Chapter 1

My son had a severe peanut allergy. The doctor warned us that even a single bite could be fatal.

But my mother-in-law refused to believe it, insisting that I was just being overly protective and spoiling the child.

Today, she once again "kindly" made my son a bowl of steamed egg custard and even tried to feed him herself.

The faint smell of peanut butter reached my nose, and my scalp instantly went numb.

Smiling, I slid the bowl in front of my husband, who was allergic to peanuts as well.

"Honey, Mom made this especially for you. Go ahead and try it. Don't let her thoughtfulness go to waste," I said.

I wanted to see whether she'd still refuse to believe in peanut allergies when her own son was the one going into anaphylactic shock.

*****

My mother-in-law came out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of egg custard.

Her face lit up with a smile, as bright as a flower.

"Austin, come here. Grandma made you some egg custard with love," she called out.

Austin was sitting on the carpet, playing with his blocks. He glanced up at her but didn't move.

My heart instantly tightened.

"Mom, you've worked hard. Let me handle it," I said, getting up to take the bowl from her.

But my mother-in-law pulled her hand back, dodging me.

"No, I'll feed Austin myself. You're always making a fuss over nothing. Kids aren't that delicate," she said, shooting me a pointed look.

This wasn't the first time, either.

Austin's peanut allergy was no joke The hospital had the paperwork to prove it. The doctor had warned us again and again not to touch it at all, or it would kill him.

But my mother-in-law just didn't buy it.

She was convinced I made it all up just to keep her from getting close to Austin.

She thought every kid was tough, and only my son needed to be handled like he was made of glass.

Today, she was at it again.

She scooped up a spoonful of the pale yellow egg custard, blew on it, and held it up to Austin's mouth.

"Come on, Austin, open wide. Say 'ah,'" she coaxed.

I caught a whiff of something faint, but all too familiar.

It was peanut butter.

My blood froze. My scalp exploded with tingles, and I felt rooted to the spot.

Austin sat obediently, looking up at my mother-in-law, about to open his mouth.

"Stop!" I shouted, lunging forward and knocking the spoon from her hand.

The spoon shot across the room and landed on the carpet with a heavy thump.

Some of the egg custard splashed onto the floor.

Austin flinched, his eyes wide as he stared at me, completely stunned.

My mother-in-law's expression darkened in an instant. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"I told you, Austin can't eat random stuff!" My voice was shaking, both from anger and fear.

"There's nothing wrong with this egg custard! It's totally safe! You just hate it when I'm nice to him!" my mother-in-law shrieked, starting to make a scene.

My husband, Sonny Walton, came out of the study, drawn by the noise.

"What's going on here? Mom, Camela, let's talk this out," he said, frowning, trying to play peacemaker.

My mother-in-law instantly put on her most pitiful face, her eyes growing teary.

"Sonny, look at your wife. I was just trying to make something nice for Austin, and she's acting like I'm a threat or something! How am I supposed to live like this?" she wailed.

Sonny looked at me, his eyes full of reproach. "Camela, Mom means well. You're overreacting."

Overreacting?

Once again, it was the same word.

Every time I brought up how dangerous Austin's allergy was, he only told me I was being paranoid and overreacting.

He and his mother really were alike.

I stared at the steaming bowl of egg custard, and all the anger and despair inside me suddenly froze into a chilling calm.

I smiled.

I straightened up, picked up the spoon from the floor, and wiped it clean.

Then I picked up the bowl and walked over to Sonny.

I gave him my sweetest smile. "Honey, just smell it. Doesn't it smell amazing?"

Sonny, still clueless, leaned in and took a sniff. "Yeah, it smells great. Mom really knows how to cook."

"Yeah," I said softly, "Mom made this especially for you. Why don't you give it a try?"

I shoved the bowl and spoon right into his hands. "Go on, don't waste Mom's effort. Austin's just a kid, he won't appreciate something this nice yet."

My mother-in-law was stunned. She never saw that coming.

Sonny didn't think twice. He'd been working all morning and was actually a little hungry.

He picked up the spoon and gave me a smile. "You're so sensible. Mom, don't be upset. Camela just worries too much about Austin."

With that, he scooped up a big spoonful and popped it into his mouth.

"Mm, this is good," he said, his mouth full.

My mother-in-law's face relaxed, and she shot me a smug look, like she'd just won the battle.

I didn't look at her.

My eyes were glued to Sonny's throat, not blinking once.

He took a second bite, then a third.

We would see.

When her son went into anaphylactic shock, I'd find out whether she still believed it then.

Sonny was really getting into the egg custard, but all of a sudden, his smile vanished and he froze mid-bite.