Chapter 4Crowdfunding My Dying Mother‑in‑Law

My little stunt of showing my devotion with a GIF sent the family group chat into an uproar.

The relatives who had been supporting Fiona only moments earlier did an immediate about-face and started tagging Kyle.

"Kyle, your mom's in such bad shape. Why didn't you tell us?" one relative wrote.

"Exactly! Howard is busy with work, but you're her son. Don't tell me you weren't there," another chimed in.

"What's really going on here? Has the hospital bill even been paid yet?" someone else asked.

Kyle was in the hot seat now, and I bet he was livid as he stared at the accusations from the relatives.

After a long silence, he sent me a direct message. His tone was downright nasty. "Howard, what the hell is that supposed to mean? I already paid the bill. It came to 12 thousand dollars. Send me the money right now!"

I took my time replying. "Kyle, come on. You don't have to be so formal with me. We're family. Why bring up paying you back? You make it sound like we're strangers.

"Let's call that money a little token of appreciation for Fiona from her devoted son-in-law. You just paid it on my behalf. It's the thought that counts, right?"

As soon as I hit send, I blocked him.

He wanted me to pay him back? Not a chance.

The next few days were surprisingly quiet.

Once Fiona was discharged and back home, the first thing I did was dismiss the caregiver I'd hired for her. Fiona immediately called Jenna and barked an order as if it were her birthright. "Jenna, quit your job and come home to take care of me."

To my surprise, Jenna refused for the first time in her life. "Mom, my job is going well, and I can't quit. What about Kyle? He can take care of you just as well."

On the other end of the line, Fiona flew into a rage and cursed her out, but Jenna held her ground this time.

The brutal truths I'd laid bare during our fight the other night had sunk in after all, lodging in her heart like a thorn.

With no other options, Kyle and Megan had to take turns stepping in. One handled the grocery shopping and cooking, while the other waited on her hand and foot.

However, both of them were used to being pampered themselves. Within a few days, the house was in complete chaos. The two of them complained nonstop, and I could hear them arguing even over the phone.

I figured this farce would drag on for a while, but the real bombshell dropped sooner and hit harder than I ever expected.

…

One afternoon, while I was in a meeting at the office, Jenna suddenly called. Her voice trembled with a tearful panic I'd never heard from her before.

"Honey, it's bad! My mother… She suddenly developed complications. The doctor says it's critical. She needs surgery, and we have to… have to pay 300 thousand dollars up front!"

My heart skipped a beat, but my face gave nothing away. I forced myself to sound even more frantic than she did. "Jenna, don't panic! Whatever you do, don't panic! Fiona's health comes first. Leave the money to me. I'll figure something out!"

I soothed her gently, and the moment I hung up, I opened a crowdfunding app on my phone and set up a campaign page with practiced ease.

A few minutes later, I dropped the crowdfunding link into the "One Big Happy Family" group chat.

I made sure the title was impossible to ignore—"Help Raise Life-Saving Funds for My Beloved Mother-in-Law."

Then, leading by example, I made the very first donation.

An even 200 dollars.

Once the transaction went through, I posted a screenshot in the chat and tagged everyone.

"Dear family, Fiona's life is on the line! Big or small, every donation is an act of love! Please lend a hand and help her!"

Finally, I tagged Kyle.

"Kyle! You're the pillar of our family! This time, Fiona is counting on you and only you!"