Ruby's POV
My mom paused halfway through serving the rice. Her smile stiffened.
My mother-in-law lifted her eyelids, grabbed a piece of braised pork, and chewed twice before grimacing.
“This meat is so tough. Completely overcooked. It’s like chewing on wood. No offense, in-law, but your cooking really needs improvement. Our Declan has a sensitive stomach. He can’t handle food like this.”
Watching her pick apart every dish on the table, I remembered what she and Declan had said earlier in the bedroom, and I felt my temper flare in an instant.
I set my bowl down on the table with a sharp, crisp sound and said, “If you want to eat, then eat. If you don’t, then don’t touch it. No one begged you to. If you think it’s too oily, there’s water over there. Go rinse it yourself. And if you think the meat is too tough, then buy your own tomorrow and cook it the way you like.”
My mother-in-law clearly didn’t expect me to fire back. She froze for a moment before turning to Declan, who was still silently shoveling food into his mouth.
“Declan! Look at your wife! Is that how she talks to me? Can’t I even say a word now? I’m doing this for your own good!” she complained.
Declan quickly looked up, putting on his usual peacemaker face. He tugged lightly at my arm and reasoned, “Ruby, just stop. Mom means well.”
Seeing his fake concern made my stomach twist.
Means well? What she had was not kindness. It was deep-rooted contempt dressed up as concern.
I ignored his attempt to smooth things over and looked straight at him. “Declan, when exactly is the property management office going to fix the elevator card situation? My mom can’t keep climbing eight floors forever. What did they say today?”
A flicker of panic flashed across his face, but he slipped back into his innocent act immediately. He then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and cooed, “Honey, why bring this up again? Well, I asked after work today. The manager said the system’s still being tested. A ton of residents complained lately. They said we just need to wait at most… a week. Definitely fixed by then.”
“A week?” I brushed his hand off and let out a cold laugh. “My mom comes here three or four times a week, and we live on the eighth floor. That’s sixteen flights of stairs each visit. Her knee still hurts from her old injury. How exactly is she supposed to ‘wait’?”
My mother-in-law jumped in, her tone full of sarcasm. “What’s wrong with climbing stairs? It’s good exercise! Our generation went through so much worse. I’m sure your mom isn’t that delicate.”
Despite that, I ignored her and kept my eyes on Declan. Then, suddenly, I shifted the conversation. “Since the property management office can’t solve this anytime soon, let’s do this instead. Your mom’s elevator card works perfectly, doesn’t it? And she doesn’t come often. So, why don’t we let my mom use your mom’s card for now? And when your mom wants to visit, well… climbing stairs once in a while is good exercise too, right?”
The entire dining room went dead silent.
My mother-in-law’s eyes flew wide open. “Absolutely not! Why should my card go to her? I’m supposed to climb stairs just to see my own son? Ruby, what are you trying to say?”
Declan’s expression darkened. Clearly, he hadn’t expected me to turn the tables.
Before he could speak, my mother-in-law slammed her hand onto the table and shot to her feet, pointing straight at my face. “No! Absolutely not! Let me tell you, Ruby. Don’t even think about it! My card is mine! No one touches it!”
Declan rushed to hold her back while shooting me warning looks. “Ruby, what nonsense are you talking about? How can we use Mom’s card? Property rules say one card per person. You can’t just give it away!”
Watching the two of them panic like they were protecting a national treasure, I felt the last sliver of hope inside me burn out completely.
