Just because I gave birth to a daughter, my mother-in-law's whole family looked down on me. Not only did they hand over the house I'd paid for in full with my own family's money as a wedding suite for my brother-in-law, they also pressured me to cough up a hundred and eighty-eight thousand in bridal money so he could get married.
My husband's "adopted sister" deliberately picked a fight, and instead of taking my side, he called me difficult and told me to stop making trouble.
My husband's whole family treated me like a soft persimmon they could squeeze however they liked. They had no idea who I really was.
I dialed the number of a CEO's mother. "Mom, I want a divorce. And I want to ruin this whole nest of them."
1
The day I was discharged after my C-section, Homer Fox held me up the whole way, all gentle care and concern.
It warmed something in me. My mother-in-law might favor sons over daughters and be sharp-tongued and overbearing, but at least my husband was steady. We'd get by.
Then I pushed open the front door and froze.
Cardboard boxes covered the living room floor. My vanity had been shoved into a corner, and two thousand-dollar bottles of designer serum lay smashed to bits.
The words came out before I could think. "What happened here?"
Homer's eyes darted away. He said nothing.
Just then, a man and a woman's voices drifted out from the master bedroom.
"Adrian Fox, look at this leather bed. It's a hundred times better than our rental!"
"Of course. This is my brother's place. It'll be our wedding suite. Once we're married, we'll swap everything out for stuff we like."
Adrian?
That freeloading brother-in-law, mid-twenties and still lazing around off his family?
I pushed through the pain in my incision and hurried to the master bedroom. The second I opened the door, my vision went black and I nearly fell.
There was a bleached-blond woman sitting on my marriage bed, and Adrian was crouched on the floor pulling apart my closet, my clothes flung all over the place.
The room was wrecked, like it had just been robbed.
"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.
The woman glanced at me and said, offhand, "So you're the wife, huh?"
"Didn't Mom tell you? Adrian and I are getting married next week. We're moving in early to get settled."
I clutched my stomach. The anger made the incision throb harder. "This is my house!"
Adrian looked completely unbothered. "Once you marry into the Fox family, you're one of us. Your house is the family's house."
"My wedding's a big deal. What's the problem with the woman marrying my brother giving up a place?"
The blond woman curled her lip. "You wouldn't want us getting married without a proper home, would you?"
"Besides, you only had a girl. Sooner or later it'll be up to Adrian and me to carry on the Fox line."
I whipped around to face Homer, jaw clenched. "Homer, what is going on here?"
He tried to soothe me. "My little brother's getting married next week. The bride's family wants a house. Mom really had no other choice."
"Just let them stay a few days. After the wedding they'll move out—"
I pointed at the mess covering the floor, my voice shaking with fury. "They threw out all my things and tore apart my closet. This is staying a few days?"
Adrian's face soured. "Now that's harsh coming from you."
"We're all family here. Besides, you just gave birth, the spare room's easier for you anyway. The master faces the sun, which is better for my girl."
"She's pregnant. We have to be careful with her."
I laughed, furious. "Better for her? What about me?"
"I just got out of the hospital after a C-section and I don't need to rest? My newborn doesn't need a sunny room?"
Just then my mother-in-law, Patricia Chavez, walked in and pointed the blame at me. "You're a woman who's already had a baby. Since when are you so fussy?"
"Adrian's wedding is the most important thing this family has going on. You're the sister-in-law here — you should make allowances."
"What does it matter where you sleep? Just make do."
