13

13

I retaliated on the spot, refusing to let myself be wronged.

My mother-in-law backed down.

The FaceTime call fell silent.

I hauled that oil painting myself and shoved it in the storage room, instantly brightening my mood considerably.

"Is this how you usually talk to my mom?"

Henry Smith suddenly messaged me, attaching a screenshot.

I opened the screenshot and saw it was my retorts to my mother-in-law from earlier.

She had only captured my responses, not including her own words.

"What? Did she run to tattle on me to you already?"

I thought she had given up, but apparently she was just gearing up for a bigger move.

"She says you gave her high blood pressure from stress."

Through the screen, I couldn't gauge Henry Smith's emotions, unsure if he was angry or calm.

"So? After seeing what I said, are you upset too?"

I was more concerned about his thoughts.

The chat window remained quiet for a moment.

Perhaps Henry Smith was still busy and couldn't reply immediately.