Chapter 1

My husband, Keaton Osborne, suddenly had a heart attack. After calling 911, I immediately called my son, Michael, who lived in the next neighborhood.

Before I could say anything, Michael cut me off angrily.

"Mom, can you please respect our boundaries? It's late, and we're having family time, just the three of us. We'll talk tomorrow," he said and hung up right away.

I tried calling my daughter-in-law, Clara Brennan, next. She picked up and immediately unleashed a tirade, drowning out my voice.

"Mrs. Osborne, can you stop being so annoying? I never should've given you my number. I knew you would cross the line. Would you be happy if Michael and I split up?" she snapped.

I could hear Michael in the background, trying to calm her down. "Clara, don't get upset. My parents are getting old. They don't know when to stop. I'll block them for you."

Then the line went dead again. My heart went cold.

Keaton lay on the bed, unable to move, his face pale and drenched in sweat.

I held his hand, tears streaming down my face, feeling his life slipping away.

That night, the ambulance rushed us to the hospital, but it was too late. We missed the golden hour for treatment.

Keaton was gone.

It wasn't until the next morning that Michael finally called, and his first words were another round of blame.

"What's up with Dad? It's eight, and he hasn't taken Johnny to school. What does he think he's doing?" he complained.

"Your dad passed away from a heart attack," I said. A wave of grief crashed over me, my chest tight and heavy, but no tears came.

Michael paused for a second and then blurted out, "So who's gonna pick up Johnny now? Mom, you can't even drive."

In that instant, I knew my son was gone, too.

I jumped off the rooftop, choosing to follow Keaton and leave this world behind.

When I opened my eyes, I realized I'd gone back in time, to the day Clara first married into our family.

This time, I was going to teach them what real boundaries were.

*****

"I'm all about boundaries, and I hope you are too. Even though I'm your daughter-in-law, I won't be too close to you. I'll call you Mr. and Mrs. Osborne," Clara said.

That was when it hit me that I was back in time.

I was back to the day Clara laid down the law for us.

Clara was dressed to the nines, acting all high and mighty, and she was saying the same things as before.

But this time, I didn't sulk as I did last time. I didn't even look their way.

I held Keaton's warm hand, my eyes stinging with emotion.

The surge of joy from having him back washed over me. Nothing else mattered anymore.

Clara kept talking, "Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, please don't be upset. I don't mean anything bad by it.

"It's my way. I treat everyone like this, and I think it's more comfortable for everyone if we all have clear boundaries.

"If you guys are cool with that, that's what makes us a real family."

"Of course, no problem. My parents aren't old-fashioned at all. They'll respect your preferences," Michael jumped in, eager to agree.

Then he turned to us, pushing for an answer, "Isn't that right, Mom, Dad?"

Keaton frowned, about to say something, but I gave his hand a firm squeeze to stop him.

Like before, I stopped Keaton from getting angry, forced a smile, and pretended to agree.

I'd always been the easygoing one, believing that keeping the peace at home mattered most, and I respected the younger generation's lifestyle choices.

But this time, my expression was steady, and my voice was colder. "Of course, this is between you two. You can decide for yourselves."

Michael was thrilled, oblivious to my mood. "Mom, you're the best."

Then he excitedly winked at Clara.

Clara looked a bit proud. "You guys are reasonable. Let me lay out all the rules at once, so we won't have any drama later.

"First, don't call me out of nowhere, and I won't be adding you on WhatsApp. To me, you're basically strangers.

"Second, don't bother introducing me to all those relatives I don't know. I married Michael, not your whole family. They're strangers to me, too.

"Was that Michael's aunt, Anne, yesterday? She grabbed my arm like we were old friends. She has no boundaries at all.

"I can't stand that. If we meet on the street, skip the greetings. I don't do fake friendliness with people I barely know."

Keaton frowned tightly. Anne Wilson had been so thoughtful. She not only gave them a wedding gift at the city hall but also secretly slipped them a 15-thousand-dollar gift.

Clara took the gift without bothering to say thanks, and still had the nerve to complain about Anne for grabbing her arm.

I squeezed Keaton's hand to calm him down and motioned for Clara to keep going.

Clara continued, "Third, I'm not spending the holidays with you. I've got my own parents to visit. If Michael wants to come over, that's up to him, but I'm not coming.

"Fourth, don't call Michael after seven at night unless I say it's okay. He might be your son, but he's my husband now, and I want him to focus on us first."

She went on and on.

She rattled off a list of rules, more than a dozen in total, and I gave my full approval to each one.