handed her his phone.

“Mom, look! Eleanor’s gone crazy. She hired someone to send scam texts, claiming we owe her over two million dollars!”

Carol took the phone, glanced at it, and scoffed.

“Two point seven million? Why doesn't she just rob a bank?”

She tossed the phone onto the coffee table and walked up to me, her eyes filled with scorn and calculation.

“Eleanor, I know you don’t want a divorce, and you’re trying to use these cheap tricks to cling on.”

“Let me tell you something straight: a divorce is happening. I’ll be generous and give you fifty thousand dollars as compensation for your three years of hard work.”

She paused, her tone dripping with condescension.

“Take the money and leave gracefully. Don’t play these ridiculous games that make everyone laugh at you.”