She Saved a Stray Dog With the Antivenom

What my wife, Stella, did completely shattered my understanding of human decency.

At the time, she mistakenly thought I was lying about her mother being bitten by a venomous snake and clinging to life. As a result, she literally stood by and watched her favorite male student inject the only vial of universal antivenom into a stray dog.

Worse still, she stood there viciously cursing her own mother, wishing death upon her.

Seeing her true colors, I simply replied to her message with a single word. Pathetic.

I immediately turned around and uploaded the audio recording of our conversation, along with screenshots of that male student boasting about the dog on his social media, straight to the university's public message board.

I even had the perfect title ready. Risking Her Own Mother's Life to Save a Stray Dog. Is This Our University's 'Daughter of the Year'?

She loved to gloat, didn't she? Well, she could just wait. Once the tidal wave of public outrage drowned her, I wanted to see if she could still smile.

In less than ten minutes, the comments under the forum post had surpassed a thousand.

Stella was a highly respected professor at the university. Now that she had committed such an unforgivable and twisted act, the university board was furious. Rumors were already circulating that they were going to strip her of her position.

Furious, she bombarded me with over a dozen voice messages, ordering me to delete the post.

"My mother has always been in poor health. If the snake venom had really reached her heart, she wouldn't have survived long enough for me to get the serum to her anyway. Rather than wasting it, it's better to help a poor animal!"

I let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh.

"The person bitten by that snake is your own mother! Get your ass to the ER right now!"

The other end of the line was dead silent for a second. Then, the cursing began.

"Do you think I'm an idiot, Arthur?" "My mom has bad knees. She would never go hiking in a state park." "Besides, if she was really hurt, wouldn't she have called me herself?"

If my mother-in-law could have reached her, she wouldn't have had to call me as her last resort.

Just then, the red light above the resuscitation room behind me flicked off. The attending doctor walked out, shaking his head with a look of deep regret.

"The venom has spread entirely. The patient is experiencing multiple organ failure. You should go in and say your final goodbyes."

I immediately sent Stella a video call request. I pointed the camera directly at the sterile hospital bed.

When the call connected, the screen didn't show Stella. It showed Felix's face.

"Arthur, there is something I'm really curious about. Silver Peak is a highly regulated state park. How could there be venomous snakes there? Are you just making this up to steal the formula for the universal antivenom?"

"I am not!"

Stella scoffed coldly from somewhere off-camera. "No wonder you've been so obsessed with the progress of the antivenom lately. Now you're cursing my mother to death just to get your hands on my finished samples?" "You are absolutely shameless, Arthur!"

A second later, she snatched the phone and terminated the video call.

I laughed out of pure anger. Just as I was about to dial back, my mother-in-law's trembling hand gripped my wrist.

Her eyes were unfocused, darting around the empty room. "Is it Stella? Why isn't she here yet?"

I knew Martha had been holding on by a thread solely to see her daughter one last time. But the person she was waiting for was never going to show up.

I stayed silent for a long moment before my voice broke. "Traffic is really bad. She's almost here. Just hold on a little longer, Martha."

Her pale lips quivered. She clearly had something left to say. I leaned in close and caught her raspy, choked whispers.

"Arthur, I failed at raising my daughter. I am so sorry for what she put you through. Please, don't give up on her."

I didn't say a word.

Last month, at Martha's sixtieth birthday dinner, Stella had brazenly brought Felix along. Right at the dining table, in front of our entire family, she had hand-peeled shrimp and fed them to him. I demanded a divorce right then and there. The shock and humiliation triggered a mild heart attack for Martha.

The ordeal only ended when Stella swore to me that she would cut off all contact with Felix. But from that day on, she stopped coming home. Not long after, using her research project as an excuse, she started sleeping around with him again.

That was exactly why Martha had traveled up the mountain. She had gone to an old chapel at the peak of Silver Peak to pray for our crumbling marriage. She had no wilderness experience. When she was bitten, she didn't even know if the snake was venomous until the toxins rapidly spread through her bloodstream, leaving her on the brink of death.

The only thing that could save her was a dose of broad-spectrum universal antivenom. Coincidentally, the latest breakthrough at Stella's research institute was exactly that.

I had called her the absolute second I found out. She had sworn up and down that she would deliver it in time. Yet, it still ended like this.

I couldn't even describe the twisted knot of grief and rage in my chest. Meeting Martha's desperate, hopeful gaze, I finally let out a heavy sigh.

"I will take good care of her for you. I promise."

Stella blocked me on every single platform. But someone had to handle Martha's funeral arrangements.

I had no choice but to go to the city clerk's office to get the necessary next-of-kin paperwork. The clerk behind the glass looked at my ID, frowned, and pushed the documents back to me.

"Sir, our system shows that your marital status is single." "You must have a power of attorney signed by the deceased's immediate legal family member before we can process anything for you."

I froze.

Three years ago, Stella and I went to City Hall together. I literally watched the clerk stamp the official seal onto our marriage certificate. How on earth could I be single?

"There must be a glitch in the system. Here is our marriage certificate. Could you please run the names again?"

The clerk typed a few things into her keyboard and turned the monitor toward me. "Stella's legal husband is named Felix." "The state database doesn't make mistakes like this. As for how this happened, I really couldn't tell you."

I stared blankly at the timeline on the screen. The date of their marriage registration was last October.

A memory suddenly clicked into place. Around that time, Stella told me her institute had taken on a highly classified government project. As her spouse, she claimed I needed to sign a strict non-disclosure agreement. She had rushed me so aggressively that I signed the paperwork without reading the fine print.

Looking back now, the problem was definitely hidden inside that stack of papers. What an incredible bait-and-switch. No wonder she didn't look panicked at all when I demanded a divorce at the family dinner last month.

Stepping out of City Hall, I received a call from the hospital morgue. They were asking when Martha's body would be transferred for cremation.

Martha's dying pleas echoed in my ears. She had begged me to believe that Stella was just being manipulated, that she had simply taken a wrong turn in life, and begged me not to blame her. But legally, I was a complete stranger. I had absolutely no right to offer forgiveness, let alone plan a funeral.

"I am sorry," I said calmly into the phone. "I am not Martha's legal family. I don't have the authority to make those decisions." "Furthermore, her daughter hasn't even seen her one last time. Please transport the body directly to the university campus to find her daughter."

I hung up and took a cab back to my house. But the moment I unlocked the front door, I saw Felix pinning a half-undressed Stella against my living room sofa.

Hearing the door click, they scrambled to sit up in a panic.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" Stella frowned at me in deep annoyance. The fresh red hickeys on her neck were blindingly obvious.

I sneered, stepping inside and deliberately stepping right on Felix's expensive jacket that had been tossed onto the floor. "Do I need to report to you when I return to my own house?" "I am giving you five minutes. If you aren't out of my sight by then, I'm calling the cops and reporting a home invasion."

Hearing this, Felix put on a sickeningly pathetic face and bowed to me apologetically. "I am so sorry, Arthur. I was just worried about the Professor walking home alone, so I escorted her. Please don't misunderstand."

Escorting her home. Did that require lying half-naked on the sofa?

I didn't have the energy to argue. I turned and walked straight into the master bedroom. Staring at the massive wedding photo hanging on the wall, I felt nothing but pure irony.

Stella was living in the house I paid for in cash, yet she had tricked me into signing a divorce agreement. And now, she was brazenly bringing Felix into my living room.

I walked over, ripped the wedding photo off the wall, and threw all of our matching couple's items directly into the trash.

Just as I finished, I heard the front door slam shut. I intended to walk out and finally lay everything on the table with her.

But the moment I stepped into the hallway, I found two police officers standing in my entryway.

Stella pointed a manicured finger right at my chest. "Officers, I want to report this man for attempting to steal classified national research formulas for illegal profit!"

My head snapped up in utter shock.

"You are lying!" "Stella, I never lied to you today. Your mother was really bitten by a venomous snake and needed that serum." "She called your name until her final breath, and you didn't even care enough to check. If you don't believe me, I will call the morgue right now."

Stella marched forward and slapped me hard across the face.

She let out a cruel laugh. "After all those words, you're just mad that I didn't fall for your trap, aren't you?" "You said my mom was dying? Open your eyes and look closely. My mom texted me half an hour ago to tell me she was perfectly safe!"

She shoved her phone screen directly into my face. The contact labeled 'Mom' had indeed sent a message thirty minutes ago.

Princess, everything is fine.

But I knew Martha inside and out. She never, ever called Stella 'Princess'. That message was absolutely not sent by her.

I opened my mouth to point this out. But Felix stepped right into my personal space. He threw an arm over my shoulder in a mock-friendly gesture.

"Arthur, the institute invited you to join us earlier this year, but you rejected the Director's offer because you weren't happy with the salary. Now you're jealous that we made a breakthrough, and you want to steal the formula to sell it? That is just pathetic." "When you get to the station, make sure you confess everything. Maybe you can learn to be a better person when you get out."

His blatant provocation completely snapped my last nerve. Not even caring that the police were standing right there, I drove my fist straight into his smug face.

"Why don't you just die, you absolute piece of trash?"

The man beneath me didn't even try to fight back. He practically absorbed my punches, making sure to dramatically cover his face and whimper.

"Arthur, I know you hate me." "But I never blamed you for interfering in my marriage or harassing my wife. How do you have the nerve to play the victim here?"

Stella decided to drop all pretenses. She forcefully shoved me away from him. Then, she pulled a document from the coffee table drawer and threw it directly at my face.

"You are the one trespassing, and you are the one who deserves to rot!" "Read it carefully, Arthur. Half a year ago, you voluntarily signed an agreement giving up all marital assets. What right do you have to bark in my house?" "You maliciously slandered my mother's name for your own selfish greed, and you assaulted my husband. I am not letting this go!"

The sharp edge of the thick paper sliced a thin cut across my cheek. But I acted as if I couldn't feel it. My hands tightly gripped the thin sheets of paper.

So, she had planned this all along. Even this house, the one I had purchased entirely with my own money, was now legally a "voluntary gift" I had handed over to her.

After a long silence, I looked up, a mocking smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"You really played a good game, Stella." "But I promise you, you are going to regret this."

She crossed her arms, watching coldly as the police handcuffed me and led me to the cruiser.

Right as the car door was about to close, I saw Felix pull a phone out of his pocket behind Stella's back. My mind exploded. My eyes went wide.

That was Martha's phone. Why on earth did he have it?

Felix shot me a triumphant, arrogant smirk. I could clearly read his lips.

You are always going to be a loser.

It wasn't until I was sitting in the interrogation room that I finally processed everything.

Martha had always treated me well. When my own parents were hospitalized from a bad accident, she drained her retirement fund just to help me cover their medical bills. Every holiday, there was always a plate of sweet and sour ribs on the table, just because she knew it was my favorite.

In the past, Stella used to mock me for it, saying a grown man shouldn't have a sweet tooth. But Martha never cared. She always defended me to Stella. "Arthur works hard for this family. I'm just glad he likes my cooking."

And now, after her tragic death, she was being used as a pawn in a sick game, and I was forced to watch the mastermind gloat.

After I gave my statement and the police verified the actual timeline of events, they realized the assault was a minor domestic dispute and the espionage claim was baseless. I was released without charges.

As I walked out, my phone buzzed with a text from Stella.

For the sake of our past, I'll drop the assault charges. But the condition is that you must publicly apologize to Felix. Otherwise, once the allegations of you trying to steal state research go public, your entire career is over.

Seeing how blissfully unaware of her own impending doom she was, I typed out a quick reply.

I agree.

Stella thought I was terrified. She happily called me, demanding I take a cab straight to the university campus. I was to apologize in front of the entire university board for my behavior.

On the ride over, I called the funeral home.

"Please transport Ms. Martha's casket to Oakbridge University right now." "I sent you her daughter's phone number earlier. When you arrive, just call her to accept the delivery."

The director readily agreed. I hung up the phone and pushed open the door of the cab.

Stella was already waiting for me with the university board and a swarm of local media reporters in tow.

"I invited everyone here today primarily to clarify a few things," she announced, her voice steady and professional. She didn't even glance in my direction.

"As many of you know, Arthur and I were married for three years. But we legally divorced six months ago. Despite that, for the past half-year, he has continued to harass me. He aggressively tried to force his way between me and my new husband, Felix."

"Out of respect for our past, I tolerated his behavior. But I never imagined that because he couldn't have me, he would try to destroy me. He lied about my mother being bitten by a snake, trying to trick me into abandoning the institute's serum."

"Arthur caused this disaster, and he should take full responsibility for it."

The crowd erupted. The reporters sighed in sympathy for Stella's "endurance" and turned their cameras toward me, openly spitting insults.

Amidst the flashing cameras, Felix stepped forward.

"Arthur, Stella and I are willing to let the past go. But to try and steal classified research for your own profit is unacceptable." "Since everyone is here today, give a proper apology. You owe it to all the researchers who worked on that project." "Get on your knees. Show some actual sincerity."

I curled my lips into an icy smile.

"I can apologize. Forget kneeling, I'll even bow my head to the floor." "But before I do that, I have a few things to say as well."

I pulled out my phone and played the audio clips of Felix's provocations, swiping through the screenshots of his obnoxious social media posts.

"You claim I have no shame and that I interfered in your marriage. But for the past six months, I am the one who has been constantly harassed." "And I never lied about today. I can prove it to you right now."

Without missing a beat, I dialed Martha's phone number in front of the dozens of rolling cameras.

A second later, a loud ringing sound vibrated from Felix's coat pocket.

He panicked, frantically pressing his hand against his pocket to muffle the sound, but it was useless.

Stella rushed over and ripped the phone out of his coat. "Why do you have my mother's phone?"

Felix stuttered, completely unable to form a coherent sentence.

Right at that exact moment, Stella's own phone began to ring.

A gruff voice echoed over the murmur of the confused crowd. "Which one of you is Ms. Stella? We need a signature for the delivery of your mother's body."