My wife was rarely home, preferring to be out and about with her "male best friend." My daughter and I barely saw her a few times a year. Then, a few days ago, my wife and her male best friend were in a car accident while on a road trip. The doctor called, saying they needed two hundred thousand dollars for surgery, or she’d lose both her hands. Hearing the news, the corners of my mouth curled into a smile wider than an M16, but I forced myself to suppress it. With feigned sorrow, I told the doctor: “Doctor, when you use the saw, please remember the anesthetic. She’s afraid of pain.” … My wife, Lillian, was an artist. In pursuit of her so-called inspiration, she abandoned our daughter and our home, spending her days on road trips with her male best friend. The last time my daughter and I saw her was six months ago. After getting the doctor's call, I quickly picked up our daughter, Tina, from kindergarten. Limping, I made my way to my mother-in-law’s house, stating directly that Lillian had been in a car accident and needed two hundred thousand dollars for life-saving surgery. But my mother-in-law didn’t even glance at me. She was busy playing cards with her neighbors, wetting her finger to separate her hand. “Call the Ace!” Then she squinted at me. “Who are you trying to fool? If my daughter was in trouble, why didn’t I get a call? Humph! I bet you, you useless cripple, are just trying to swindle my money!” “Forget two hundred thousand, I wouldn’t give you twenty dollars!” “Get out!” My mother-in-law glared at me contemptuously, utterly unconvinced. Her card partners chimed in, their voices dripping with sarcasm. “Tsk, tsk, a grown man bringing his child to trick his mother-in-law out of money? Aren’t you ashamed?” “What a pity, a brilliant girl like Lillian marrying a cripple…” Those words struck a nerve with my mother-in-law. She slammed her hand down on the table, stood up abruptly, and glared at me, spitting venom. “Arthur! You good-for-nothing cripple, get out of my house!” This scared Tina, who shrunk behind me, timidly saying, “Daddy, Tina’s scared…” I knelt to comfort my daughter, then told my mother-in-law, “I’m sorry, Mom, I might have received a scam call. You know, I care about Lillian too much…” “Get out!” My mother-in-law cursed. In her eyes, with my injured leg, I was never worthy of her daughter. She disliked Tina too, by extension. I took Tina home and settled her in, then slowly made my way to the hospital. Walking into the ward, seeing my wife, Lillian, and her male best friend, both covered in blood, lying on separate beds, my lips fought a battle to remain straight. Under the watchful eyes of the doctors and nurses, I collapsed beside her bed, grasping her hand, feigning utter despair. “Oh, the tragedy!” “You’ve been on so many trips with your male best friend without incident, why a car accident this time…?” “Doctor, can both her hands be saved? Is the surgery risky?” The doctor shook his head. “You arrived too late; the optimal time for treatment has passed. Her hands cannot be saved; now we can only save her life. Please sign the consent form and pay a portion of the surgical fee first!” I struggled to suppress my grin, putting on a distressed expression. “I don’t have any money. All the family’s money is managed by my wife. I tried to borrow from my mother-in-law, but she said it was a scam…” With that, I called my mother-in-law right in front of the doctor. “Mom, I’ve confirmed at the hospital, it’s not a scam call. Lillian really was in a car accident…” “Grand Slam!” My mother-in-law’s voice blared from the phone. “You useless cripple! Still trying to trick me out of money, are you? No chance!” I put it on speaker, and the doctors and nurses heard every word clearly. The doctor couldn’t help but say, “Hello, ma’am, I am your daughter’s surgeon. Your son-in-law is telling the truth…” “Get lost, no one is going to trick me!” My mother-in-law wouldn't listen, cursing before hanging up. I put my phone away and said to the doctor, “Please save her first, I promise I will pay the money.” “What about this person?” The doctor pointed to the male best friend in the next bed. “He’s also seriously injured. We haven’t been able to contact his family yet. If you know them, please reach out.” “He’s my wife’s male best friend, really just her lover. I don’t know him, and I certainly don’t know his family.” I sighed helplessly. The doctors and nurses exchanged pitying glances. In a flash, Lillian was wheeled into surgery. I took out my phone, opened my messaging app, and sent a photo of Lillian being wheeled into the operating room to my father-in-law, with a message: “Dad, Lillian was in a car accident. The doctors say she might lose both her hands.” After sending the message, I turned off my phone and waited quietly. About an hour later, my father-in-law arrived. The first thing he asked was about Lillian’s condition. I shook my head, sighing, “The doctors said I arrived too late, both her hands couldn’t be saved…” “Why didn’t you come sooner!” My father-in-law exploded in rage, grabbing my collar and yelling, “You useless man! If anything happens to Lillian, I’ll never forgive you!” I calmly replied, “Dad, you can’t blame me. Lillian took all the money from when I sold my company. I had no money for the fees. I went to Mom for money, but she didn’t believe me, insisting it was a scam.” Just then, the operating room doors opened, and Lillian was wheeled out. My father-in-law rushed forward, his face turning ashen when he saw both of her sleeves hanging limply, empty inside. “What happened to my daughter…? Doctor! Where are her hands?” “My daughter is an artist, she can’t live without her hands, please, you must find a way…” The doctor merely shook his head, saying nothing. Just then, my mother-in-law, arriving late, rushed in. “Lillian, how is she…?” “Where are her hands? Doctor… where are my daughter’s hands?” Seeing her daughter without arms, my mother-in-law, like a madwoman, grabbed the doctor’s hand, shouting and making a scene. I understood their feelings at this moment. Ever since I sold my company and became a stay-at-home dad, Lillian had been their sole financial security. Her paintings were bestsellers, and she was quite famous, the pride and joy of my in-laws. Now that Lillian had lost both her arms, she couldn’t provide for them, becoming a burden instead. How could they not be emotional? “Please calm down. Lillian just finished surgery and needs rest,” I advised. My mother-in-law whirled around, glaring at me with malice. “Lillian is in this state all because she married you, you useless cripple!” My father-in-law chimed in, “You deliberately delayed, causing Lillian to lose her hands. I’m calling the police on you!” “Mom, you can’t just say things like that. When I got the hospital’s call, I immediately went to you.” I calmly pulled out my phone and played three recordings: “Call the Ace…” “Grand Slam!” “I am your daughter’s surgeon…” My father-in-law’s face immediately changed. He turned and glared at my mother-in-law. “You useless cripple, you set me up!” My mother-in-law was furious, grabbing my clothes, ready to hit me. “Mom, you can’t speak against your conscience.” I pushed her away, held up two fingers, and said innocently, “I came to you twice. The first time you said it was a scam. The second time, I personally came to the hospital to confirm, and the doctor even spoke to you, but you still didn’t believe it. Can you blame me?” Two female nurses nearby couldn't help but interject: “I heard it all. She cared more about her card game than her own daughter’s life.” “That’s absolutely outrageous. What right does she have to blame her son-in-law…?” “To have a mother like that, it’s truly a tragedy!” My mother-in-law, flushed with anger, pointed at them and yelled, “Say one more word, and I’ll rip your mouths off!” “Mom… I’m in so much pain…” Lillian’s weak voice suddenly broke through; she was awake. “My poor daughter…” My mother-in-law held Lillian’s hand, wiping a tear, then pointed at me and began to curse. “It’s all your fault, you useless cripple! You couldn’t provide for her, so my daughter had to drive around to support the family, and that’s why she got into an accident!” I retorted, “You can’t say that. The twenty million dollars I got from selling my company was all in Lillian’s hands; it was more than enough.” “Twenty million, is that a lot? Don’t you understand what it means to live beyond your means?” My mother-in-law scoffed, “My daughter is constantly improving, her reputation growing. A mere twenty million? She could earn that by painting a few more pictures. And you? What do you do besides leech off her?” I said, “When she became a disciple of Master Chen, I arranged it. The five million dollar apprenticeship fee was also paid by me.” “Enough!” Lillian interrupted anxiously. “The accident… How is Adam?” “Who is Adam?” My mother-in-law asked, confused. I quickly explained, “That’s the male best friend she’s always with, her lover. Adam has been with her all these years. The reason for this accident was that Adam made… inappropriate gestures towards her while driving.” “What ‘always with her’? What are you talking about?!” My mother-in-law trembled with rage. I said, “The security cameras captured it, the traffic police told me.” “It’s too loud!” Lillian tried to sit up. “I need to see Adam…” It was then she realized her hands were gone. Lillian froze, then let out a heart-wrenching scream. “My hands… Where are my hands?!” She thrashed her legs like a madwoman, screaming and shouting. My mother-in-law tried to comfort her, but was kicked twice, her face turning red and swollen on one side. “You’re the one who ruined me!” Lillian’s eyes were bloodshot, glaring at me with venom. “It’s him!” My mother-in-law also cursed, “This useless cripple did it on purpose!” I shook my head. “I rushed here as soon as I got the call, but I couldn’t pay for the surgery. I went to Mom to borrow money, but she insisted it was a scam. See, the recording’s right here.” I played the recording from before. “Call the Ace…” “Grand Slam!” “I am your daughter’s surgeon…” Hearing the recording, Lillian’s eyes widened in fury, glaring at her mother with gritted teeth. So consumed by playing cards, she didn’t care about her daughter’s life—it was utterly heartless! If not for her addiction to cards, she wouldn’t have lost her hands! “Oh, my dearest daughter, how could Mom ever harm you…?” Seeing the situation turning, my mother-in-law immediately tried to justify herself. “You gave me the money back then, telling me to keep it from him, that’s why I didn’t give it to him. You can’t blame me entirely!” “This useless cripple didn’t explain the situation clearly either; it’s all his fault!” My mother-in-law dumped the blame squarely on me. “Shut up!” My father-in-law lost his temper, slapping my mother-in-law’s face. He yelled, “Always playing cards and gambling, hurting yourself and others! Our daughter was ruined because of you!” My mother-in-law, slapped, sat on the floor, wailing.
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