I took a deep breath, holding back my tears, and said, "Come back with me to see Mom off on her final journey. You know her greatest wish was for us to be by her side when she passed."
A staff member moved to cut the livestream, but the director raised his hand to stop them.
"What? Did Jeff's mother pass away?"
"Does that mean this woman is really Jeff's wife?"
"So what does that make Ida?"
For a moment, Jeff's gaze towards me turned ice-cold, filled with disgust and hatred.
He grabbed my chin harshly and spat, "Diana Smith! You can cause trouble all you want, but now you're cursing my mother's death, aren't you?!"
"My mom was always so good to you, and you dare bring her into this for some other man. You're so vile!"
"Yeah, Diana," Ida chimed in, disapprovingly shaking her head at me.
"Auntie always said she treated you like her own daughter. It was you who forced Jeff into marriage. Now, how can you joke about her death?"
"Turns out this woman forced him into marriage!"
"And she's even joking about someone else's mother? Despicable!"
"No way could a crazy woman like her compare to my little angel, Ida."
"Just divorce already! The one who's not loved is the real third wheel!"
I shook my head in disbelief, stepping back a few paces. I removed the backpack from my shoulders and carefully took out my mother-in-law's urn.
"What?! Could she really be dead?" someone typed in the comments.
"It doesn't seem like she's faking..."
"Is she carrying an urn to ruin my little angel's love show? Why doesn't she just die already?"
"Hold on, folks, I'm heading over now. I want to see what tricks this vile woman is trying to pull!"
As I held up the urn, the staff anxiously looked at the director, who wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was no longer something he could stop even if he wanted to.
Jeff stared in disbelief at the photo on the urn, reaching out as if to touch it but then pulling back.
I trembled, clutching the urn tightly. My voice quivered as I said, "I didn't lie to you. Mom... Mom passed away that rainy night..."
Tears fell onto the urn, one after another, as I hugged it tightly. I didn't force Jeff into marriage, nor did I curse his mother's death.
I grew up without a mother. My father, a compulsive gambler, made beating me a daily routine.