Chapter 3

I waved a hand.

"She's my daughter-in-law. Of course I have to be good to her."

"You tell her to go for it, and not to hold back. Mom's got her back."

Later, the restaurant opened.

That day, my daughter-in-law was so happy she could barely hold back tears, and she said she was going to make something of herself.

Seeing her back on her feet again, I was glad for her from the bottom of my heart.

To support her business, every day I paid out of my own pocket to bring people in to eat.

For one thing, it was to help her build up a customer base.

For another, it was to help bring in more business.

So even when the restaurant ran discounts and promotions, I never took part.

I always paid full price, down to the last cent, and sometimes I even left a little something extra on top.

I didn't care about anything else. I just wanted to support my daughter-in-law's business.

As long as she was happy, I was willing to do whatever it took.

But I never dreamed all I'd get in return were cold looks.

Once the restaurant got on its feet, her attitude toward me got worse by the day.

Not only did she never so much as greet me, but the service got slower, and the portions got smaller and smaller.

I saw it all, and it broke my heart.

More than that, I couldn't understand it.

I honestly couldn't figure out where I'd gone wrong.

How had the daughter-in-law who'd once been as close to me as my own daughter become like this?

I was still thinking about it when I passed a fruit stand.

I'd noticed she'd been staying up late every night, poring over the books and complaining that her eyes were always dry and tired.

I hesitated for a moment before going in and buying some blueberries.

People online said they were good for the eyes.

We were family, after all. Even with the hurt still sitting heavy in my chest, I still wanted the best for her.

Once I got home, I washed the blueberries carefully, one by one, and put them in the fridge.

I figured she could have some when she got home that night, to help with her tired eyes.

But by the next day, not a single blueberry had been touched.

Thinking she hadn't noticed, I made a point of reminding her.

"Marcella, I bought you blueberries to help with your eyes. Remember to eat some."

She just shot me a cold look and said only one thing.

"Save the fake kindness."

And with that, she walked out without even looking back.

Over the next two days, my daughter-in-law's attitude toward me grew colder than ever.

She'd rather go hungry than eat the breakfast I made.

The fruit I bought, she'd let it sit before she'd even touch it.

At home, the moment I sat in the living room, she locked herself in her room, unwilling to spend another second around me.

When I brought people to the restaurant to support her business, she wouldn't so much as give me a decent look, and even went straight to her social media account with some thinly veiled jab.

"Some people just won't quit haunting you. Sickening to look at."

I stared at that post, and thought again of how she'd been deliberately keeping me at arm's length.

My chest felt so tight I could hardly breathe, and I kept looking for a chance to talk things out with her.

But the moment I came near, she'd turn and walk off, never giving me the chance to say a word.

Living under the same roof, having her freeze me out like this day after day, was tearing me apart.

I held it in for days, until finally I couldn't take it anymore, and while my daughter-in-law was in the shower, I went to my son.

"Russ, be straight with your mom. Does Marcella have some kind of problem with me?"

My son looked startled.

"How could that be, Mom? Everybody knows Marcella's always treated you like her own mother."

"You two used to be as close as a real mother and daughter. Don't you remember?"

It was precisely because I remembered.

That I found it so strange.

"But lately she's clearly going out of her way to avoid me, and the way she looks at me, it's like I'm her enemy."

"When I try to talk to her, she can't even be bothered to answer."

My son sighed, and said helplessly.