Chapter 1
My husband, Charles Sutton, grew up with his parents away, and he became a live-in son-in-law in my family. Still, he always claimed his mom loved him.
His so-called proof was that his mom crossed thousands of miles just to help me look after our kid.
I grumbled to Charles that the chicken soup tasted more and more bland, and there was barely any meat on the table anymore since his mom showed up.
Charles would always defend his mom. "Mom's making the food bland and light on purpose, so you don't get clogged milk ducts."
Then I accidentally saw a post on a local forum where Charles's mom, Linda, was openly talking about saving up money for her other two kids.
She even proudly posted that she had $5,500 saved up.
She posted: [It's my third month here, stuck taking care of this money-draining little brat. Just put away another $2,000 for my sweethearts.
[My petty son and daughter-in-law only give me $2,000 for groceries. I want to save another $60,000 for my other kids. Do I really have to keep waiting on these two for three more years?]
*****
The moment Charles saw that post, his face went ashen with embarrassment.
He always cared a lot about his dignity, especially around me. Back when I insisted on marrying him, despite my family's objections and the fact that he had nothing, he swore he'd never let me feel wronged.
Turned out, it was his own mom who made me feel this way.
Charles's hand was shaking as he gripped his phone so tightly that his knuckles were turning blue. He suddenly whirled around, stormed into the living room, and slapped his phone down hard on the coffee table.
"Mom, what is this?" he demanded.
Linda was sprawled out on the couch, munching on some snacks and littering the floor with trash. The loud smack startled her, and she squinted, leaning in to get a better look at the screen.
As soon as she recognized her own profile picture and the posts, her expression flickered, but she quickly went back to acting like nothing could faze her.
"Come on, you really believe all that crap online? Someone must've stolen my account," she scoffed.
I stood in the bedroom doorway, cradling our baby, and snorted. "Linda, you need a phone code and real-name registration to sign up for that forum. Who else could've used your phone?
"And come on, yesterday's chicken soup had only two pieces of chicken, and this morning's was just as bland. Do you really think Charles and I are idiots?"
Charles took a deep breath, holding back his anger. "Mom, I give you $2,000 every month for groceries. It's just three adults and a baby. $2,000 is more than enough for good food. Who are you saving all this money for, anyway?"
Realizing she couldn't deny it any longer, Linda threw the snacks onto the plate and started crying right away.
She cried, "What money am I saving? I'm doing it all for this family!
"You young folks don't know how to run a household, always spending like crazy. So I added some water to the chicken soup. It's not a big deal. It's not like you can't drink it.
"All the nutrients are in the broth anyway, and drinking more water means you'll make more breast milk."
Charles snorted in disbelief, his anger barely contained. "Mom, this isn't about watering down the soup. Those were leftovers. Nydia's still in her postpartum recovery. You seriously expect her to eat leftovers?"
Linda snapped back, chin jutting out. "What's wrong with leftovers? Back in my hometown, I've eaten stuff that was way past its prime, even sour ones. Why's she acting all spoiled?"
"That was then. I'm giving you money now!" Charles yelled.
Linda was stunned for a second, and then she burst into tears, slapping her thighs for dramatic effect. "Oh, my life is so miserable!
"I came all this way to take care of my daughter-in-law after childbirth, and now my own son is yelling at me. What's the point of living anymore?"
I just watched her drama unfold with a cold stare. I'd seen this scene play out more times than I could count.
Charles ignored her drama, eyes fixed on her. "Where's the money? What happened to all the cash you saved?"
Linda's crying came to an abrupt halt, and she started dodging his stare. "I-I'm just saving it."
"Saving it for who?" Charles demanded.
She fumbled for words and then finally muttered under her breath, "For Jessica's dowry."
The living room fell into a heavy silence.
Charles looked like he'd just been hit with the punchline of the world's cruelest joke. He staggered back a couple of steps, totally floored.
"You're saving up for Jessica's dowry? Are you seriously taking the money that's supposed to help my wife recover after giving birth, just to stash it away for my sister's dowry?" he blurted out.
Now that everything was out in the open, Linda stopped pretending. She wiped away her tears and shot back, "Why can't I? Jessica's your own sister. She's about to settle down. How's she supposed to do that without some money?
"Nydia's family is loaded, and she's their only kid. The house, the car, all of it will be hers sooner or later. She's got everything, but Jessica's got nothing. As her big brother, aren't you supposed to look out for her?"
Honestly, I almost burst out laughing from how mad I was.
Classic "I'm pitiful, so I get to be right" move.
Charles just stood there, like he'd been completely drained of all strength.
I could tell her words hit him right in his sore spot.