My whole family was burned by a
fire, but I spent all the money I saved on dog food
Chapter 1
A raging fire.
It burned my husband, my son, and my
mother–in–law.
They were in the hospital, and the bills were
going to be around three million dollars.
Hearing that, I sold the house that very night.
I donated all the money to a local animal
shelter.
My mother–in–law, still bandaged from the
She waited day after day in the freezing cold,
until she finally cornered me.
She got down on her knees in the snow,
crying, “Ashley, please help us! Are you just
going to watch your husband and your son
die in agony?”
Right in front of her, I pulled up a shopping
livestream.
I spent every last penny I had on dog food.
“Ashley, are you crazy? That was our family’s
only hope! Why dog food?”
Her wailing drew a crowd.
It was rush hour, so a lot of my coworkers
were around.
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They stood back, whispering and pointing,
like they were ready for some drama.
Seeing the crowd, my mother–in–law cried
even harder, “Ashley, you control all the
money! Please, just pay the hospital bills!”
She was kneeling right in front of me,
banging her head on the sidewalk as she
sobbed, “Your husband’s in the hospital,
screaming in pain. He keeps saying he wants
to die. He’s suffering so badly!”
“I’m begging you, please save him. I’m your
mother–in–law, and I’m begging you!”
She was hitting her head hard, and her
forehead started bleeding onto the snow.
Two girls couldn’t watch anymore, they
They rolled their eyes at me, and one of them
said, “Seriously, lady, you’re heartless! How
can you be so cruel?”
I snapped back, “If you’re so soft–hearted,
why don’t you donate to the old lady?”
They shut up real quick.
But more people were joining the crowd,
yelling at me, “Why should strangers pay for
your family’s problems?”
“How can you just let your own family die?
What kind of person are you?”
“You won’t help your own family but you’re
asking random people for handouts? You
have some nerve!”
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“Every year there are weird people, but this
year is another level.”
The crowd got angrier, pulling out their
phones and shoving them in my face, with
some even looking like they wanted to slap
- me.
I frowned, wanting to get out of there, so I
said quickly, “I don’t have any money for
them.”
I started to walk away, but they blocked me.
One middle–aged woman sized me up, “You
don’t have money? You look like you’re doing
just fine. I’ve seen your type before, all
dressed up, but rotten on the inside.”
My mother–in–law wailed. “She has money, I
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My mother–in–law walled, “She has money, I
saw her buy ten grand worth of dog food!”
That was it.
The crowd exploded.
One guy with a cigarette dangling from his
mouth, face red with anger, pointed at me,
“So, you’re really into your pets, huh?”
“Liking animals is one thing, but you gotta
draw the line somewhere!”
“Your family’s lying in the hospital, and you’re
spending their life savings on kibble?”
“You’re treating your dog like your own
father!”
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“I don’t even know what to say. Seriously!”
The guy spat on the ground, throwing his
cigarette towards me, and I barely dodged it.
Just then, a younger woman squeezed
through the crowd, shouting, “I found it! I
found the livestream where she bought the
dog food!”
Because I’d dropped ten grand on kibble, it’d
gone viral online.
The girl easily found the livestream and
connected with the host.
My mother–in–law took off her bandages,
showing the host her burn wounds.
The host slammed his fist on the table, yelling
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at the camera, facing me: “I’m not doing
business with you!”
“I don’t need the money, I have a
conscience!”
“If I sell you this dog food, I’m as bad as you!”
“You can act inhuman, but I can’t!”
The host’s speech blew up the livestream.
Thousands of viewers spammed “666,” and
started buying everything in sight.
The host said dramatically, “Lady, take my
advice, family first! Without family, you’re
nothing!”
“We’re refunding your money. You need to go
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pay those hospital bills right now.”
I frowned, “Who are you to tell me what to do
with my money? I don’t want to pay the bills,
what’s it to you?”
I opened my shopping apps and cleared out
my cart, spending every last cent.
Then, I showed my mother–in–law my phone,
“Now I really have no money.”
My mother–in–law collapsed on the ground,
crying, “Ashley, why? Why are you doing
this?”
“Have you forgotten all the good things I did
for you? You forgot when you were
recovering after having Johnny, how I took
care of you?”
“It was the dead of winter, and I slipped on
ice, when I was on the way to buy fish. It was
for fish soup to help you heal, and I limped
home and made it for you.”
“Only when you were all fed, did I go to the doctor, my ankle was so swollen, I couldn’t
get my shoe off.”
She hit her chest. “I swear, I was like a
mother to you, how can you do this to me?”
Several women in the crowd teared up at her
words.
They looked at me with even more anger.
My mother–in–law, still on the ground,
grabbed my clothes, and looked up at me, “Ashley, you tell me. Was I not good to you?”
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I didn’t say anything.
