My mother-in-law treated the whole family to a lavish dinner costing thousands of dollars. Even her pet dog went. But I wasn’t invited. Watching their happy, cozy gathering on Ins, a chill ran down my spine. Without a word, I immediately canceled the supplementary credit card she held. So, when my mother-in-law went to pay—that card, which always worked without a hitch, suddenly declined. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she fretted like crazy, frantically calling me. Only to find out I’d blocked her already. Good luck cleaning up this mess without me. It was the weekend, and I’d planned a family dinner, hoping we could have a good talk and reconnect. After all, it had been ages since we’d had a proper meal together. But my mother-in-law rejected the idea without a second thought, and my wife, Chloe, didn’t seem interested either. Reluctantly, I dropped the idea. What I never expected was to wake up the next morning and find myself completely alone at home! I checked my Ins feed and it hit me: My mother-in-law was hosting a banquet for the entire family at The Golden Swan, the city’s most exclusive restaurant! In the video, relatives laughed and chatted non-stop—all our aunts, uncles, and even distant cousins I barely knew were there. Even more infuriating, my mother-in-law’s Teddy poodle actually had its own seat, munching on expensive gourmet wagyu beef. She even zoomed in, as if deliberately trying to show it off. The whole lavish feast: every single relative present, even the dog at the table. But I was the only one missing. Watching that scene unfold in the video, it was a punch to the gut, and pure rage boiled within me. I immediately called my mother-in-law, but she hung up on me the next second. I called again, but it just kept ringing, then went dead. My heart clenched. My mother-in-law had blocked me, she wouldn’t even take my call! So I called my wife, Chloe. It rang for a long time before she finally answered. Her tone was utterly impatient. “What do you want? We’re eating. Why are you calling to ruin the mood?” Her words were dripping with disgust. I clutched my phone tightly, gritting my teeth as I demanded, “Chloe, what exactly is going on here?” “Do you even consider me family? You invited everyone, but left me alone at home. What, am I that embarrassing? Am I not good enough to be seen with you?” Last night, when I wanted a family dinner, both my mother-in-law and Chloe rejected me without a thought. Now it was clear: they weren’t against a dinner; they just didn’t want to have dinner *with me*! Chloe snapped back, unapologetically, “Blake, what’s your problem? So what if we didn’t invite you to dinner? It’s not a big deal. You’re a grown man, do you really need to be so petty?” I laughed, a bitter, angry sound. *Petty?* “Chloe, you invite distant relatives I barely know, even the dog gets a seat at the table, but you leave me, your husband, alone at home—and now you blame *me* for being petty?” My voice trembled uncontrollably. “In your heart, in your mom’s eyes, what am I in this family? Am I worth less than a dog?” From the other end, I heard my mother-in-law’s sharp voice butt in, “Chloe, why bother arguing with someone so unpresentable, so lacking in class? Let him throw his fit!” Chloe’s tone grew even colder. “Blake, are you trying to cause a scene right now? Mom’s right, you just have no class. Go reflect on yourself.” With that, she hung up. I called again, only to find—she had blocked me too. In that moment, my heart felt like it was being ripped out, as if the entire world had gone silent. This was the wife I’d loved for three years, the one I’d given my all for. This was the “family” I’d fought so hard to keep, yet they always treated me like a stranger. Honestly, this wasn’t the first time. In this family, I always felt like an outsider, always deliberately excluded from any family activity. I still remember Chloe’s birthday last year. We had a joyful party for her. After the party, my mother-in-law posted photos on the family chat and Ins: “Here’s our family photo,” the caption read, “Wishing my precious daughter a happy birthday. May our family always be happy.” In the photo, my wife, linked arms with my mother-in-law and her uncle, was beaming. All the relatives surrounded her, making her the center of attention. But my figure was nowhere to be seen. My mother-in-law had precisely cropped me out, leaving just a blurry half-leg awkwardly visible in the picture. If she hadn’t been afraid of cutting off other relatives’ limbs, I probably wouldn’t even have had the privilege of that half-leg. And there were countless other messy, infuriating incidents, each one leaving me with a profound sense of coldness. Just then, I saw my mother-in-law’s Ins feed update. Seeing the content, my eyes widened in disbelief.
On her Ins feed, my mother-in-law posted a video. The lavish banquet table was merely background; most of the camera’s focus was on my wife. She was smiling brightly, then deliberately adopted a humble look when facing the camera. The most infuriating part was the caption: “This extravagant dinner today is all thanks to my wonderful daughter!” “She even gave me a card, telling me I can use it whenever I want.” At the end of the video, my mother-in-law held up a golden credit card, boasting: “Having a daughter is just so much more thoughtful than a son. She’s so capable, provides for the whole family, makes good money, and is so filial.” At this, my heart plummeted, a cold dread washing over me. I knew that credit card all too well. It was my supplementary card, always in my mother-in-law’s possession. Her husband had divorced her years ago, and my wife was raised solely by her. Knowing her struggles, I always tried to be understanding. Not only did I welcome her to live with us, but I treated her like my own mother. When Chloe even suggested that I get my mother-in-law a supplementary card, I agreed without hesitation. For years, she had been using my card for her daily expenses: buying clothes, treating friends to dinner, even occasionally buying luxury items. Sometimes, when she spent excessively, I’d feel uneasy. But for the sake of peace in the family, and to avoid putting Chloe in an awkward position, I chose to remain silent time and again, telling myself, “It’s fine, we’re all family.” And to cover my mother-in-law’s spending, I lived frugally: cheap takeout for lunch, discount clothes from big-box stores… But I never imagined she could be so shameless—the sheer audacity to twist years of my silent sacrifice into her daughter’s triumph! Just to feed her pathetic ego in front of the family! Below the video, there was a deluge of likes and sycophantic comments. My mother-in-law replied to each one. And whenever anyone asked about me, Brenda would just dismiss it: “Oh, don’t even get me started on that loser. My daughter is the one holding everything together.” I could almost see her smug, beaming face as she read the comments. Every compliment felt like a slap across my face. In that moment, my heart wasn’t just cold; it was utterly frozen, and my eyes were finally open. “Fine,” I sneered, staring at that triumphant face on the screen. “Since you think this is all your daughter’s achievement…” I picked up my phone, opening my banking app without hesitation. “Then I’ll show you who the real owner of this card is.” My finger tapped, and I immediately canceled that supplementary credit card. The moment I canceled it, I felt a heavy weight lift from my shoulders, a sense of relief I’d never experienced before. “I can’t wait to see how you’ll clean up this mess without that card!” And let all those relatives see what kind of faces they make when my mother-in-law, without her personal ATM, finally shows her true colors! Meanwhile, at The Golden Swan. The relatives had pretty much finished eating, slumped in their chairs with satisfied expressions. Several untouched expensive dishes still sat on the table, and even Teddy’s special little seat had a couple of untouched pieces of that gourmet wagyu. “Chloe is truly amazing, so capable.” “She really is. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be enjoying such a grand meal.” … My mother-in-law mumbled, “Oh, it’s nothing,” but her face was beaming, soaking up all the praise. She was so proud of her precious daughter. Feeling on top of the world, she grandly waved over a server, announcing loudly: “Don’t worry, whenever we have time, we’ll come out and eat! With my daughter around, money is no object!” Hearing this, the relatives chimed in, surrounding her like she was royalty: “Then we’ll all be benefiting from Chloe’s success from now on!” “Exactly! Chloe is so capable, Brenda, you just sit back and enjoy the good life!” Amidst the relatives’ cheers, my mother-in-law, full of spirit, raised her hand and called out to the server: “Server, check please!” The server brought the bill. “Hello, your total is twenty-five thousand seven hundred dollars. How would you like to pay?” My mother-in-law calmly presented the golden credit card, with the practiced ease of someone who did this all the time. The server respectfully took the card, but a moment later returned with a troubled expression: “I’m sorry, this card… it can’t be used.” My mother-in-law’s smile instantly froze, her earlier triumph completely gone. The relatives noticed something was off, all casting questioning glances. Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, my mother-in-law’s face flushed from red to pale, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead.
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