Chapter 2

Murray didn't dare move again.

He knew me too well.

When it came to my daughter, I was capable of anything.

He held both hands up and forced out a smile.

"Honey, just calm down first."

"We can talk this through."

His older sister huddled behind him and threw the father-in-law question at me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"We're all family. Is there any need to make it this scary?"

I gripped the scissors tighter. My voice went colder.

"I'm perfectly calm right now."

"And I know exactly what I'm doing."

Murray started coaxing me.

"Look, when we get home, we'll buy Emma plenty of presents."

I looked at him, and the disappointment only grew.

"You still don't get where the problem is."

His smile faded, and irritation took its place.

"Honey, will you quit acting up?"

"Put the scissors down first. If someone actually gets hurt, it's no good for anyone."

As he spoke, he reached out to snatch them.

I slashed twice through the air, and the blades grazed the tips of his fingers.

"I'm not playing games with any of you."

He flinched back, his face going white.

He valued his own skin too much to come any closer.

His older sister muttered under her breath beside him.

"She's a real lunatic..."

"Let's go. Stay away from this crazy woman."

She grabbed the three kids and pulled them toward the door.

I shut it fast and turned the lock.

Then I turned around and went back to packing.

Booking the flight, I felt completely calm inside.

Getting angry with this family wasn't worth it.

Once I finished, I leaned in to check the peephole.

The hallway was empty.

So I grabbed my suitcase and opened the door.

The elevator doors had barely opened when my mother-in-law came storming out at me.

"Where do you think you're going with that suitcase? Trying to go home?"

"We finally get the whole family out on a trip, and you're the one ruining it!"

Ruining it?

I let out a soft laugh.

"You've all had your fun. But what about my daughter?"

Her eyes darted away.

I pressed her. "On the phone last night, what did you promise me?"

"You said you'd bring Emma along today."

"You told me not to worry."

"And then what?"

I stared straight at her.

"Does a single true word ever come out of your mouth?"

She flew into a rage.

She shoved me hard.

I stumbled a couple of steps and nearly fell.

Almost without thinking, I shoved her right back.

I didn't put much force into it. I just wanted to pay her back.

I didn't expect her to topple backward and hit the wall.

"Ow..."

She cried out, wildly overdone.

Just then, Murray came climbing up from the stairs beside us.

My father-in-law was right behind him, roaring at me.

"So you're staging a rebellion now? You'd even raise a hand to us?!"

Murray didn't say a word.

He came straight up and slapped me across the face.

It was loud.

The whole hallway echoed with it.

I held my cheek. It burned.

My ear rang along with it.

"What gives you the right to hit my mother?!"

All these years of marriage, he'd only ever taken his mother's side with words.

This was the first time he'd raised a hand to me.

"She shoved me first."

My voice was quiet, but every word came out clear.

He wasn't listening at all.

"All I saw was you shoving my mother!"

"You apologize to her!"

My mother-in-law clutched her arm, leaning on the wall, whimpering.

There wasn't a trace of real pain on her face.

It was all an act.

My silence made Murray angrier.

"Did you hear me? Apologize to my mother!!"

I lowered the hand from my cheek.

I stood up straight and asked him, one word at a time.

"And if I don't apologize?"

He clenched his fists, his face flushing dark red.

The veins stood out on his neck.

Then he shouted the four words I'd most wanted to hear.

"Then we're getting a divorce!"

The air went silent all at once.

Watching their son ask for a divorce, my in-laws' faces changed instantly.

Before they could get a word out,

I grabbed my suitcase and stepped into the elevator without looking back.

And gave him four words of my own.

"Gladly."