Chapter 2

My mother didn't come.

A more terrifying person did—Eve's mother, Mrs. Kelly.

The next morning, the moment the ward door was pushed open, a wave of jasmine perfume rushed in, followed by a pair of sharp eyes.

Mrs. Kelly was fifty-eight, her hair impeccably styled, walking with a confident stride.

As soon as she entered, she first checked my IV drip, then felt my forehead, and then turned to Eve. "You look fine, you're not dying."

"Mom, let me explain—" Eve pulled her to the window, whispering for five minutes.

I lay in bed, watching my mother-in-law's expression change from confusion to shock, from shock to... excitement.

She quickly walked to my bedside, pulled up a chair, and sat down, hands clasped on her knees, like a seasoned detective in an interrogation room.

"Mason."

"Yes."

"Can you really only tell the truth?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me, do you secretly look down on me?"

This question was fatal. I looked at Eve for help, but Eve lowered her head and played on her phone, pretending not to see.

"No."

Mrs. Kelly nodded in satisfaction. "Then do you think my cooking is good?"

My throat felt like it was being squeezed, my vocal cords struggling.

My lips trembled twice, then a faint but clear syllable squeezed out through my teeth.

"...No."

The temperature in the ward dropped ten degrees.

Eve's phone almost fell to the floor.

Mrs. Kelly's smile held for three seconds, then slowly vanished inch by inch.

"Not tasty?"

"Yes."

"I cooked for three hours."

"Yes."

"You mean, the food I cooked for three hours isn't tasty?"

"...Yes."

【I want to sew my mouth shut.】

She then asked the next question.

"Mason, have you ever done anything behind my daughter's back that would betray her?"

"No."

"Really no?"

"Yes."

Eve interjected, "Mom, I already asked him, that line checks out."

Mrs. Kelly gave me a suspicious glance, seemingly unsatisfied with the result.

Then she cleared her throat and pulled out her own small notebook.

Yes.

She had a small notebook too.

Even thicker.

"Mason, I'm going to ask you a few questions about Eve."

Eve's smile froze. "Mom?"

"I need to keep an eye on my daughter's affairs." Mrs. Kelly turned to the first page. "Mason, did Eve tell you her monthly salary is over ten thousand?"

"Yes."

"Was she bragging?"

Eve stood up. "Mom!"

My throat uncontrollably produced a sound: "Yes."

The ward erupted.

Eve's face turned beet red. "Mason! Shut up!"

"No—Yes—"

【I want to shut up too!】

Mrs. Kelly pushed up her reading glasses and continued turning pages. "Did Eve secretly give the living expenses you gave her to her good-for-nothing brother?"

"Yes."

Eve completely froze.

Mrs. Kelly's face also turned dark.

"I knew it!" Mrs. Kelly slammed her hand on her thigh. "That spendthrift! Mason, you just wait, I'll go home and sort him out!"

Eve's voice changed. "Mom, can you please stop asking?"

"Why shouldn't I ask? It's rare to have someone who tells the truth."

"Well, you can't stand the questions either." Eve suddenly fought back, turning to me. "Mason, does my mom have a secret boyfriend?"

Mrs. Kelly's pen dropped to the floor.

The air in the ward completely froze.

I looked at my mother-in-law's already twitching face, then at my wife's face, full of curiosity.

The gazes of the two women met on me, like two knives sawing at my face.

The traitor in my throat was ready.

"...Yes."

Mrs. Kelly's expression deflated like a balloon left out for three days.

Eve clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my god! Mom!"

"You—you—" Mrs. Kelly pointed at me, her finger trembling, then sharply turned to Eve. "Why would you ask that?!"

"You were just asking me, weren't you!" Eve stood her ground. "Mason, is it Jack, the man from the community dance class?"

"No."

"John, the yoga instructor?"

"No."

"Jimmy, who plays chess at the community center?"

"...Yes."

Mrs. Kelly grabbed her bag, ready to leave. "I'm not staying! This hospital is toxic!"

Eve grabbed her arm. "Mom, don't go, Jimmy is a really nice guy—"

"You shut up!"

The two women wrestled in the ward for ten minutes, finally reaching an agreement—they would keep each other's secrets, and neither would use me as a lie detector again.

Of course, the shelf life of this agreement was about as long as a hot cup of coffee.

Because as they left, I clearly heard Eve whisper in the hallway, "Mom, does Jimmy have a pension?"

I lay in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, seriously contemplating a philosophical question for the first time.

When a man can only tell the truth, is he most useful, or most dangerous?

Before I could figure it out, my phone rang.

A message from Wyatt: "Dude, I'm coming to see you this afternoon, and could you do me a favor?"

I typed my reply: "What favor?"

"Help me tell my wife I'm working late."

I stared at the message, falling into a long silence.

【Dude, did you forget that I can only tell the truth now?】