I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

I didn't argue.

Instead, I transferred the 500 bucks back to her—right there in the group chat.

Then, I snapped a photo of today's supermarket receipt: **$1,527.30**.

I hit send.

**【This pittance isn't enough to cover a fraction of today's groceries. Consider the extra $1,000 I spent as my New Year's gift to Savannah.】**

**【Since I am such a calculating person, I won't stay in the big city and ruin your family reunion.】**

**【From today on, you're on your own. Live well.】**

I dropped the phone into my pocket, walked to the bedroom, and packed.

Seven years in this house.

And everything I truly owned fit into a single suitcase.

With no high-speed rail tickets available, I headed straight for the bus station. Even if I had to transfer five times and ride through the night, I had to leave.

This house had become an ice cavern.

I was freezing to death.

I had just climbed into a taxi when my husband called again.

This time, the gentle persuasion was gone. His voice shook—not with weakness, but with fury.

"Wife, *come home*! I support you!"

"From now on, let that unfilial daughter do as she pleases!"

The outburst shocked me. Immediately, I worried about his health. "What happened? Calm down—watch your blood pressure!"

Through jagged breathing, he explained. While I was packing, Jade had suffered a complete meltdown in the group chat.

I opened WeChat.

The family group had exploded.

After I'd announced my departure, the relatives had turned on Jade.

**【Jade, how can you joke like that? Apologize to your mother immediately!】**

**【She only has you. She's given everything for you these past years—how can you call her calculating?】**

Humiliated and defensive, Jade lashed out.

**【I was just joking! If she's that small-minded, whose fault is that?】**

**【You guys don't know her like I do. She loves calculating every penny!】**

My husband couldn't take it anymore. He @-mentioned her, his text radiating anger:

**【You bastard! How dare you talk about your mother like that? Apologize!】**

Instead of backing down, Jade doubled down. She sent a voice message—shrill, disrespectful.

"Dad, you've lived apart from Mom for *seven years*. You have no right to speak! You don't know what she's like day-to-day."

"You haven't contributed to this household, so you aren't *qualified* to butt in!"

And then—the notification that made my jaw drop.