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…

She closed her eyes.

“Your mom says after giving birth, I shouldn’t eat too much. She says if I eat well, my milk will be ‘too strong’ for the baby.”

My mind went blank.

“So she keeps the good food,” Lily continued softly. “She says it’s for you because you work hard… and for herself because she’s older.”

My throat tightened.

“And you?”

She pointed at the bowl.

“Sometimes… I get the leftovers.”

I stared at it again.

The bones.

The scraps.

And suddenly, I remembered every phone call.

“Your wife is doing great. She eats well. She’s resting.”

A chill ran through me.

“How long?” I asked.

She hesitated. “Since I came home from the hospital.”

One month.

An entire month.

A month I believed she was being cared for.

A month my mother took my money.

A month my wife ate… scraps.

I clenched my fists.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”