Trash Son-in-law Returns as the Almighty Marshal

Tyler Maxwell stood at the doorstep of his house with a small wrapped box gripped tightly in his hands. His palms were sweaty from nervousness, and his heart was beating fast from anticipation.

Today was his wife, Katherine (Katie) Clark’s birthday and inside the box was a secondhand camera he had spent months saving to buy.

For a while now, Katie had mentioned how badly she needed a camera to film clips for her modeling portfolio. He skipped meals, pawned off his most priced possessions and even worked triple shifts as a delivery man just to be able to afford it.

To him, the camera was much more than a gift, it was a promise to Katie that he would do whatever it took to make her dreams of becoming a successful model a reality.

With a deep breath, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Katie,” he called out softly.

His wife was sitting in the living room with her legs crossed as she scrolled absently through her phone. Though her lips were turned down in a slight frown, she still looked beautiful with her black hair tied up in a ponytail that framed her slender face.

She glanced up at the sound of his voice and her expression softened a bit as she saw him approach her.

“Happy birthday, my love.” Tyler said with a smile as he held out the box to her with both hands.

Katie’s eyed the box warily before finally keeping her phone aside and accepting it.

“What’s inside?” She inquired as she shook it lightly against her ear.

“It’s a surprise,” Tyler replied, trying to hide the anxiousness from his voice and sound casual. “Open it and see.”

Katie hesitated a bit before tearing off the wrapping paper. When she lifted the lid off the box, her eyes widened.

“A camera…?” she whispered as her fingers trailed along the surface. But the small scratches on it which were clear signs of wear made her expression falter.

“Is it…used?” She asked quietly.

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish look. “Yes, but it works perfectly. The store gave me a guarantee. I thought it’d be perfect for your modeling videos.”

Before Katie could respond, a hand snatched the camera from her.

Belinda Clark, Katie’s mother, held the camera up like it was a piece of rotten trash. “This? This pile of junk is your idea of a birthday gift?”

“Mom, please stop—” Katie’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

But Belinda didn’t stop. Her lips twisted into a scowl before she flung the camera to the ground and smashed it to pieces.

Tyler froze at the cracking sound that echoed throughout the room, and his chest clenched as he stared at what was left of the gift he had sacrificed so much for.

Belinda dusted her hands like the camera had soiled them and glared at him. “Pathetic!” She spat. “You can’t even buy my daughter a proper gift. How much more useless can you get?!”

“For Christ sakes, Mom. You didn’t have to….” Katie shot up from her seat, but her mother cut her off with a sharp voice.

“Don’t tell me that, Katherine! How long will you waste your life with this good-for-nothing? He can barely feed himself, let alone take care of you. Nothing good will happen to us as long as you stay with him!”

“I agree,” a lazy voice chimed in.

Jarod Clark, Katie’s younger brother, strolled into the living room, and plopped onto the couch while shooting Tyler a disgusted glare.

“My friends brag about their sisters dating wealthy men and celebrities. Why should I be stuck with a brother-in-law who’s just a delivery man? It’s a fucking disgrace!”

“Jarod, be quiet,” Katie warned before her eyes flickered worriedly toward Tyler.

Though Tyler said nothing, his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His chest heaved with anger and his gaze remained fixated on the floor.

Katie followed his line of sight to the broken camera and her heart squeezed with guilt.

“Mom. Jarod,” she began with disappointed sighs directed at her mother and brother. “Have you both forgotten all Tyler has done for us? We would have been nothing after dad died if it weren’t for him.”

Jarrod scoffed while Belinda rolled her eyes.

“And so what?” Belinda argued. “Is he the first man to do it? I’ll admit he helped back then, but that was when he still had a reasonable job. Now he’s nothing but a burden leeching off of us.”

“Yeah,” Jarod added with a snicker as he sat up on the couch. “Haven’t we already paid him back by letting him freeload here for years? He should be thanking us for not throwing him out the moment he stopped being useful.”

Tyler’s head snapped up and his irises burned with indignation.

“Me? A freeloader? Stopped being useful?” He scoffed incredulously. “I pay the bills and the mortgage of this house. Jarod, I paid your art school tuition and bailed you out of jail when you got into trouble!”

His voice rose as he shifted his glare to Belinda. “Mother-in-law, I paid all your medical bills when you were sick! Even when you stole my savings and lost it to a Ponzi scheme, I didn’t complain-”

“Oh stop whining!” Belinda hissed in irritation. “Did we beg you for help? A real man provides for his in-laws without batting an eyelid. But why am I surprised?” She eyed him up and down with contempt. “You aren’t a real man at all!”

“Mom, enough!” Katie snapped, but Belinda silenced her immediately.

“It’s not enough! I’ve had it with this fool!”

Without hesitation, she opened the drawer of the center table and retrieved a brown envelope from it.

Katie watched her mother with furrowed brows as she took out some pieces of paper from the envelope and flung them at Tyler, who stared blankly as they fell to the ground.

“Here!” Belinda spat. “Sign these divorce papers and free my daughter once and for all! I’ll find her a man who will treat her like she deserves.”

“Mother!” Katie gasped. “What the hell are you doing?”

Belinda’s expression softened as she stepped closer to her daughter and placed a hand on her arm. “I’m only doing this for your sake, my dear. You deserve so much better. Remember your old high school classmate, Frederick Hall?”

At the mention of that name, Tyler stiffened and his jaw clenched.

Katie frowned in confusion at her mother’s question. “Frederick? Why are you bringing him up now?”

“Why not?” Belinda pressed. “He’s the perfect fit for you. He just got back from the states and is set to take over his family’s company. This loser husband of yours can’t even lace his shoes.”

Just as Katie opened her mouth to argue, the doorbell rang and Belinda’s expression lit up.

“Speak of the devil!” She clapped her hands happily and hurried to open the door.