Wife threatens mother

My wife's old flame committed a crime.

To keep him safe, she threatened my mom, demanding I take the fall.

"If I refuse to donate bone marrow to your mom, she might not make it through today!"

I was cornered. I had no choice but to agree, resentment burning deep.

I suffered in prison, counting the days until my release. When I finally got out, I found my mom had passed away.

My heart shattered, I handed her the divorce papers.

My wife was baffled: "All this over you taking the blame?"

"If it weren't for me giving you the chance to take the fall, you and your mother wouldn’t have had any more time together, would you?"

1.

Nobody came to pick me up on the day I was released.

I stood at the prison gates, soaking wet from a downpour. Fat drops of rain hammered me as I fumbled with my outdated cell phone. I tapped into Sarah’s social media page. She'd posted an update an hour ago.

The caption read: "So glad to have you by my side!"

The photo showed a tropical beach, and in the distance, I could see a figure in a black shirt.

I knew instantly it was Jake, Sarah's golden boy.

She had completely forgotten about my release date, and about why I'd been locked up in the first place: to protect Jake. Now, she was off on some beach vacation with him.

A cold emptiness settled over me.

Even one of the guards took pity on me, offering me an umbrella. "Nobody coming to get you?" he asked.

I forced a bitter smile. "I guess not. My mom, she didn’t make it.”

It took me two painful hours to walk into town. My heels were raw, with huge blisters forming with each step.

By the time I reached our old house, the sun had already set.

I noticed a spiderweb across the front door, a bad feeling growing inside me.

I practically kicked the door open.

The lock was rusted and useless, falling to the ground with a clatter. Trembling, I rushed through the overgrown yard, pushing open the living room door.

My blood ran cold when I saw it: A black-framed photo of my mom sitting on the table, a memorial photo.

How could this be?

Sarah had promised she would take care of my mom. Why...?

My face turned pale. My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and dialed Sarah's number.

She answered, and the sound of loud music blasted through the speaker.

Sarah sounded annoyed: "You're out?" There was even a hint of disgust in her tone.

My voice was tight, every word deliberate. "Where’s Mom?"

"Your mom?" Sarah scoffed. "Why are you asking me? Why don’t you go check on her yourself?"

She sounded casual, as if it was nothing at all.

I clutched my mom’s picture, tears welling up.

My voice was hoarse as I spoke again. "Sarah, do you even know? My mom…she's dead."

The music on the other end faded, a slight pause.

Sarah, I realized, had probably moved to a quieter spot.

2.

My marriage with Sarah had been a sham for years.

Everyone thought I'd won the lottery when I married Sarah. She was the "It Girl" back in college, beautiful and from a good family. Every guy wanted her.

But she was with Jake bac...