Chapter 1

My sister-in-law, Claire Simmons, showed up at my place every Saturday with her two kids, uninvited, devouring everything in my fridge and raiding the snack cabinets.

My husband, Danny Simmons, always laughed and smoothed things over. "It's fine. Family should take care of each other."

I'd had enough, so this weekend, I ditched them and went to a fancy spa with my best friend, my phone off.

I wanted them to come and realize nobody was home.

When I turned my phone back on in the evening, dozens of missed calls from my mother-in-law, Whitley, popped up, along with a voice message.

She was fuming. "Where are you? Claire and her family are here, and no one's made dinner. What did you expect them to eat?"

I stared at the screen, and for the first time in forever, a rush of pure satisfaction coursed through me.

*****

The scent of essential oils still lingered in the air, and the warmth of the stones felt as if they had only just been lifted from my back. Every tense muscle in my body finally relaxed.

I was at my best friend's house. Curled up on Naomi Parker's couch, I sipped the juice she prepared for me. It felt as though exhaustion had been gently pulled from my body, leaving only a light, floating ease behind.

This was the first Saturday in three years that truly belonged to me.

No kitchen mess, no kids screaming, no Claire acting like everything was owed to her, and no Danny repeating, "We're family", like it solved anything.

It was nine o'clock at night before I finally pulled out my phone and turned it back on.

The moment the screen lit up and the signal came back, notifications started flooding in.

There were dozens of missed calls, and most of them were from my mother-in-law, Whitley Simmons.

Then, WhatsApp notifications started pinging nonstop.

I opened the app and saw that Whitley had bombarded me with messages.

The latest message was a voice note sent half an hour ago.

I hit play, and Whitley's anger-filled voice burst through the speaker, sharp enough to pierce my ears.

"Harper, where are you? Claire and her family are here. No one's cooking. What are they supposed to eat?" she said.

That bossy tone, the way she questioned me like I was her personal cook, was so familiar that it made my stomach turn.

I listened to the voice message again, then played it one more time, my face blank.

The anger I'd been holding in for years didn't cool down at all. If anything, it burned hotter.

A rush of satisfaction I had never felt before surged through me, racing from my feet straight to my head.

I even sneered.

Naomi handed me a slice of watermelon, raising an eyebrow at my expression. "Did things get intense?"

I handed her my phone so she could hear it.

After listening, Naomi let out a snort. "She sounds like you owe her family a fortune, and cooking is how you're supposed to pay it back."

I took my phone back, found Whitley's number, and called her right back.

The call connected almost instantly, and Whitley's roar blasted through the speaker. "Harper, where the hell have you been? You don't answer your phone all day. Who do you think you are?"

I held the phone away until she finished yelling, then spoke calmly, even to my own surprise. "I'm not home."

She said, "I know you're not home. I'm asking why. Claire and her kids are starving, waiting for you to come back and cook, and you're out having a good time, huh? Is that how you treat your family?"

"They're guests," I said, making sure to pronounce every word clearly. "If they're hungry, they can order delivery themselves."

There was a brief silence on the other end. She clearly hadn't expected that.

After a few seconds of silence, things blew up even worse.

"Delivery? Are you serious? Claire and her family come over every week. Is this how you treat your guests? You're doing this on purpose," she roared.

I held my phone, my fingers cold, her words hitting right where it hurt the most.

Yeah, I did it on purpose, but they pushed me into it after years of taking without limits.

All the times I gave in just became something they expected from me.

I took a deep breath, my tone even more determined than before. "It's Saturday. I'm taking the day off. I don't have to do this."

Whitley hung up on me in a rage.

Before I could even catch my breath, another familiar number popped up on my screen.

It was Danny.

I picked up. He sounded anxious, but mostly tired, like he just wanted to keep the peace.

He said, "Harper, where did you go? Mom is about to lose her mind. What did you say to her? We're family. Can't we just talk this through? Why does it have to turn into such a big deal?"

"Family?" I let out a sarcastic laugh with bitterness and disappointment.

My eyes welled up, and everything I'd been holding in for three years came rushing out.

I said, "Danny, is it just your mom and Claire who count as family to you? What about me? Am I just a free maid who cooks and cleans for all of you?

"Did you ever even ask me if I wanted any of this?"