Chapter 2
Early the next morning, my mother-in-law showed up.
She took my hand and kept sighing, looking all worried.
"Madeline, Roger already told me everything. He just got a little carried away. Men will be men, you know how it is. Sometimes they mess up when they're out socializing.
"You should try to be more forgiving, and don't stay mad at him."
I kept my head down and didn't say a word.
"And you should take a look at yourself, too. You two have been married for years, and you still haven't gotten pregnant. Sometimes, men get ideas because the pressure at home is tough."
She kept patting the back of my hand, again and again, like she was putting me through an interrogation.
"Roger's always been the sensitive type. Don't push him too hard."
I finally looked up at her. "What if I really want a divorce?"
Her face fell. "Divorce? Don't even think about it! The Ferguson family can't afford to lose face like that. Let me tell you, Madeline, as long as I'm alive, you'll never get your way."
Roger came out of the room, looking completely worn out.
"Mom, just drop it, okay?" he said.
His phone screen lit up, and he shot a quick glance at it. His face went ghostly pale.
My mother-in-law was quick to notice. "What's wrong? Who just texted you?"
Roger hurriedly shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Nothing, just some spam."
The more he tried to cover it up, the more suspicious my mother-in-law became.
"Let me see that!" she demanded.
They started scuffling in the living room—my mother-in-law trying to snatch the phone, while Roger did his best to keep it away from her.
I watched the whole mess unfold with cold eyes, like I was just an audience to some drama that had nothing to do with me.
Finally, my mother-in-law snatched Roger's phone right out of his hand.
On the screen was a photo of a pregnancy test, the unmistakable double lines, so bold it practically screamed at us.
Her hand shook, and she almost dropped the phone.
She looked up, staring at me, then at her darling boy.
"What... what's going on here?" she demanded, her voice shaking with shock.
Roger started sweating bullets. "Mom, just let me explain..."
"Explain? What could you possibly explain? Are you trying to kill me with anger?" My mother-in-law swung her hand up, about to slap him across the face.
I finally spoke up. "Please don't get so upset. It's really not worth making yourself mad over it."
My voice was quiet, but it made the whole room fall completely silent.
Her hand stopped mid-swing, and she stared at me in disbelief.
Roger looked at me, too, his eyes pleading with me.
"You already knew about this?" my mother-in-law asked, her voice trembling.
I nodded.
"And you're still so calm? Madeline, what's your agenda here?" she pressed.
"I don't have any agenda," I said, walking over to her and helping her steady herself. "I just want to know, now that things are such a mess, what Roger plans to do."
I threw the question right back at Roger.
He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
His phone buzzed again; it was a call this time.
Roger stared at the caller ID, his hands shaking so badly he couldn't bring himself to answer.
I reached over and hit the answer button for him, putting it on speaker.
Claire's voice came through, thick with tears. "Roger, my parents are coming over to see you. I can't stop them... What am I supposed to do?"
"What? Her parents are coming?" My mother-in-law freaked out even more than Claire did.
Roger totally lost it. He snatched the phone and bolted into his room, slamming the door behind him.
It was just me and my mother-in-law left in the living room.
"Oh God, what have we done!" My mother-in-law collapsed onto the couch, pounding her chest. "If this gets out, how will the Ferguson family ever hold our heads up again?"
She looked up at me, her gaze a tangled mess of emotions.
"Madeline, you're our only hope now," she said.
"Me? You want to rely on me?" I echoed, honestly finding it a little funny.
"Just keep it together, and whatever you do, don't even mention divorce. I'll have your dad get Roger back here, and then we'll talk it over and figure out how to fix this," she said.
Her tone had shifted from blaming me to actually trying to work with me.