My Wife Defended Her Father’s Killer

My father-in-law, Luther Smith, got into a car accident and was sent to the emergency room. I called my wife, Meg Smith, who was a lawyer, more than twenty times before she picked up. “What are you doing now? Hugh ran into trouble, and I’m helping him. Please don’t be a nuisance.” I suppressed my feelings and said, "Dad got into a car accident, and he needs a hundred thousand dollars for surgery." However, she believed Hugh’s words instead. She said viciously, “It’s your father who got into the accident. What does it have to do with me? Don’t covet my money for your family. Stop harassing me. I’m busy.” She then quickly ended the call. They did not manage to save Luther, and he died. Three days later, in court, I saw Meg defending Hugh as his defense lawyer for his drunk driving case. She was extremely good at her job, so she managed to win the court case for Hugh due to insufficient evidence. Hugh was acquitted. I was extremely disappointed. After the court session, I asked for a divorce. She started to panic. “My dad is so kind to you. He’ll be very upset if you divorce me!” I sneered and threw the hospital receipt and death certificate at her face. What an idiot. She did not know that she no longer had a father. Chapter 1 I was a little dumbfounded when I received the call from the hospital. My father-in-law, Luther Smith, had just brought my wife Meg Smith’s favorite food over. He had just left when he got into a car accident. I immediately rushed to the hospital. On the way, I kept calling Meg. She was a lawyer, and she was usually very busy. It was normal for her to ignore my calls. However, this time, it was important that she pick up the phone. Luther was in a critical condition in the hospital! I called her again, but she still did not answer. I put my phone down with a frown. Then, I rushed to the emergency room and panted as I asked the nurse. “H-How’s Luther?” The nurse sighed and said, “He’s still receiving emergency treatment, but it doesn’t look great. Please be prepared for the worst.” I was extremely anxious. I quickly gave Meg another call. She finally answered the call, but she sounded really impatient. “Easton, what are you doing? Why are you spamming me with calls? Don’t you know I’m busy?” I was about to speak when I heard a man’s voice. “Meg, please don’t go. Can you accompany me for a little longer?” Meg immediately comforted him, saying, “I’ll be here with you. I won’t go anywhere.” It had been a long time since she had used such a gentle voice to speak to me. At that moment, I felt my heart suddenly turn cold. My voice was a little hoarse. “What’s keeping you busy?” Meg clicked her tongue impatiently over the phone. Even though I could not see her expression, I could also sense her frustration. “Hugh’s mother passed away today. He’s very upset. I’m just here to help. Can you be a man and refrain from throwing a tantrum?” Hugh Reid. It was Hugh again. Hugh was Meg’s first love. He had only returned to the country a month ago, but Meg mentioned him countless times since then. Hugh was injured, and she had to go and bandage his wounds. Hugh’s cat had died, and she could not bear to see him upset, so she needed to comfort him. Meg had always said that Hugh was an independent and a bit of a male chauvinist. However, I felt that he was like a man-child who could not take care of himself. His presence was felt in every aspect of my life. Meg was spending all her free time on him. Due to that, I had fought with her many times. Initially, Meg promised not to contact Hugh anymore. However, she became increasingly impatient with me after that. In our last fight, she even said, “It’s over between him and me. Don’t overthink it. If there was still a possibility of him and me being together, do you think I’d have married you?” I felt my heart sink when I thought about that. I was just about to tell her about Luther when I heard the phone beep. Meg hung up on me! I immediately called her again. However, she did not answer any of my calls. I felt defeated. I kept calling her until she finally picked up again. I was afraid she would hang up on me again, so I quickly told her about Luther. “Dad got into a car accident! He’s in critical condition. You have to get over here! Hurry! Besides, the medical bill surpasses my card limit. Can you transfer me a hundred thousand dollars?” However, to my surprise, it was not Meg who answered the call. Hugh spoke softly, and his words made me furious. “Easton, I know you want Meg to head back now, and that’s why you’re coming up with this excuse. “But I really need her here now. After everything’s over, I’ll give her back to you, alright? “As for money… Please don’t lie to Meg again. A while ago, I heard that your father was asking you for a hundred thousand dollars so he could gamble.” Meg was beside Hugh. I heard her angry voice as she said, “Easton, you’re a compulsive liar! You’re hopeless! “It’s your father who got into the car accident. What does it have to do with me? Even if he dies, don’t dream that I’ll give you any money. Stop annoying me! Just go away!” Chapter 2 She hung up on me again. I did not expect that, just because of Hugh’s words, Meg had misunderstood that it was my father who got into the car accident. She thought that I was calling her to get my hands on her money. I was anxious and frustrated. I stood there with a thick wad of receipts in my hand as I looked at the nurse standing before the operating room. However, when I called Meg again, I realized she had blocked me. I was extremely anxious. I exhausted all contact methods, but none of them worked. She said she was busy, but why did she still have the time to block me? It was her own father who was lying in the operating room! How could she believe in Hugh’s baseless words? I suppressed my emotions so I would not embarrass myself in the crowded hospital. It was not the right time to be mad at Meg. Nothing was more important than Luther’s life. I called a few friends and managed to borrow a hundred thousand dollars. Then, I quickly went downstairs to make the payment. My back was drenched in sweat when I rushed back to the emergency room again. I clenched my fist as I stared intently at the red light on top of the operating room doors. I kept praying that Luther would be fine. Luther had always been very kind to me. He knew that I had a lot of siblings, and I was the awkward middle child. Hence, he had treated me like his own son. Even though he had been divorced for years and single-handedly raised Meg, he was not the type of father who was overbearing. On the contrary, he respected Meg and my personal space. He lived alone in a different house, and he would only visit us on the weekends. He would even bring us our favorite food. This time, he had come over because Meg had mentioned that she missed his chili. He had remembered. He had just made the chili and delivered it to our place. On the way back, he got into a car accident. Our houses were actually very close to each other; he only had to cross a small junction. I heard that the Good Samaritan who sent Luther to the hospital was a drunk driver. The drunk driver was speeding, and Luther landed a few feet away. Blood was pooling around him. When I recalled what the nurse had told me, I had a bad feeling. The doctor walked out of the operating room and shook his head at me. He sighed and said, “It was too late to save him. We tried our best. He’s still awake, but maybe… “You should go and talk to him.” Something snapped in my mind. My legs went limp as I fell onto the floor. I started crying uncontrollably. However, I had no time to waste. I struggled to my feet and went into the ward. Luther was hooked up to several tubes. A few hours ago, he was still smiling and telling me that he would bring me his tiramisu the next time. Instead, he was lying in a hospital bed with an ashen face. He forced a smile when he saw me. “Easton, you’re here. Where’s Meg?” Chapter 3 I did not know how to answer him, and I hated that Meg did not believe me. I could only force a smile. “Luther, Meg’s at work, and she can’t step away.” I did not know if Luther believed my words. His smile faded a little. He gestured for me to come closer. I scooted closer and saw tears in Luther’s eyes. “Easton, I know that Meg has done you wrong. I know about it. Recently, no matter what time I arrived at your place, Meg would not be home. How busy could she be?” He was speaking without any difficulties, and his face was a little more flushed. My heart sank. I knew it was terminal lucidity, and I felt even sadder. Luther could tell that I was upset. He patted my face with his cold hand and wiped my tears away. “After I die, no one will help you to teach Meg a lesson. Easton, you’re a good kid. You deserve to be happier. Don’t force yourself into spaces you don’t fit. Divorce her. It’s my fault. I didn’t expect her to be like her mother…” A tear slid down Luther’s cheek, and his hand faltered and dropped to the bed. I bit my lower lip, but I still could not control my sobs. “Luther!” The monitor indicated that he was flatlining. I would no longer be able to try his tiramisu. When I went to his place to pack some of his belongings, I saw a handwritten letter lying on his desk. It was addressed to me. I opened the letter. It was then that I realized that Meg’s mother had cheated on him too. Luther had a hard life. He only started to be happier when Meg found success in life. He hated disloyal people. However, he did not expect that his daughter, the person he loved the most and took care of all her life, was corrupted as well. Chapter 4 I managed Luther’s funeral with his relatives. Maybe I had cried too much because I could no longer cry at the funeral. During the funeral, some relatives asked me about Meg’s whereabouts. I no longer bothered to lie on her behalf. I told everyone that Meg was busy helping her first love. Meg’s aunt, Lydia Smith, was extremely furious. She gave Meg a call. “Meg, something happened to your dad. Where are you?” Meg stayed silent for a really long time before she asked, “Aunt Lydia, is Easton next to you?” Lydia glanced at me and answered yes. “Can you please pass the phone to him?” Lydia hesitated for a while before passing the phone to me. I frowned and wanted to hear what she had to say. I had just said hello when she started yelling at me. “Easton, how shameless are you? How dare you buy off my aunt and get her to act for you? “Your dad died. What of it? My dad treated you so well, and you’re cursing him to be the one dead instead? Why did you turn into a vicious person? You can’t even compare to Hugh at all! If my dad doesn’t object, I will definitely divorce you! “Stop calling me. Hugh is facing a serious problem. I have no time for your pitiful acting!” After she yelled at me, she hung up. Meg did not know that Lydia had put her on speaker. Every single one of her relatives and friends had heard her words. Lydia almost fainted from anger. She kept cursing Meg for being an ungrateful daughter. To them, Meg had always been the golden child. She was beautiful, smart, and had a good job. However, she was acting this way when her father died. She was basically heartless! I heard their curses and remained silent. I just quietly stared at Luther’s photo. He was smiling gently in that photo. I remembered that I took that photo of him when Meg and I had just gotten married. I remembered that after I took this photo, Luther held both Meg and my hands and told us that we had to treat each other well for the rest of our lives. He emphasized that Meg had to treat me well. He said that if Meg treated me poorly, I would need to tell him. He would teach Meg a lesson for me. That time, Meg retorted, “Dad, how can you say that! Why would I treat him poorly?” Luther muttered, “You can say that now, but you can’t guarantee the future.” None of us had expected that to come true. I was in a daze when someone suddenly asked, “Why didn’t the drunk driver show up?” Chapter 5 When I heard someone mention the drunk driver, I sneered. . That murderer had not shown his face once. When I went to the police station, I found out that his friend had bailed him out. Before they left, they only told the police that they would see us in court. I was extremely furious. I immediately asked my lawyer friend to represent Luther in this case. My friend, Phoebe Grant, was very shocked that I did not ask Meg for help. After all, Meg was one of the best lawyers in the city. If she represented Luther in court, we would definitely be able to put that drunk driver in prison. I smiled bitterly. I did not tell her that it was because I could not get through to Meg, and Meg did not believe Luther was in trouble. Hence, I simply gave an excuse. I said that Meg was bogged down by other cases. However, three days later in court, Phoebe and I bumped into Meg and Hugh. Hugh seemed very afraid. He kept very close to Meg. Meg did not push him away. Instead, she comforted him patiently. Maybe Phoebe’s and my gazes were too sharp because Meg and Hugh looked up. They were stunned when they saw Phoebe and me dressed in formal attire. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be making a scene here!” Meg frowned and looked impatient. She probably thought that I was here for her. I just glanced at her coldly before dragging Phoebe inside. Meg’s eyes widened when she saw me walking toward the door. She ran over and stopped me. “You’re the family of the scammer of a plaintiff?” She very quickly put two and two together. “So, that day when you said your father got into a car accident, you were referring to this case! Easton, you can withdraw the lawsuit now!” I glared at her. “What are you talking about? What scammer? Why would I withdraw the lawsuit?” Meg thought that she had hit me where it hurt. She was smug. “Why? Isn’t your dad a scammer? He’s very healthy, isn’t he? He must’ve wanted to get some money for your brother’s house. It’s too bad! The person he tried to scam is Hugh! “Hugh has already appointed me to be his lawyer. With me here, you won’t be able to get what you want!” I slapped her, and the loud sound rang out. I could not control my anger. She believed Hugh’s words without any hesitation again! Scammer? How dare she think that? I only felt disgusted when I looked at the face I once loved so deeply. “Meg, when did I say that the person who got into the car accident was my father? It’s been so many days. Have you even visited your father?” Meg held her hand against her cheek and looked frantic. “What are you doing? How can you hit her?” Hugh quickly rushed over and shielded Meg. “Meg, don’t believe what he said. He knows how important Luther is to you, so he’s trying to mess with you on purpose. “Didn’t you tell me that Luther only goes out on the weekends? “It was a weekday, so it must not be Luther. After this ends, I’ll accompany you to visit Luther.” Meg looked touched. When she looked at me, her eyes were extremely cold. “Easton, you’re vicious! If Hugh hadn’t stepped in to remind me, I would have believed your lies! “You were putting up an act with Aunt Lydia previously, and now, you’re still cursing my dad? “Just wait and see. I won’t let you win!” She spoke viciously, but I was not listening. All I could think of was Luther’s ashen face underneath the white cloth. I did not expect Hugh to be the drunk driver who killed Luther. I could not help but lunge at Hugh. I wrapped my hands tightly around his neck. “Easton, you’re mad!” Meg grabbed my arms and threw me onto the floor.