Chapter 2

My mother-in-law's words brought the neighbors and relatives running, and once they'd gotten the story straight, every one of them turned to glare at me.

"Look at her, what a shameless woman. All she's got on her mind is what happens in bed. Your husband takes care of your engorgement for you and you still throw a fit?"

"Let's be real. Your lochia hasn't even cleared out yet, your husband didn't go find some other woman, he still cherishes you this much, and you're not counting your blessings?"

"I heard Clyde even put up money to pull her through her bankruptcy scare. She kicks up a fuss over one little thing and demands a divorce. If that's not biting the hand that feeds you, what is?"

Wade Summers spoke up, his voice cold. "If we'd known you were this kind of woman, we never would've let Clyde marry you!"

At that, Clyde's tears came dropping down like a string of pearls snapped loose.

"Willow, before you had the baby, I worried over your company, brought in plenty of clients for you."

"After you gave birth, I took good care of you too. During your recovery, when the baby cried, I was the one who soothed her. You lay in bed on your phone, and I still brought you your supplements and fed them to you!"

"I only asked you to nurse Wade's boy because I didn't want you suffering from the engorgement! His wife doesn't produce much milk. What's wrong with that?"

Everyone else was furious hearing it.

"Willow, you're failing as a wife."

"When I had my baby, my husband looked after me the same way Clyde does, every little thing. When I got engorged, he thought up plenty of ways to help me too."

I gave a cold little laugh. "It's the bystanders who can't see straight. None of you even know what happened, and here you are pointing fingers at me?"

"Clyde, come to the county clerk's office tomorrow. I'll be waiting."

And with that I turned to go.

Only Wade Summers grabbed me.

"You little slut, you want a divorce over something this small? Screw you!"

He swung a fist at me.

I'd nursed his son, and to stick up for Clyde he actually hit me?

I never saw it coming. The blow left blood streaming from my nose.

Wade's wife, Mick Lawrence, came at me too, ready to throw a punch.

"Don't!" Clyde hurried over, pushed them back, and dabbed at my face with a tissue, aching over me. "Honey, look at her, our daughter's only a few months old, and you can just bring yourself to leave the two of us?"

The daughter in his arms saw me and babbled and laughed, sweet as anything.

I let out a sigh. "Let's get divorced."

"You've definitely got someone on the side. Mick, don't hold me back, I'm going to beat her to death!"

Wade fought to lunge at me, and Mick held him back with everything he had.

Then Mick said, "Willow, honey, if you're angry because you nursed my son, then Wade and I will just take him home. We were thinking about switching him to formula anyway."

"You and Clyde make things work between you, alright?"

The people around us nodded in approval.

"Now that's how a good woman should act!"

"She's putting her son on formula, so from now on Clyde will drink it off for you. Are you still going to divorce him?"

"Back when your company hit trouble, Clyde gave you money, even landed clients and boosted your numbers. Where are you going to find a husband this good?"

One after another they urged us to make peace.

But I stared at Clyde, my face dark. "We really can't go on. Let's call it quits, clean and even."

At that, the crowd exploded, calling me lower than an animal, saying all I knew how to do was cry and carry on, that I wasn't fit to live a decent quiet life.

Clyde wiped at his tears, eyes red from crying.

"Honey, they've already said we don't have to nurse their son anymore. Can't you just not divorce me?"

He stepped up, reached out and put his arms around me, and murmured low, "To make it up to you, from now on I'll drink off the extra milk myself. Alright?"

My face went hot, and a wave of nausea rose in me. I shoved him off hard. "Can you just stop acting?"