Chapter 2
Charles's relationship with his family was always strained.
He grew up with his grandparents.
His parents, eager for a second child, shipped Charles off to their hometown right after he was weaned, while they took the twins born after him to the town to run a small business.
Back then, Charles wore his relatives' cast-off clothes and lived off whatever his grandparents could spare. His younger brother and sister, on the other hand, got to wear brand-new outfits, eat good food, and be pampered by their parents.
It wasn't until Charles got into a top university and started making something of himself that his parents suddenly remembered they even had an eldest son.
When we got married, it was just the two of us. There was no house, no car, nothing fancy.
My parents, worried about me, paid for this three-bedroom apartment in full and put it under my name. Charles was flat broke at the time.
He even had to borrow money just to cover the betrothal gifts, and it took him two whole years after we got married to pay it back.
And what did his parents say back then?
They said, "Our business tanked, so we really can't put up any money. Since the Jackson family is loaded, just let our son be their live-in son-in-law."
They didn't pay a single cent and didn't even bother to come to our wedding. Their excuse was that Jessica had an exam and just couldn't get away.
But after hearing I had a baby, Linda swooped in, loaded down with bags.
She said she was here to take care of me, but that was not true. Now that Charles had made it in the city and we had this big house, she was just here to cash in on our success.
Charles looked at Linda, his voice hoarse. "Mom, did you ever give me a single cent growing up? I won't even get into that. Now I'm married, living in Nydia's place, and relying on her parents' support.
"And you still want to take what's hers just to support Jessica?"
Linda's face darkened as she pointed at him, snapping, "You ungrateful brat! You came out of my belly, so whatever you have is mine. Besides, whose last name does your kid take? Yours? No, it's Nydia's!
"Since she's taking her mom's last name, she's just an outsider. Why should she be entitled to our Sutton family's money?"
That was what she really meant deep down.
Back when we got married, since Charles was a live-in son-in-law and my parents paid for the house and car, we'd already settled that our first kid would take my last name.
His parents had to swallow their pride and accept it. After all, they hadn't put up a single cent, so they had no leg to stand on.
Now that the baby turned out to be a girl with the Jackson family's last name, all her calculations went up in smoke.
"Mom, doesn't matter what her last name is. Ava's still my daughter, and she's your granddaughter," Charles argued.
"Give me a break!" Linda snapped, jumping up and jabbing her finger at the crib in the bedroom. "Her last name is Jackson, so she's one of them. She won't be carrying on the Sutton family line.
"You want me to take care of some outsider and spend my own money on her? No way! I should be saving every cent for Jessica and Eric. They're my real flesh and blood."
Charles was shaking with rage. "Oh, so she's an outsider, huh? Then you can leave now. Go back to your hometown and stay with your precious son and daughter!"
As soon as Linda heard she was being kicked out, she flopped down on the floor and started her classic tantrum routine.
She yelled, "Oh, poor me! My son doesn't listen to me anymore. He got married, and now he doesn't care about his own mother. How am I supposed to live like this?
"I've worked myself to the bone here, and now they're throwing me out. I might as well drop dead right here!"
She wailed, but kept sneaking glances at us out of the corner of her eye.
Back in the day, Charles would've probably given in, either out of guilt or just not wanting to cause a scene.
But this time, he didn't.
Instead, he calmed down.
He said, "Mom, since you want to settle the score, let's do the math.
"In the two months you've been here, I've handed you $4,000 for groceries. All the bills, the gas, the property fees, and even the baby formula were covered by me.
"You barely spend 20 bucks a day on food, so where did the rest go? Straight into your own pocket, right?"
Linda's wailing cut off instantly, her eyes going wide as she stared at Charles.
"You... You actually kept track of all that?" she stammered.
Charles just shook his head. "Mom, don't treat me like an idiot."
I walked over.
I said, "Linda, if you want to go, I'm not stopping you. I'll buy your ticket right now. But you need to hand that money over. That was meant for my daughter's formula, not for Jessica's dowry."
Linda's face went from pale to ashen, and finally she stopped the drama, scrambled to her feet, and brushed herself off.
She said, "I'm not leaving! Why should I? This is my son's house. I'm staying put! Let's see if you can make me leave," she said defiantly.
She was clearly planning to dig in her heels and refuse to budge.