Chapter 4The Inheritors

I pretended to know nothing and continued caring for Lily and his parents.

Two days later, my father-in-law fell. A brain hemorrhage landed him in the ICU.

My mother-in-law cried as she called Mark. Thirty calls, no answer.

She went to his company, only to be told there was no overseas assignment. Mark had resigned a month ago.

Mark was gone.

His mother panicked, threatening to call the police. That’s when I started to cry.

“Mom, what do I do? I think Mark lied to me.”

I "confessed" about the fake divorce.

“Mom,” I sobbed, “He took all the money in the joint account. Do you think he has someone else? Did he trick me into a divorce just to run away with her?”

“He took everything! Dad needs surgery money, what are we going to do?”

“That animal!” My mother-in-law screamed, stomping her foot before fainting from the shock.

I suppressed a smirk and paid the hospital bills from my secret stash.

The surgery was successful. When my mother-in-law woke up, I was sitting by her bed, eyes red from onion fumes.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’m here.”

She looked at my wrist. The heavy gold bangle she gave me for my wedding was gone.

“Sarah, where’s your bracelet?”

I pulled my hand back, lowering my head to hide my “sadness,” revealing my bare neck where my necklace used to be.

“Dad needed the surgery. Mark took all the cash, so I... I sold my jewelry. It should cover us for a while.”

“Mom, don’t worry. Mark might be heartless, but you and Dad have always been good to me. I won’t abandon you.”

She burst into tears, gripping my hand.

“Sarah, Mark wronged you. It’s our fault for raising such a bastard.”

“From now on, you are our own daughter. As far as we’re concerned, Mark is dead.”

Inside, I was doing a victory dance. Outwardly, I wiped a tear.

“Mom, don’t say that. You’ve always been like real parents to me.”