My Mother-in-law Killed My Dog

I had just found out I was pregnant when my mother-in-law, Vera Erickson, served my ten-year-old dog as a meal.

She wanted to assert control over me, making it easier to manipulate me in the future.

Fine, if you killed my dog, I would abort your unborn grandson, squander your family fortune, send you to the hospital, and let your son kill you.

1

When I got home from work, Vera handed me a bowl of soup.

"Sophia, working is too tiring. Why not quit and stay home to take care of the baby? Morton can afford to support you," she suggested.

I took a sip of the soup, which tasted odd, and ignored her suggestion.

Due to an unexpected pregnancy, Vera had moved in to take care of me.

Our planned wedding was disrupted by the pregnancy, and we hadn't even discussed the marriage gift or financial arrangement.

Lately, she had been subtly hinting that I should quit my job and stay home, likely planning to renegotiate the marriage arrangements once I had no income.

My family wasn't short on money. We just wanted to see Morton Erickson's family's attitude.

The soup today had a fishy taste, and I couldn't help but gag a few times.

"Mom, what is this? It's disgusting. Where's Bella? Bella, I'm home."

I called for my dog.

Normally, Bella would be the first to welcome me.

Vera chuckled.

"Isn't Bella right here? You have raised this dog for so many years, and it looks fat. So I killed it and made soup for you. It is good for your health."

I thought I had misheard and called for Bella again. Stumbling into the kitchen, I saw a large pot simmering on the stove.

Trembling, I picked up a ladle and scooped twice.

Bella's black nose lay quietly in the ladle.

I glanced at the trash can, where a red plastic bag held her bloody, unskinned fur, not yet discarded.

2

I leaned over the sink, vomiting uncontrollably.

Vera feigned innocence, patting my back.

"Oh, Sophia, you shouldn't be vomiting like this. How can the baby handle it? In some regions, dog meat is traditionally believed to be the most nourishing."

I raised my eyes to look at her, and there was a hint of pride in her eyes.

Bella was a dog I had raised since high school, now ten years old.

I never stayed in a dorm because of her.

Even when I went to college in another city, I had my mom drive Bella to me.

From my freshman year, I rented off-campus housing, working part-time to afford the best dog food, treats, clothes, and toys for Bella.

I treated her like family, a treasure, a child for ten years, only for this malicious old woman to skin her and boil her into soup.

I could even imagine how Bella wagged her tail, tricked into the kitchen by this vicious woman.

My fingers brushed against the kitchen knife, a surge of madness overtaking me, ready to grab it and confront her.

Just then, the door opened, and Morton came home.

Tears streamed down my face.

"Morton, your mom killed Bella."

After hearing this, Vera immediately laid on the ground and started throwing a tantrum.

"Oh my! I was trying to nourish you, and you accuse me like this."

Morton rushed to help his mom up.

"It's just a dog. So what if it was killed? Do you want my mom to pay with her life?"

I felt a tightness in my chest, a dull pain in my stomach, and everything went black as I fainted.

3

When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital bed, surrounded by people.

My mom was crying, heartbroken.

"Sophia, I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have agreed to this marriage."

I held my mother's hand, feeling a lump in my throat. Bella was like my own child. For ten whole years, my precious Bella was killed just like that.

Vera approached, kneeling at my bedside.

"Sophia, I didn't know. In our village, dogs are considered a delicacy. It's so cold, I just wanted to nourish you. If you can't forgive me, I'll kneel and apologize more."

"Mom, get up. What's the point of kneeling down for a dog?"

Morton, with red eyes, tried to pull his mom up.

She pulled him down to kneel as well.

"You apologize to Sophia, too. It's your fault for not telling me how important the dog was to Sophia. Sophia, please don't let yourself get angry. The baby in your belly is not yet firmly seated."

My mom, unfamiliar with such drama, hurriedly pulled them up, as it was too embarrassing for elders to kneel to the younger generation.

Only my friend, Lexie Sherman, rolled her eyes. "What a hypocrite."

My head throbbed, and I waved everyone out to give myself some space to calm down.

After regaining some composure, I slowly walked to the bathroom, where I overheard Vera and Morton talking in the hospital hallway.

"Mom, does your knee hurt? Why kneel for her? It's just a dog. What, are they going to call the police to arrest me?"

"Silly boy, this is a strategic retreat. If we confront her head-on, she won't protect your baby."

"Mom, you're so smart. Let's just wait until her belly grows. Then, without asking for a penny, her family will beg us to marry her, ha-ha."

I steadied my trembling hand, trying to calm myself, and called my friend Lexie. "Come pick me up. I'm getting an abortion."

4

I had to admit that modern painless abortions were quick. I closed my eyes for a moment, and the procedure was over.

Looking at the mass of flesh, I felt a twinge of sadness, but it was quickly overshadowed by the grief of losing Bella.

I felt no regret for ending the bloodline of such scum, even feeling it tainted my own.

Lexie helped me to rest in the ward.

"Sophia, what made you finally see the light?"

Lexie had reminded me a long time ago that Morton's character was bad. Unfortunately, I was in love at that time and believed Morton's promise.

I bit my lip, holding back tears.

"Lexie, don't tell anyone about this. And do me a favor. You're good with graphics, right? Help me create a fake ultrasound image."

A few hours later, I returned home from the hospital.

Morton, Vera, and my mom were all at home, the living room spotless, and the kitchen bustling with food.

Seeing me return, Vera exclaimed, "Sophia, why did you come back alone? You should have called us to pick you up."

I let her hold my hand, hiding the disgust in my eyes.

"Sophia, are you still mad at me? Hit me, hit me to vent your anger."

She pulled my hand to hit her, and my mom and Morton rushed to stop her.

I took a deep breath, put on a smile, and pulled out a report.

"Mom, I know you mean well. I'm not angry. The dog is gone, but the baby is important. Here's today's ultrasound. I'm having twins."

Lexie said that only by striking the enemy at the most important part could a fatal blow be made.

5

Vera and Morton were overjoyed, eagerly examining the report.

"Oh my, I'm going to have two grandsons." Vera shouted with joy.

My mom looked at me with concern. "Twins are tough. Maybe I should come help take care of you."

I shook my head, assuring her that Vera would take good care of me.

Vera was pleased with my flattery. "Yes, yes, don't worry, I'll take good care of Sophia."

As soon as my mom left, I sat on the sofa, ready to test Vera. "Honey, my feet hurt. I want a foot bath."

Vera wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen, pulling Morton away from his game to heat water and prepare a foot bath for me.

In the past, Vera had taught Morton that a wife could only be conquered by beatings, and that life would only be easier if he could keep his wife under control.

The first time she saw me ordering Morton to fetch water, her face turned pale with shock.

I tested the water with my foot and immediately shrieked, "It's too hot."

Then, I "accidentally" tipped the basin, spilling the hot water onto Morton's leg.

Morton's face darkened as he prepared to scold me, but I quickly teared up. "Honey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Vera, I accidentally spilled the water, and Morton got mad. Oh, my stomach hurts a bit."

Vera kicked Morton on the backside. "Why are you being so fierce? Get out of the way, I'll help her wash."

She then fetched a mop to clean up the mess and prepared a new basin of water for me.

Seeing her restrained expression, I stirred the pot.

"Vera, I'm craving something sour. Do you think it might be two boys?"

Vera was taken aback, but then she smiled happily. "Yes, yes, definitely boys. Here, let me wash your feet."

6

That day, after leaving the hospital, I had Lexie make me an ultrasound report showing twins.

They wanted grandsons, didn't they?

I made them think there were two at once.

Once I understood Vera's limits, I completely relaxed at home.

Vera suggested Morton hand over his paycheck to me, but I refused.

I told her I didn't need much money at home, and a man should carry more money when he went out to maintain his dignity.

Vera was overjoyed, praising me for being sensible and understanding.

At night, Morton lay in bed and transferred some pocket money to me. "Is 200 dollars enough?"

I almost slapped him. Such a mean man! $200 wasn't even enough for a manicure.

But I didn't show it. I looked at him with feigned difficulty.

"Honey, 200 is enough, but I'm worried Lexie might say something in the class group."

During our dating days, Lexie and Morton had a big fight once.

The reason was Morton gave me cosmetics, using a luxury brand box to pack a cheap lipstick. Lexie had mocked it in the class group, and since then, Morton had been labeled as stingy.

Whenever I mentioned Lexie, Morton reacted as if his sore spot had been touched.

He directly transferred 5, 000 dollars to me and wrote "for my honey to buy a bag".

After receiving it, I posted a screenshot of the transfer on social media. "My husband is the most generous."

Morton was pleased and transferred another 5200, asking me to post again.

Vera sarcastically commented, "Don't play with your phone at night, sleep early."

Well, was she feeling sorry for the money?

As I turned off the lights, I caught a glimpse of Morton's chat with Vera on WhatsApp.

"You silly boy! Are you throwing money away?"

I almost burst out laughing. This was the result of her hypocrisy.

7

A week later, Lexie sent me three fake bellies, labeled to be changed every half month.

These progressively larger fake pregnancy bellies were custom-made by a vendor to match my body and skin tone, and they were ridiculously realistic.

I hid in the bathroom, trying on the fake belly, and instantly, a three-month pregnant woman with twins appeared in the mirror.

Bella, I would avenge you.

From that night on, I used the excuse of protecting the pregnancy to suggest sleeping in separate rooms, and Morton readily agreed.

Honestly, I was puzzled. Morton had always been quite demanding in sex, and there was still a long way to go before the due date.

Why did he agree so easily this time?

Soon, I found the answer in Morton's car.

A used condom was stuffed in the passenger door pocket.

Clearly, the mistress had come to provoke me, wanting me to find out.

Perfect timing, I needed a target.

I used the money Morton gave me to buy him the latest Apple phone he had been longing for and secretly installed a monitoring app.

No matter where Morton went or who he messaged, the phone would immediately send the information to me.

After dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen and handed the phone to Morton. "Honey, this is a Valentine's Day gift, I'm giving it to you in advance."

Morton was surprised and delighted. He had wanted this phone for a long time.

This was in line with my plan.

Vera, seeing the phone's high value, softened her expression. "Sophia, let me peel some fruit for you."

I quickly grabbed the fruit knife, smiling attentively.

"Vera, don't tire yourself, let me do it. Open the phone and buy some clothes for babies. Remember, boy's styles!"

Vera, hearing this, happily opened the phone and started searching for clothes.

I sat on the sofa, caressing the fake belly, slowly peeling an apple.

Patience sharpened the blade.

8

Vera bought a lot of baby supplies, filled with anticipation for the babies in my belly.

Following Lexie's advice, I changed the fake belly every two weeks, implying the babies were growing.

Every time Vera wanted to accompany me to the prenatal check-up, I pretended to be in a dilemma and said, "Then I'll ask my mom not to go, and the three of us can go together. I'll take Morton's bank card."

Vera immediately pulled a face and waved her hand, saying she wouldn't go.

I rolled my eyes in disgust. She was reluctant to even pay for the prenatal check-up. She just wanted her grandson to be born without spending a penny and let him grow up on his own without any care. Only a fool would give birth to a child for their family.

I found a nice café, sipping coffee while watching the surveillance on my phone.

"Morton, find some time to get the marriage certificate with Sophia. Her belly is so big now, and it's twins. Even if she wanted to abort, her parents wouldn't agree. We should negotiate now. Anyway, with Sophia like this, she can't marry anyone else."

Morton, now having a good relationship with his mistress, was passionate and couldn't bear to leave her to marry me.

He sat on the sofa, legs crossed, munching on an apple, looking indifferent. "Mom, don't rush. What if they're two girls? Then we'd lose out."

Vera beamed, "You're right, let's wait a bit longer."

9

When Morton came home that night, I took the opportunity to ask about marriage. Morton hesitated. "You are pregnant now, and you won't look good in a wedding dress. Let's talk about marriage after you give birth."

I immediately threw down my fork and started crying. "I knew you didn't want to marry me. What are these two children without a name or status? I might as well abort them now and break up with you."

Vera quickly came to comfort me. "Sweetheart, don't cry. You'll upset the babies. We're just worried about tiring you out with a wedding now. How about this? I'll give you some jewelry in advance to put your mind at ease, okay?"

Hearing Vera offer jewelry, I secretly sneered. What a schemer. According to the law, jewelry given before marriage could be reclaimed in full. Was she trying to use me as her savings account by doing this?

I wiped my tears and said, "Vera, I don't want jewelry. Don't waste money. Why don't we buy a house instead?"

Vera looked troubled. "It's not impossible, but you haven't registered the marriage. Putting the house in your name is..."

"Vera, the house should be in your name, not mine. But can I choose the location?"

Vera's face lit up, nodding vigorously. "Of course, you get to decide."

Only Morton was unhappy, sulking. "Mom, I don't want to be burdened with a mortgage."

Vera kicked him and whispered, "I'll sell my house to raise money for you."