3: 3
Remembering all of that from my past life, I looked at my husband.
"Winning heart with heart is a fine thing to say. But put your hand on your chest and tell me. I've already given everything. Has your mother ever once been sincere with me?"
"What am I supposed to do to satisfy her?"
"Jayden, how do my parents treat you? Don't they treat you like their own son?"
"Both sets of parents, and yet why such a difference when it comes to an outsider who isn't blood family?"
I hadn't even finished speaking.
Every gaze in the room had already swung to my mother-in-law.
Heads shook, one after another.
Their eyes were full of contempt.
The two sisters, who had been sitting there acting like none of it was their business, couldn't stay in their seats anymore.
They came over.
Smiling, apologetic.
"Our mom isn't a bad person. She just speaks a little bluntly. What mother-in-law doesn't love her daughter-in-law? Of course she has to."
"Right. If our mom treated you badly once you're part of the family, I'd be the first one against it."
The whole time her daughters were saying this, Kathryn kept a cold face.
The corner of my mouth curved up slightly.
"You two shouldn't say that. You can't force these things. If she doesn't want to accept me, then I'll just go. I won't hold it against her."
A lot of people in the room couldn't take it anymore.
They started calling out how far Kathryn had gone.
As for me, I'd said what I needed to say, so it was as good a time as any to leave.
Seeing me turn to go, Kathryn's expression changed.
After all, she'd set out to put me in my place from the start, and she'd never expected that instead of going along with it, I'd walk out.
If I left, what would that make her?
So her mouth crumpled, and the tears came.
"It's all my fault. I'm the bad one, I'm the wicked mother-in-law, I'll leave. That works now, doesn't it?"
With that, she made a show of getting up to go.
Jayden panicked and grabbed her.
"Mom, you can't leave!"
Then he turned on me.
"My mother's already like this. What more do you want?"
"Apologize, now!"
"If you dare walk out, you'll never set foot in the Gilbert house again."
Calmly, I said, "Goodbye."
And I walked straight out of the hall.
