I give my mother $25,000 a month to take care of my wife after she gives birth. But when I came home unexpectedly early, I found her secretly eating a bowl of spoiled rice mixed with fish heads and bones. What happened next was even more terrifying…

And when I looked inside…

My heart nearly stopped.

It wasn’t real food.

Maybe the baby had finally fallen asleep. My mother was probably out walking or chatting with neighbors, like she usually did in the mornings.

I stepped inside quietly, set the milk on the table, and headed to the kitchen to warm something up for my wife.

It was old, yellowed rice mixed with dried fish heads and sharp bones—something you wouldn’t serve to anyone.

My whole body went cold.

I had been sending my mother money every month.

So why… was my wife eating this?

The silence in the kitchen felt suffocating.

I looked at the bowl again, then back at Lily.

“What is this…?” I asked quietly.

She said nothing.

Her hands trembled.