Rebirth: Exposing a Cheating Daughter-in-Law and an Ungrateful Son

I could hear the unease in Ruby’s tone, so I played along, feigning curiosity. “What’s wrong, Ruby?”

She stammered, “Oh, uh… the dog made a mess. There’s fur everywhere. I need to clean it up first.”

I didn’t respond right away, and just as Ruby assumed I’d agree, I replied in a warm, motherly tone. “Oh, is that all? Don’t worry! I’ll come back and help you clean up.”

Ruby was clearly stunned. She knew I disliked having dogs running loose in the house, which was why she’d used that excuse. She obviously hadn’t expected me to respond like that. After a brief pause, she tried again to convince me.

“Mom, it’s just a small thing. I’ll handle it myself. You don’t need to see the mess—it’ll just stress you out.”

But I didn’t budge. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all! And besides, today’s your wedding anniversary with Herman. I need to get back and start cooking dinner. I’ll grab a cab and be home soon.”

“Mom! I told you not to come back yet—just stay out for now! Who cares about the anniversary?” Ruby was so flustered she sounded like she might cry.

I could also hear David muttering insults about me under his breath, calling me a meddling old hag. But I didn’t care one bit.

Hearing how desperate Ruby was for me not to return made me inwardly chuckle. Keeping my tone sweet, I said, “What nonsense! I could never neglect my wonderful daughter-in-law!”

With that, I grabbed my groceries and hailed a cab.

The moment Ruby heard the sound of the taxi, she completely broke down. Her voice choked with tears as she pleaded, “Mom, something happened at home. Please, please don’t come back!”

I pretended to be alarmed. “What happened, Ruby? Don’t be afraid—just tell me, and I’ll handle it!”

Ruby took a deep breath, as if searching for an excuse, and finally said, “Mom, there was a gas leak. It caused a fire! You can’t come home—find somewhere safe to stay!”

Hearing that, I immediately put on a show of panic. “What? A fire? I’ll call the fire department right now!”

I told the taxi driver to speed up, making sure Ruby could hear it before hanging up. Of course, I didn’t actually call 911—I knew she was lying. The mention of the fire was just to scare her.

However, I did call Herman. In a frantic tone, I told him there was a fire at home and that Ruby was trapped inside.

Herman was beside himself. His voice trembled with fear and anger as he shouted, “Mom, how could you leave Ruby alone in the house? What if something happens to her? How will I live with myself?”

He didn’t stop there. “It’s probably your fault! You must’ve left the gas on before you went out! How could you be so careless? Or did you do it on purpose to hurt Ruby?”

With that, I heard the sharp slam of his computer shutting down, and he rushed out, frantic to get home.

Listening to Herman’s accusations felt like ice piercing my heart. The son I had raised on my own, sacrificing everything for him, actually believed I could be a malicious killer.