Salome was left fuming her anger and frustration rising with every breath.
From her perspective, Edith had nothing left to lose—when you’re already barefoot, you hardly fear losing a shoe. Picking a fight with her now would be pointless; there was every chance Salome would end up the loser, or at the very least, have to swallow more humiliation.
But Salome was not about to let this go. She had plenty of tricks up her sleeve.
She turned to Heather, face crumpling in wounded distress, clutching her abdomen as if in pain. “Mom, I can take it when Edith lies about me, or about Bennett, but t just can’t bear to see her talk to you like this. It’s just too much.”
Salome knew all too well that her mother–in–law prided herself on her authority. Heather was never one to let Edith off lightly–especially now, with Salome playing the victim and fanning the flames.
Now it was only a matter of how far the fire would spread.
Predictably, Heather’s eyes blazed with anger as she fixed her gaze on Edith without the slightest hint of restraint.
Edith was no stranger to that look.
Back when she was still part of the Vance family, Heather would shoot her that same glare whenever she felt Edith needed a lesson. Even when it wasn’t her fault,
Edith was never allowed to defend herself.
She remembered Beckett once explaining that his father had died young, leaving his mother to run the family business alone. If she hadn’t been so tough, he’d said, he and his brother might never have had food on the table.
Thinking back, Edith could only find it laughable now–how she’d once felt sympathy for her mother–in–law.
She understood perfectly well now: resilience was a virtue, but domineering was simply a character flaw.
She met Heather’s glare with a steady, unflinching look of her own.
This was the same woman who would stop at nothing for the sake of a grandchild.
Heather faltered for a moment, surprised. When had her second daughter–in–law ever dared to meet her eyes like this? In the past, Edith had always taken her scoldings in silence, head bowed.
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“You’ve only been back with the Sumners for two days and already you can’t control yourself?” Heather snapped. “Look at you–what man would want a woman who acts like this? No manners at all! I can see your mother did nothing to teach you proper behavior.”
Edith’s eyes narrowed, her expression icy. If Heather had left her mother out of it, Edith might have let her keep a little dignity. But Heather had gone straight for her weak spot, so why bother showing restraint?
“There are plenty of men who like me just as I am,” Edith replied coolly. “You, on the other hand–well, I doubt any man would want someone like you. And if someone does say he likes you, it’s probably just to get at your money.”
Jayne, sensing the tension, reached out as if to stop her daughter–since when had her gentle Edith ever spoken to elders like this? But then she paused. Edith had always been obedient; for her to lose her composure now, she must have suffered far too much in the Vance household.
Jayne reconsidered. Back when Edith was a Vance, she’d had to put up with all kinds of indignities. Now that she wasn’t, why should she keep swallowing her pride for this tyrannical mother–in–law?
Salome’s eyes widened in disbelief. She’d never imagined Edith could say something so brazen.
She glanced at Heather, whose face had turned a blotchy mix of red and green, rage simmering to the point her eyes seemed ready to pop.
Salome remembered how Edith had accused her husband of harassing her at the Sumner house. Well, two could play that game.
“Oh!” Salome cried out dramatically, collapsing into Heather’s arms. “Mom, how can she speak to her elders like this? I can’t take it–ah, my stomach hurts, it hurts so
much!”
Heather’s anger had barely begun to boil before Salome heaped this new crisis onto her. Edith, it seemed, brought nothing but misfortune–she was a walking jinx.
Every time her precious daughter–in–law Salome crossed paths with Edith, something went wrong.
“What are you all waiting for?” Heather barked at the bodyguard hovering nearby. “Take her to the hospital–now!”
The bodyguard stepped forward, but Salome waved him off. “No, I’m not leaving! If I go, Edith will trample all over Mom. I’m calling Bennett–he needs to handle this!”
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Edith watched Salome’s theatrics with a cold smile. Jayne moved to help, but Edith caught her arm. “Don’t bother, Mom. If you so much as touch her, she’ll claim you made things worse. You know she’ll blame you for anything and everything.” Jayne glanced at Salome’s over–the–top performance and stayed put. “You’re right. At my age, I can’t afford to be blamed for something like this–it’d be a scandal.” Watching Salome’s little spectacle, Jayne suddenly saw things with perfect clarity. With a sister–in–law like that, it was no wonder Edith’s days in the Vance family had been so hard.
She pulled her daughter close and turned to Heather. “Ms. Preston, our family believes in raising our children to be happy and independent, as you’ve always pointed out. If Edith’s ever been disrespectful, that’s on us, and we’ll take responsibility. But as the older generation, maybe you could let it go. From now on, the Sumners and the Vances can each go their own way. If Edith’s upbringing is lacking, it’s no longer your concern.”
Edith was taken aback. When had her mother ever spoken with such sharpness beneath her polite words? Jayne had always been the picture of patience and forbearance, but today, her words were courteous on the surface and barbed beneath.
Heather, of course, would never let Edith off the hook so easily. She was the type who would make a scene over the slightest offense; to be openly contradicted by her once–docile daughter–in–law was more than she could bear.
She was just about to retort when Edith cut her off, her gaze shifting to Yvonne. “Ms. Preston, Salome’s threatening to call Bennett. The other night, when Bennett stormed into the Sumner house, he made all kinds of wild claims about being Beckett. I was too tired to deal with him then, but today, I’d be happy to set the record straight. Of course, I can’t promise Salome’s stomach can handle the
excitement.”
