Chapter 2
The wedding wrapped up at ten o'clock. Jack drove, and I sat in the passenger seat, neither of us saying a word the whole way home. When we got back, I didn't even bother changing my shoes, just went straight to the bedroom.
Looking in the mirror, my makeup was still flawless, my hair perfectly styled, but the vitality in my eyes was gone, like all my energy had been drained away.
I sat there for a while, then picked up my phone.
My phone was blowing up. Family chats, friend groups, business partner threads, my notifications were lighting up like a Christmas tree. I opened one and saw someone had sent a screenshot of Emily's social media page.
Her account named "Emma in the High Society". She got 38,000 followers, and her latest post was just forty minutes old.
[I Announced I Was Childfree at My Wedding, and My Husband's Mother Led the Applause. Now That's What a Real Family Looks Like.]
There were nine photos in the post. The first was a close-up of her holding the mic, chin raised, looking like she owned the stage.
The second was a candid shot of me clapping and smiling, captioned: [My husband's mother has seen the world, and she's got real perspective.]
The comments section was full of praise.
[You're so fierce! Marrying into a wealthy family and relying on your own strength, not just having kids, now that's a power move!]
[This is how an independent woman should be!]
[I wish my husband's mother can act like that.]
[Those relatives who kept nagging about kids just got totally roasted, lol!]
I kept scrolling, my fingers growing colder with every swipe.
I'd been schemed against before. After more than twenty years in business, I'd seen every kind of trick and betrayal. But being used as content by my own family for internet clout was a first.
When I scrolled all the way to the bottom and found that comment, I stopped.
The profile pic was a middle-aged woman, username was Serenity Seeker.
She wrote: [Honey, your husband's mother didn't build a million dollar business posting online. She's been through more than you can imagine, so don't get too pleased with yourself.]
Emily shot back, dripping with sarcasm: [Everyone, check it out, looks like we've got a salty old pickle trying to act wise.]
I stared at those words, unsure whether to laugh or lose my temper. At least somebody out there understood. It was a shame Emily would never listen.
I set my phone down, about to go wash off my makeup, when there was a knock at the bedroom door.
Alex pushed the door open, his suit jacket hanging loose, tie dangling around his neck, smelling of alcohol.
He flashed a cheeky grin and flopped down on the bed. "Mom, don't let today's drama get to you. That's just how she is. Besides..."
He leaned in, voice low and full of mischief. "With your money, there's never a shortage of grandkids, right?"
I was stunned.
He winked at me, like we were in on some private joke. "If she doesn't want to have kids, there are plenty of women out there who'd be happy to give you grandkids. No need to worry."
He said it so lightly, like he was just talking about dinner plans or where to hang out tomorrow. No resentment, no complaints, just total nonchalance.
I stared at him for a long moment.
"Are you actually serious right now?" I asked.
"Dead serious," Alex replied, getting up and tugging at his suit.
"Mom, you spent your whole life building up this family, there's no way we won't have an heir. If Emily doesn't want kids, there are plenty of other women who'd jump at the chance. It's not like I can't move on without her."
"Alex," I called out.
He turned around.
I stared into his eyes, but the words I wanted to say just wouldn't come out.
I raised this kid myself. I knew him better than anyone.
He wasn't a bad person, but honestly, he didn't care about any of this.
To him, marriage was just a game he could hit reset on whenever he wanted. If the woman didn't play along, he would just swap her out for someone who would.
Did Emily have any idea?
She thought she had the Millers eating out of her hand, and she thought she was running her own marriage. When she made that childfree announcement, she wasn't standing on principle, and she was standing on Alex being soft on her.
"It's fine," I said, waving him off. "Drive safe on your way back."
"Got it. Mom, good night," Alex replied.
The door closed behind him.
Jack came out of the bathroom and saw me sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. He walked over and sat down next to me. "What's wrong? Did Alex say something again?"
I repeated Alex's words to him, word for word.
Jack was quiet for a moment, then asked, "What are you worried about?"
"I don't know," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Honestly, after everything that happened today, I should be furious with Emily.
"I spent over a 300 thousand dollars on her wedding, invited more than three hundred people to make it a grand event, and what does she do?
"She humiliates me in front of everyone, and then uses me as material for her social media clout. But after hearing what Alex said just now, I can't help but feel a bit uneasy for her."
"For her?" Jack asked.
"Think about it. She marries into this family, humiliates her husband's parents, and walks all over his dignity. What exactly does she think she's standing on? Only that Alex is soft on her."
I paused, my voice dropping to a whisper.
"Yeah, she drives me crazy with how naive she is, but I'm a woman too. I really don't want to see a girl get strung along and left with nothing in the end.
"And honestly, I don't want Alex treating marriage like it's nothing, like he can just walk away whenever he feels like it.
"Marriage is a big deal, not something you can just swap out like a shirt. They're both still too immature, drifting through life. Maybe having a kid would help them grow up and actually settle down."
Jack put his arm around my shoulders. "You want to convince her to have a baby?"
"I just want her to see things clearly," I said, getting up and walking to the window. "The real reason she doesn't want kids is that she doesn't really trust this family.
"She's afraid a child would tie her down, afraid she'd lose her escape route. But I've always looked out for my own.
"If she's willing to bring a child into this family, I promise she'll never have to worry about being treated unfairly."
The city lights twinkled outside the window. I stood there for a moment, then picked up my phone and opened Emily's message thread. Her profile picture was her in a wedding dress, beaming with happiness.
I typed out a line.
[Emily, after you finish visiting your parents tomorrow, swing by our house. I've something to say.]