Chapter 5

The sun had barely risen when my mother-in-law arrived at our house.

She peeked in at my husband, who was resting while holding our daughter, and couldn't help but criticize me again: "He finally gets a day off, and you're making him work this hard."

I looked at my mother-in-law and suddenly asked her, "Mom, didn't you and Dad divorce because he didn't help around the house?"

My mother-in-law glared at me and said, "Are you comparing yourself to me? I was out there earning money, while you're just staying at home with the kid!"

Tears started to fall from my eyes involuntarily: "Right, because I had a baby, I can't earn money, so I deserve to take care of the child all by myself!"

Hearing the commotion, Garrison came over and put his arm around my shoulder: "Mom, didn't we agree not to talk about money? I'm here to take care of everything!"

My mother-in-law, who was strong-willed in her youth and raised her son alone, had just retired from a leadership position and always seemed to disapprove of me.

But every time, Garrison would unconditionally take my side, which only made the conflict between us grow stronger.

My mother-in-law glared at me angrily and said, "Fine, I won't say another word. But she'll at least cook the Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow, right?"

Garrison gently guided his mother-in-law to the couch, smiling as he said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'm here, aren't I?"

After saying this, he turned to me with a playful wink, just like he always did, ready to have my back.

The tenderness in his eyes wasn't deceitful, and the words he used to placate his mom were for my benefit. Every little thing he did showcased his love for me.

This was a crucial reason why, despite the stark difference in our families' social standings, we'd been able to coexist peacefully since our marriage.

With him acting as a constant buffer between us, my life after marrying him hadn't been too difficult to bear.

Though he seemed like an unattainable peak to me, he had brought me along and integrated me into his world.

After calming my mother-in-law down, Garrison headed to the kitchen to whip up a few of his specialty dishes. I leaned against the doorway, watching him.

He glanced back at me, wiped his hands on his apron, and walked over. "What's wrong, Faye? Did Mom's words upset you? Don't take it to heart!"

Gazing into his handsome eyes, I asked, "Garrison, do you truly love me?"

His hand traced my face, coming to rest by my ear. "What are you talking about? If I didn't love you, why would I have moved heaven and earth to marry you?"

His gaze was so sincere, it reminded me of when my mother-in-law disapproved of our marriage, punishing him by making him kneel on the ground while she viciously struck his back with a wooden stick.

Blood seeped through his shirt, staining it red, but he endured it without making a sound.

Finally, his mom's heart softened, and she threw the stick away. Ignoring his pain, he pulled me into his arms, shouting, "Mom agreed, she agreed!"

His past words and actions flashed before my eyes like a movie. How could I possibly forget?

As I was pushed to sit at the table, watching Garrison holding our daughter with one arm while serving me food with the other, I suddenly felt my heart soften.

Perhaps I should give him another chance.

On Christmas Eve, just as he began to busy himself, he received a phone call that instantly made him incredibly excited.

He said to his mother, "Mom, there's something important I need to do. I have to go out for a bit."

He didn't even have time to say much to me, just grabbed a coat and rushed out of the house.

I looked down at my phone, and Vivienne's message popped up: "A New Year's gift, are you excited?"

Attached was a photo of two lines!

She was pregnant!

My hand slipped, and my phone fell to the floor with a thud.

The daughter's cries and the mother-in-law's angry shouts simultaneously pierced my eardrums.

I couldn't care about anything else. I tried to pick up my phone to confront my husband, to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing.

Was he planning to support two women and two children at the same time?

But my hands were shaking so much that I couldn't make the call. Suddenly, I received a call from an unknown number.

"I'm Vivienne's husband. There's quite a show going on. Want to watch it together?"