Chapter 2

Mark was physically stronger, and within seconds, he ripped the strap right off my purse.

But my payroll card wasn't inside. No matter how frantically he tore through my things, he couldn't find it.

Seeing that brute force wasn't working, my mother-in-law softened her voice, trying to play the reasonable elder.

"Chloe, honey, I'm not going to spend your money. I'm just looking out for you, keeping it safe."

"You're young; money slips right through your fingers. I'm doing this for your own good. Just hand the card over, and I won't hold today's nail incident against you."

She shot Mark a look, and he instantly caught on.

He moved in, trying to wrap an arm around my shoulders, but I pulled away.

"Babe, you heard Mom. She just wants what's best for us. Once we save up enough, we can upgrade to an even bigger house."

"A woman holding onto that much cash is bound to waste it. What if you really end up... out there doing something reckless? You have to understand my position, don't you?"

"No," I replied flatly, without a second thought.

Before Mark could blow his top, I spoke up first.

"It's not that I don't want to give it to you. It's just that all my money is currently tied up in my company's new investment project. The returns will double in no time."

My mother-in-law and Mark both paused, clearly seduced by the prospect of doubled profits.

Only Mia piped up with a venomous smirk.

"Who knows if she's just lying through her teeth?"

Mia was right. I hadn't invested a single penny; I simply refused to surrender my hard-earned money to this family of leeches.

Seeing that I wasn't budging, my mother-in-law insisted that even if there wasn't cash in the account right now, the card still needed to be handed over to her immediately.

In the middle of the heated dispute, my phone suddenly rang.

My father's shaking, tearful voice came through the receiver.

"Chloe... your mom had a terrible accident. Please, hurry over and help me get her to the hospital..."

Before I could even ask what happened, my mother-in-law snatched the phone right out of my hand and started screeching into the mic.

"Listen to me! Just how on earth did you raise your daughter?!"

"Not only does Chloe blow all our money and run around flirting with men, she struts around this house disrespecting her elders! She thinks she runs the world!"

My dad didn't answer. Instead, the frantic screams of strangers pierced through the line.

"Help! Somebody help! An elderly man just collapsed!"

The call abruptly cut off. Panic and fury surged through my veins. All I wanted was to rush to my parents' side.

Yet when I turned to run, my mother-in-law grabbed my arm like a vice, blocking the doorway.

"You're not going anywhere until you leave that card behind!"

"Otherwise, who knows what you're running off to spend our money on!"

Boiling with rage, I shoved her off me.

"Get out of my way!"

She stumbled and fell to the floor. But the moment I bolted down the stairs, Mark and Mia came pounding down after me.

"Chloe, how dare you put your hands on my mother?! Get back up there and apologize to her right now!"

Mark blocked my path, teaming up with Mia to corner me right at the building's front entrance.

It was the evening rush hour. Neighbors returning from work gathered around, whispering and watching the commotion unfold.

I had zero interest in their pathetic drama; I just screamed that I had an emergency and told them to get out of my way.

My mother-in-law came scurrying down the stairs too. The moment she spotted the crowd of onlookers, she threw herself onto the concrete steps and began wailing theatrically.

"What a curse! What sin did our family commit to marry a monster like Chloe?!"

"She spent every dime my poor son ever made, and now she's beating her own mother-in-law! Someone please help me, look at what she's doing!"

Pushed beyond my absolute limit, I kicked away the hand she was using to grab my pant leg.

Ignoring the jeers and furious shouts behind me, I raced frantically all the way to my parents' house.