She gave her orders as if I were born to serve them.
“Sure.”
I didn’t argue, just went out obediently.
At dinner, the Carter family feasted, grease running down their chins, laughing merrily.
“Having a daughter-in-law at home is the best! From now on, Emily can cook us gourmet meals every day!”
“That’s what real life should be like!”
I listened quietly to their chatter and took out a bank card from my purse, placing it gently on the table.
“Dad, Mom, Daniel.”
My tone was soft.
“This card contains all of Daniel’s savings from his years of work—two million in total. Since I won’t be working anymore, please use it for the household expenses.”
In my past life, this card was snatched from my purse and squandered recklessly.
This time, I offered it myself.
My mother-in-law’s eyes lit up instantly, her voice trembling with excitement.
“Oh Emily! You’re so considerate! I knew I raised you well!”
Daniel also looked touched.
“Sweetheart, you’re too good to me.”
Life after resignation, in their words, was “comfortable.”
My mother-in-law kept saying women should be full-time housewives—just a little housework, the rest of the time eating, drinking, and enjoying life.
I strictly followed her words. I slept until I naturally woke, ordered five-star hotel takeout when I didn’t want to cook.
When she asked me to mop the floor, I simply called a housekeeper.
Her face turned dark immediately.
But I threw her own words back at her.
“Mom, are you saying I shouldn’t live this way? Then maybe I should go back to work.”
She was forced to pull an awkward smile.
Soon, my dressing table was filled with luxury skincare products.
Unable to hold back, she pointed at the bottles and jars, demanding:
“Emily! You don’t work anymore, yet you spend so lavishly? Can these things feed us?”
I looked up at her with a smile.
“Mom, you’re the one who told me a woman should treat herself well.”
I picked up the most expensive cream and applied it to my face.
“Besides, haven’t you been using this too? I saw how great it worked on you, so I bought some for myself.”
She was speechless, only managing a furious glare before slamming the door on her way out.
I met friends for spa days and shopping trips, never coming home before the mall closed.
At night, I walked in with arms full of shopping bags.
“Dad, Mom, Daniel, I bought clothes for you all.”
Those clothes cost less than a thousand in total.
But in another elegant bag was my new handbag—worth over fifty thousand.
My mother-in-law finally lost her temper, leaping up from the couch and pointing at my nose.
“Emily! You don’t earn a cent now, and you’re spending our Carter family’s money! Do you even know how to behave as a daughter-in-law?”
I ignored her and turned to Daniel, looking pitiful.
“Daniel, Mom scolded me again…”
I pouted, eyes brimming with tears.
“Didn’t you say you’d support me? Or… are you saying you can’t afford me anymore?”
One line nearly exposed his entire lie.
“I—I can! Sweetheart, what Mom means is… we need to be more cost-effective when shopping.”
Watching him stubbornly deny it, I sneered inwardly.
His monthly salary was barely eight thousand, not enough even to cover his parents’ daily expenses, let alone to support me.
The family’s luxurious life these past years had been entirely sustained by my income.
