I lay on the bed, listening to the mother and son argue through the door.
"What exactly do you want me to do!" My mother-in-law's voice cracked between sobs and shouts. "She's a jinx! She got your dad killed, and now she's here to drag you down too!"
"Mom, can you calm down!" Derek lowered his voice. "The insurance thing still isn't done—don't make extra trouble!"
"I think you've been bewitched by her!"
"I'm doing it for the money!" He ground his teeth. "Once I get the payout, I'll be the first to send her to the afterlife!"
I closed my eyes, heart full of mockery.
Early the next morning, Derek actually took me to the mall. He picked out a gold necklace—eight thousand dollars. When it came time to pay, I watched his face twitch with pain.
"Do you like it?" He forced a smile.
"I like it." I nodded obediently. "Thank you, honey."
On the way home, I brought it up casually: "Oh right, I noticed my medicine seems a little off."
Derek's hand trembled on the steering wheel. "How so?"
"The color seems lighter." I tilted my head to look at him. "Did the doctor switch to a new one?"
"Maybe." His eyes flickered. "Did the doctor say anything?"
"No."
He let out a breath.
I knew he'd swapped my hemostatic medicine for vitamins. One more bleed, and I'd die from blood loss. Then he could take the policy and collect.
That night, Derek took a phone call. His face went ugly fast.
"What? Still need thirty thousand?" A pause. "Didn't I just pay it back last month?" Another pause. "Fine, fine, fine. I got it."
He hung up and viciously stubbed out his cigarette.
I pretended to ask casually, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He brushed it off.
"Are you short on money?" I hesitated. "How about... I ask my brother?"
Derek's eyes lit up. "Ryan? Hasn't he always been doing badly?"
"Recently he made some money in business," I said softly. "He mentioned taking me to invest—guaranteed profit, no loss."
"Invest?" Derek perked up immediately. "What kind of investment?"
"Some internal project. I don't really understand the details." I shook my head. "He said you need a large principal to get in."
"How much?"
"At least five hundred thousand to start."
A greedy light flashed in his eyes. He started pacing the room, obviously calculating.
I kept adding fuel: "He said the return rate is really high. It can double in a month."
"Double?" Derek swallowed.
"Yeah, but spots are limited." I sighed. "Too bad we don't have that kind of money."
He fell silent.
After a while, he suddenly asked, "That insurance policy—where'd you put it?"
I pretended not to catch his meaning. "In the drawer. Why?"
"Let me see."
He dug out the policy impatiently, scanning until he found the beneficiary section. Seeing his own name, the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Lexi." He turned around, his gaze complicated. "You're so good to me."
"You're my husband." I smiled sweetly. "As long as you're doing well, I'm willing to do anything."
Derek hugged me and murmured against my ear. "Lexi, you know... if—I mean if—something really happened to you..."
"Yeah?"
"This money, I'll use it well." His voice trembled slightly. "I'll invest it, make big money, and then..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
But I knew.
Then marry the woman carrying his child and live like a king.
I leaned against his chest, feeling his heart pound.
Derek Welch. You think that insurance policy is your lifeline. But you have no idea—it's the death warrant I prepared for you.
That fine print on the back? You never even glanced at it.
Condition for activation: marriage remains intact with no documented domestic violence.
And on my phone, that video of you dumping ice water on me? Already backed up three times.
