I spread my hands, my expression saying it all—I didn't do anything.
Why was I the one being blamed?
But in their eyes, I was already the villain.
Ruth cowered behind Ray, trembling as she stared at me.
He shielded her with his body and said to me, "Go back. Leave. Now."
Outside, the sky hung low and heavy. Snow fell in thick, relentless sheets. The brutal cold had already caused disasters across the region.
I pulled up the weather app on my phone and held it up. "It's negative twenty-two out there. You want me to leave?"
"Tomorrow is New Year's Day. I've spent every holiday here for years. You're really kicking me out now?"
Ruth's face went pale. She let out a soft whimper, clutching her stomach.
"I don't feel well," she murmured, her voice thin and pitiful.
My in-laws rushed to her side, faces creased with worry.
"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"
"My stomach... I feel awful. I'm scared."
As she spoke, her frightened gaze fixed on me, her voice quivering.
My mother-in-law abandoned all pretense. She turned and murmured something to Ray.
He strode toward me, hostility radiating off him.
"Leave. There's nothing for you here. You're just making everyone miserable."
I froze. He was actually throwing me out.
My throat burned. I tilted my head back and laughed. "And if I don't?"
"This is my home too. Your parents are my parents too. You're my husband. What gives you the right to kick me out?"
Ray's jaw tightened. He raked a hand through his hair, as if steeling himself.
"Everything you said is true. But you make people uncomfortable. So you have to go."
His tone was iron. Absolute. No room for argument.
It felt like a nightmare—but the ache in my chest told me it was all too real.
I couldn't stop my voice from shaking. "You mean it?"
I rose to my feet, my eyes locked on his.
Ray hesitated for three seconds. Then his resolve hardened. "I mean it. Every word."
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. I swiped it away.
My hands clenched into fists at my sides. I gave myself a moment to breathe.
Then I spoke, my voice steady. "Fine. If you've already chosen someone else, I won't stay where I'm not wanted."
"But we're settling this today. A verbal agreement, recorded. Marital assets split fifty-fifty."
"Ray, you agree to that, and I'll walk out that door."
Love couldn't be held onto by force. But the money? That I would fight for.