fiction
Three days after our courthouse wedding, my mother-in-law hosted a “welcome to the family” dinner in her Georgetown townhouse. I woke before dawn, bought ingredients with my own money, and spent six hours cooking braised short ribs, soup, vegetables, and homemade rolls for people who already thought I was beneath them. Then my sister-in-law Calliope ordered expensive seafood, shoved my food aside, and whined that the crab platter was too far away. My mother-in-law turned to me in front of everyone and snapped, “A daughter-in-law serves the family. Didn’t your mother teach you anything?” My husband stared at his napkin. That was when I picked up the tray of meat I had cooked all morning, walked to the trash, dumped it in, and said, “Are Calliope’s hands broken?” Then I packed my suitcase and went back to my mother’s house. Days later, I discovered they had not only wanted my obedience. They wanted my home. / Chapter 13 / 15

Chapter 13 - The Kitchen Window

By the time Julian and I walked back out to the truck, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky over Washington in shades of bruised purple and burning gold.

"You okay?" Julian asked as he opened my door.

"I'm better than okay," I said, sliding into the passenger seat and letting the warm heater air hit my face. "Let's go home."

"Home," he smiled, putting the truck into gear. "Sounds good to me. What’s for dinner?"

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