Chapter 2

After that slap, Sharon looked ready to kill me right there in the house.

Luckily, I was fast enough to get out before things got worse.

I wandered around the park aimlessly for a while, trying to clear my head before going back to discuss the divorce.

I loved Charles, I really did. But what he said today broke something in me that couldn't be fixed.

I turned the corner near the park exit, and there they were—Charles and Sharon, huddled together.

He said, "Mom, what are we gonna do? That bitch Mary isn't pregnant, and Rachel's belly is still flat too. We'll make Mary leave with nothing. That bitch, that useless hen."

Sharon patted his hand. "Don't be stupid. Why would you divorce her? I heard her family's loaded, so I'm gonna find some folk remedies to get her pregnant.

"If she doesn't have a baby, how are we supposed to control her? How are we gonna face that bitch's family? If you ask me, marrying into our family is Mary's blessing, but her family still doesn't want it. They have no vision."

Charles rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming with calculation. "Mom, you're right. Get all those home remedies ready, and once Mary gives birth, we'll kick her to the curb.

"Oh, and we need to figure out how to squeeze some money out of her family. I mean, if it wasn't for the cash, who'd want to sleep with that cold fish? Makes me sick."

*****

Nausea rolled through me, and I clutched the tree, dry heaving.

The man I'd loved for three years was absolute trash.

Three years ago, I'd ignored my mother, Amanda Summers, and everyone in Summersville. I married Charles anyway, convinced I was choosing love.

I thought I was marrying my soulmate. I was walking into hell.

Summersville was different—only women lived there.

Every member of the Summers family was expected to bring back a man by the age of twenty, for breeding.

In Summersville, men were the ones who got pregnant and gave birth.

And right then, an idea hit me.

Charles wanted a baby so badly.

Fine. He could carry it himself.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the number I hadn't called in three years. "Hey, Mom. I promise—I'll bring Charles home this week."

Amanda's voice dripped with sarcasm on the other end, but then my sister, Luna Summers. grabbed the phone from her.

She tore into me. "I told you already—men are all trash. You didn't believe me, and now look at you. Finally learned your lesson?"

I apologized over and over until they finally calmed down.

They said they'd get everything ready and that I could bring Charles home this week.

I hung up and dug my nails so deeply into my palm that they left marks.

Charles, you brought this on yourself.

Three hours later, Sharon and Charles came home.

Charles was carrying a little cake, and he slid onto his knees in front of me with this dramatic, lovesick look on his face. "Babe, couples fight—it's normal. Don't just throw around the word 'divorce,' okay? It really hurts me."

He grabbed my hand and used it to dab at his reddened eyes. "Look, honey, I've been crying for three whole hours. My eyes are all swollen. Don't you feel bad for me at all?

"We've been married for three years, and I still haven't met your mom. And now you wanna divorce me? Do you even have a heart?"

I smiled and squeezed his hand back. "You're right. It's my fault. I shouldn't have mentioned divorce. For the baby's sake, I should try harder.

"You just said you wanted to meet my mom, right? Well, you can meet her this week."

Charles and Sharon both froze, and their eyes lit up with poorly hidden excitement.

For three years, they'd asked to meet my family over and over.

And for three years, I'd found excuses to say no.

Sharon's face crinkled with her smile, and she rushed toward the bedroom to start packing.

I grabbed her arm and smiled sweetly. "Sharon, this time Charles and I will go alone. I'll bring you next time, okay?"

Sharon looked like she was about to blow up, so I let my expression go cold.

I said, "I barely managed to convince my mom about this. She knows I've failed three IVF rounds, and she's worried sick. She says she's got this old remedy back home, and she wants me and Charles to come try it."

I picked up my phone. "If you really want to go that badly, I can call Amanda and explain the situation. Though I can't promise she won't change her mind."

Sharon grabbed my arm and forced out this weird half-smile. "What are you even saying, Mary? I'm not going, okay? I won't go.

"I'll pack Charles' things right now, and you two can head back and have a good trip. That remedy thing—Charles doesn't need to drink it too, right? You're the one who's pregnant, so let's not put him through all that trouble."

Yeah, right. Putting Charles through trouble was exactly the point.

They were wound up all night long.

I got up to use the bathroom around midnight, and I could still hear them scheming away in the study.

They were plotting how Charles could play the perfect husband and win Amanda over.

And then squeeze some serious money out of her.

I nodded to myself, satisfied. The perfect husband act? Well, that meant we wouldn't have to lift a finger.