Chapter 3

The next afternoon, I sat on the living room sofa, waiting for Emily. The coffee table was set with freshly washed strawberries and cherries, and in the kitchen, a pot of chicken soup was simmering away.

Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the whole living room shine, but no matter how bright it was, I just couldn't shake the heaviness in my chest, and it felt like a stone pressing down on me.

At 2:40, the doorbell rang.

Emily came alone. She was wearing a white hoodie and jeans, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail, looking neat and effortlessly youthful.

Emily called out, "Grace, I'm here."

"Come, have a seat," I said, patting the spot next to me on the sofa. "Where's Alex?"

"He just dropped me off and took off, said he had some stuff to handle at the office," Emily said, settling in at an angle from me and propping one leg over the other. "So, Grace, what's this about?"

I poured her a cup of coffee and handed it over. She took it and set it down on the coffee table, but didn't take a sip.

"Emily," I said, gathering my thoughts and keeping my tone gentle, "I don't blame you for what happened at the wedding yesterday. Young people have their own ideas, and I understand that."

Her lips twitched, but she didn't say anything.

"But there are some things I want to talk to you about," I said, meeting her eyes. "Are you two really going childfree? Not even considering just one?"

"Yes," Emily replied firmly, without hesitation. "Alex and I talked it through, we've decided, no kids."

"Talked it through? Or was it just your decision?" I asked.

Emily paused for a moment, then smiled, a bit defensively. "Come on, that's not really fair. Of course we made the decision together."

I didn't call her out. Alex was my son, and I knew him inside out. If he'd truly meant to be childfree, he wouldn't have been joking about baby names two months earlier.

"Emily, hear me out," I said, leaning forward, my tone sincere. "I'm not some old-school mom, and I'm not here to pressure you into having a grandkid just for me.

"But you really do need to think this through. A marriage isn't a short-term arrangement, and it's meant to last. When you're young you can get by on feelings alone, but later on..."

"Grace," Emily cut me off, her tone laced with a kind of condescending pity. "Do you really think a marriage can't last without kids?

"Honestly, Grace, I think it's pretty tragic. Your generation grew up believing that a woman has to have kids, that without them, she's not whole, and she can't hold onto a man. That's why you think Alex and I can't be happy without children."

I was stunned.

Emily kept going, her voice steady, almost like she was reciting a script. "But Grace, times have changed. Marriage is about love, respect, and a genuine bond between two people, not just having a kid to tie them together.

"If you need a child just to keep your marriage together, then something's already off. Don't you think so?"

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't think of anything to say.

Everything she said sounded right. Love, respect, soulmates, anyone would agree with that. But something still felt off.

Was marriage really just about those things? Could two people really spend fifty or sixty years under the same roof, dealing with all the little hassles and messes of daily life, and expect "soulmates" to be enough to hold it all together?

But I knew better than to argue with her. Emily was educated, sharp-tongued, and always had some fancy new buzzwords ready to go. I never stood a chance against her in an argument.

So I tried a different angle.

"Emily, maybe you have a point. But I'm not here to talk about big theories, let's just be practical."

I softened my voice. "If you're willing to have a baby, you won't have to worry about a single thing.

"I'll find you the best maternity care center in town, and you can rest for as long as you need after the baby comes.

"I'll hire three helpers, one for cooking, one for the baby, and one for housework. You just focus on having the baby, and I'll handle everything else. Your job, your life, not even a little bit will be affected."

I looked at her, fully expecting her to at least hesitate for a moment.

But her face changed instantly.

"Grace," Emily said, setting her cup down on the coffee table with a sharp clink. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to make a deal with me? Do you really think just because you can pay, my womb is for sale?"

My head was buzzing.

"That's not what I meant, " I blurted out.

"Oh, that's exactly what you meant," Emily snapped, her smile icy, just like the one she wore on stage yesterday.

"The best maternity center, nannies, postpartum helpers, and you think if you throw all that at me, I should fall over myself with gratitude and agree?

"Grace, wake up. I'm not some baby machine. I didn't join the Miller Family for your money, and I'm not here to pop out heirs for you. I married Alex, the person, not your family."

I wanted to ask her what she thought marriage was, and whether she'd ever actually tried living with the man, because she'd humiliated him at his own wedding and then gone home and posted about it.

But I kept my mouth shut. I knew it wouldn't make a difference. Emily was set in her ways, and no matter what I said, it would just be wasted breath.

There was a moment of silence.

"Alright," I said, leaning back on the couch, my voice calm. "Since you've thought it all through, I won't interfere anymore. Your life is yours to live."

"Thanks for getting it, Grace," Emily said as she stood up and grabbed her phone. "I'm heading out now."

"Take a bowl of chicken soup with you. I made it this morning," I said.

"No, thanks. I don't drink that, it's got too much purine, not good for me," Emily replied.

She walked out right after. The door closed softly, but her comment about purine kept echoing in my head.

I sat on the couch, staring at the untouched cup of coffee on the coffee table, just zoning out for ages.

Jack came out of the study, noticed I looked upset, and sat down next to me. "How did it go?"

"It fell apart," I said.

"So, what exactly went wrong?" Jack asked.

I told him what happened, more or less. Jack just snorted. "Reasoning with her is useless. Her generation gets all their logic from the internet, and you can't outtalk her."

"That's not what I meant," I said, rubbing my temples. "I'm talking about what she said at the end, the maternity center, the nannies, all that stuff.

"She made it sound like I was trying to buy her womb. Jack, do you think I really messed up? Maybe I shouldn't have brought any of that up?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, then said, "You didn't do anything wrong. You're a mother, and you just want them to be happy. If she can't see that, that's her problem, not yours."