The Cost of Blind Trust

My husband, Nathan Carter, had taken an interest in a young woman he'd been sponsoring through school. He hired her as our housekeeper with a generous salary. From that day on, my monthly allowance dropped from 120,000 dollars to just 120 dollars. She had to approve every expense for our household of more than a dozen people. Even the cook couldn't buy an extra bag of salt without getting her permission first. Furious, I went to Nathan to complain. He only smiled, looking completely unconcerned. "I like how careful she is with money. Don't you think it's cute?" Later, Nathan's mother accidentally fell from an upstairs balcony. She needed emergency surgery that would cost 30,000 dollars. I immediately called Nathan. "Your mom fell from upstairs. She needs surgery, and it costs 30,000. Hurry and have someone bring the money to the hospital." A mocking laugh came from the other end of the line. It wasn't Nathan. "A fall like that would only cause a few broken bones. Why would it cost 30,000? Ms. Smith has always been reckless with money. She has no idea how hard Mr. Carter works to earn it. If you won't help him save money, I will!" Chapter 1 After hanging up the phone, I received a transfer of 3,000 dollars. My mother-in-law, Natalie Langley, died on the operating table because there wasn't enough money for her treatment. Later, the doctor handed us the paperwork to release the body. Nathan Carter stood in front of me with Layla Brown in his arms. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she looked overwhelmed with guilt. He tried to persuade me. "Layla was only trying to help me save money. There's nothing wrong with being frugal. Your mother was already in poor health. Maybe this is a relief for her. Please, don't blame Layla. Just sign the papers." I let out a cold laugh and pushed the paperwork back. "You're her immediate family member, and you're standing right here. If someone needs to sign, it should be you. It has nothing to do with me." Nathan looked like he thought I was throwing a tantrum. He frowned, his patience wearing thin. "So that's what this is? You're determined to make things difficult for Layla? I already told you she didn't do it on purpose. Why can't you let it go? We're in a hospital. Everyone is watching. Layla is young and sensitive. Don't you think you've gone far enough?" When Layla heard that, it was as if she had finally found someone to protect her. Tears immediately filled her eyes. She slowly pulled herself out of Nathan's arms and looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Mr. Carter, don't argue with Ms. Smith because of me. She just lost someone important. I understand why she's angry at me. I really don't blame her. But… Please believe me. I truly didn't do it on purpose. I once fell from upstairs and fractured my arm, too. My family was poor back then, and I couldn't even afford to go to the hospital. After a few days, my arm healed on its own. "I never imagined Ms. Smith's mother would be so... I thought 3,000 dollars would be more than enough. I'm sorry. I really didn't think things would turn out this way..." Seeing her like this, Nathan immediately softened. He pulled her back into his arms. When he looked at me, the blame in his eyes was obvious. "Olivia, things have already come to this. Do you really want to push Layla to her breaking point? Honestly, your mother's death is your fault too. If you hadn't spent money so carelessly before, Layla wouldn't have needed to freeze your bank cards to help me save money. You're the one who should be reflecting on your actions. "Layla did this for your own good. Besides, your mother was suffering from illness for years. Maybe today gave her the chance to finally be free from all that pain. You should be happy for her. Layla made sure your mother never has to suffer again. Shouldn't you be thanking her?" I stared at him in disbelief. I never imagined he would say something like that. Because of Layla, a person had been left in pain until they died on the operating table. And now, I was supposed to turn around and thank her? I could honestly say that in all my twenty-something years of life, I had never heard anything more ridiculous. The only reason Nathan could say something so heartless was that he thought the person who died today was my mother, Selena Hart. I wondered if he would still be this calm and indifferent after he learned the truth. I looked at him with a mocking smile and said quietly, "It's not that I don't want to sign. I simply can't. Why don't you do it instead?" As I spoke, I held out the pen in my hand and offered it to him. Seeing that, Nathan finally lost his patience. He slapped the pen out of my hand. "The person who died is your mother, not mine. I'm not her son. Whether you sign or not is your choice." Even though my feelings for Nathan had changed after he brought Layla into our home, I was still hurt by the coldness and cruelty in his eyes. Suddenly, I remembered the day I married him. I had cried so hard because I couldn't bear to leave my parents. Nathan had held me in his arms and comforted me over and over again. "Olivia, from now on, your parents are my parents too. They won't lose a daughter just because you married me. Instead, starting today, they'll have another son to take care of them." The memory was still so clear, but everything had changed. The man who once loved me and put me first had given all of that love and attention to Layla. And I had become someone who no longer mattered. I forced myself to swallow the pain in my chest. My hands trembled as I picked up the pen from the floor. I looked at him and smiled bitterly. "Nathan, her body is lying in the operating room right behind you. Why don't you go inside and take one look at her before deciding whether you'll sign it or not?" Chapter 2 When I said that, Nathan instinctively turned around and looked toward the operating room behind him. He was about to walk inside when Layla suddenly grabbed his arm. "Mr. Carter, you're Ms. Smith's husband, after all. Since she wants you to sign for her, you should just do it. At the end of the day, Ms. Smith probably just wants you to pay more attention to her." Hearing Layla's words, Nathan stopped. Then he turned back and gave me a knowing smile. My eyes followed his every move. The next second, Nathan picked up the document and brought it in front of him. If he had just looked a little more carefully, he would have noticed whose name was written on it. Unfortunately, all of his attention was focused on Layla, who was still crying beside him. He didn't even spare the paper a proper glance. Without reading it, he signed his name directly on it. I was still standing there in a daze when Nathan let out a quiet sigh. "She's already gone. Don't be too upset. At least I'm still here with you, aren't I?" His words almost made me laugh. He said it like I was desperate to have him by my side. I didn't respond. I simply turned around and walked away. Natalie had treated me well when she was alive. Now that she had died in such a tragic way, I wanted to make sure she could be laid to rest as soon as possible. Just as I was about to make arrangements for her body, I unexpectedly ran into Nathan and Layla again. For some reason, Nathan looked a little guilty. He cleared his throat before finally explaining why he had come to find me. "Olivia, Layla feels incredibly guilty about your mother's death. She wants to do something for your mother one last time." I looked at him and waited for him to continue. "Layla's school's anatomy lab happens to need a body specimen for her senior students to conduct experiments. She means well. She just wants to do everything she can to give your mother some value after her passing. The body will be taken away soon. Olivia, go say goodbye to your mother." For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. Seeing that I was still frozen in shock, Layla stood there with red-rimmed eyes and spoke softly. "Ms. Smith, Mr. Carter told me that your mother was always a kind person when she was alive. Now that she passed away because of me, I want to do whatever I can to let her continue doing good even after death. "Donating her body to science and contributing to society is a good thing. I believe your mother would have agreed if she were still alive. It's better to make use of her body than to let it decay and go to waste. Ms. Smith, is that okay?" Her words hit me so hard that I couldn't think straight. However, I finally came back to my senses. "No. Absolutely not. I will never agree to this." People from the older generation cared deeply about being laid to rest after death. Donating a body for experiments was something Natalie would never have wanted. Seeing how firm I was, both of them froze. Nathan looked at me helplessly and spoke in a gentle voice. "Olivia, stop being difficult. Your mother's death has become a burden on Layla's heart. She finally came up with a way to make things right. If you refuse, she'll carry this guilt for the rest of her life. Do you really want that?" As he spoke, he took out a credit card and placed it in front of me. "Freezing your bank accounts was my mistake. You're still the lady of the Carter family, after all. There's one million dollars in this card. As long as you agree to donate your mother's body, the money is yours. Be reasonable, okay?" I picked up the card and smiled. "Of course." Chapter 3 Back then, when Nathan stopped my credit cards because of Layla and only gave me 120 dollars a month as spending money, our whole circle found out about it. For a while, I became the biggest joke among them. Furious, I went to confront Nathan, but Layla immediately burst into tears. "People are starving while others waste food and money. If the money Ms. Smith casually spends could be donated to children in remote areas, maybe they wouldn't have to struggle the way I did when I was young. "Mr. Carter, seeing Ms. Smith spend money so carelessly hurts me. My heart feels like it's being torn apart! I only wanted to help her save some money. I didn't mean anything else. If you think I've overstepped my place, then I'll leave." The moment Nathan heard that, he grabbed her hand and immediately turned his anger toward me. "Olivia, Layla is right. You really have been spending too much money. All these years, I've spoiled you too much. Starting today, you should learn from Layla how to manage a household properly and live more frugally." The look in Nathan's eyes when he looked at Layla left me standing there in shock. My tears fell uncontrollably. That was the first time Nathan's heart had truly started to lean toward Layla. It was also the first step toward the end of our marriage. I knew it clearly. The man who once loved me more than anything, the man who promised he would spend the rest of his life treating me well, was about to disappear. And today, he was finally gone for good. My thoughts returned to the present. I stared at Nathan without saying a word. He clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily. For a moment, he stood there frozen. I took the body donation agreement from his hand and forced down the bitterness in my heart. "But you still need to be the one to sign this." If he didn't care about his own mother, why should I keep interfering? I had already done everything I could. I only hoped that when Nathan learned the truth, he wouldn't lose his mind from regret. Nathan agreed without hesitation. Watching him carefully hold Layla as he walked away, I finally couldn't hold back my tears. If he could go this far for Layla, then the love and bond we had shared for five years had come to an end today. I called my lawyer. "Please prepare a divorce agreement. I want a divorce from Nathan." - Around midnight, I was woken up by the notification sound from my phone. Layla had sent me a three-hour-long video. Right after that, she sent a voice message. [Ms. Smith, Natalie has finally found a way to make her life meaningful. I hope after watching this video, you'll feel comforted for her.] I opened the video. The next second, I started gagging uncontrollably. In the video, Natalie's body had already been completely dissected. Several people in white coats were holding different parts of her body and handling them carelessly. Their movements were clumsy, almost as if they didn't even know how to use the surgical tools properly. The scene was so cruel that I couldn't bear to watch. I had never studied medicine, but I wasn't stupid. This wasn't an experiment. It was clearly the abuse of a dead body. I threw up until there was nothing left in my stomach. In the end, I immediately forwarded the video to Nathan. Then, I typed a message. [Your mother worked hard to raise you. If you still have even a little bit of conscience, make sure she gets a proper burial as soon as possible.] Chapter 4 Nathan didn't reply. The next morning, he finally called me. The moment I answered, I could hear the anger he was trying to suppress in his voice. "Olivia, what did you mean by that message you sent? Mom's perfectly fine at home! Why would you curse her like that? She has treated you so well all these years. How can you be so heartless?" "How do you know she's fine at home?" I immediately asked. "What, did you go back and check on her?" There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Nathan scoffed. "Layla had a fever last night. I stayed at the hospital to take care of her. Anyway, Mom would never be in trouble. If you keep saying ridiculous things, I'll lose my patience with you!" Before I could say another word, he hung up. I sat there holding my phone, completely stunned. A moment later, Nathan sent me another message. [I've already had your mother's body sent to the crematorium. When you have time, go pick up her ashes.] - When I walked out of the crematorium holding Natalie's ashes, I ran into Nathan and Layla by the lake. They had just left the hospital. Nathan looked upset. He was probably still angry about the message I sent him last night. "Maybe we shouldn't hold a funeral. Those fancy ceremonies are just for the living, anyway. Layla said they're a disturbance to the dead and a waste of resources. I think she has a point. What do you think?" I let out a cold laugh. Of course. It was Layla's idea again. "I don't have an opinion. Do whatever you want." After all, it wasn't my mother who died. Hearing that, Nathan's expression softened slightly. As if he suddenly remembered something, he stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. His voice was surprisingly gentle. "That's better, Olivia. Be reasonable, and I won't treat you badly. I know you're hurting because of your mother, but death is something we can't change. You have to keep moving forward, don't you? Come on. Don't be angry with me anymore. Have you thought about where you're going to bury your mother?" Before I could say anything, Layla quickly spoke up. "I think this place is actually pretty good. It's peaceful, and the scenery is beautiful. Why don't we just bury your mother here?" I frowned. A bad feeling immediately rose in my chest. "There isn't even a cemetery here. How are we supposed to bury her?" Layla looked at me calmly. "Ms. Smith, who said someone has to be buried in a cemetery? Isn't there a river right behind you?" I understood what she meant almost instantly. A wave of anger rushed through me. My voice turned cold. "Are you crazy? Don't think I don't know what you're really trying to do!" Layla's eyes immediately turned red. She looked hurt as she grabbed onto Nathan's sleeve. "Mr. Carter, I was only trying to help. How could Ms. Smith say something like that about me? I just feel sorry for you. Ms. Smith's mother has been sick for so many years, and you've already done enough for her. If you buy a cemetery plot, that's another huge expense. "If that money could be donated to charity, it could help so many people. There's nothing wrong with a water burial. Mr. Carter, don't you think?" Nathan hesitated. There was a struggle in his eyes. Layla continued softly. "If you think it's inappropriate, then just pretend I never said anything. I'm sorry. I'm only a servant in the Carter family. I should have remembered my place." Seeing her like that, Nathan immediately felt sorry for her. "What are you talking about? You're not my servant." Then he turned to me. "What are you still standing there for? Do what Layla suggested." I was completely stunned. I didn't even have time to care about the pain spreading through my chest. The words came out before I could stop them. "Nathan, are you even human? That's your own mother! Are you really going to treat her like this? You're a billionaire CEO. You can't even bring yourself to buy your own mother a burial plot? Aren't you afraid people will criticize you for this?" Nathan froze. A flash of pain crossed his eyes. However, Layla immediately stepped in. "Mr. Carter, don't blame Ms. Smith. She only said that because she's worried about her mother. She didn't mean it." Just as expected, the pain in Nathan's eyes was quickly replaced by overwhelming anger. As if he had finally reached his limit, he stepped forward and snatched the urn from my hands. Without saying a word, he opened the lid and poured the ashes into the river. The ashes scattered and disappeared into the flowing water. "Olivia, I warned you that if you keep talking nonsense, I'll lose my patience. Do you see this? This is what happens when you refuse to listen!" I stared at him in disbelief. My emotions were a complete mess, and for a long time, I couldn't say a single word. Before I could react, Nathan's phone rang. It was his father, Edward Carter. "Your mother's dead, and I'm only finding out now? If the doctor hadn't called me, I'd still have no idea what happened! You disgraceful son! You actually let her die on the operating table just to save 30,000 dollars!"