Chapter 1

Back from a month of traveling, I walked in just in time to see my daughter-in-law, Melinda Lawrence, pour a basin of scalding footbath water over my daughter, Tracey Johnson.

"Are you doing this on purpose? Water that hot, are you trying to boil me alive?"

"What are you standing there for? Go get me another basin, now!"

She had my six-months-pregnant daughter kneeling on the floor washing her feet.

The backs of Tracey's hands were streaked red from the burns.

"Mom, it was my fault. I didn't test the water first. Melinda has every right to be angry."

As my daughter said this, her own brother, Jason Johnson, the boy she'd shared a womb with, sat right there watching it all with cold eyes.

Seeing my son and his wife thick as thieves, I said nothing. I took my daughter and left.

Not long after, I got a call from my son and his wife.

"Mom, did you forget to pay the mortgage and the car loan this month?"

"The property manager's already calling the house about the overdue utilities!"

"And this month's allowance, why hasn't it hit our account yet?"

1

The moment that basin of footbath water splashed over my daughter, my heart stopped along with it.

The exposed skin on her body flushed red before my eyes.

Melinda sat on the sofa across from her, wearing the look of someone entitled to it all.

"Fine. Wash my feet clean now and I won't hold it against you."

Water that hot poured over my daughter, not a word of apology, and then Melinda actually forced her to kneel down and wash her feet.

Tracey swayed as she lowered herself to her knees, her hands trembling as she took hold of Melinda's foot and eased it carefully into the fresh basin of water.

She rubbed at Melinda's foot so gently, and that humble, degrading sight cut straight through me.

I walked up to them with a hard face, and when Melinda saw me, she actually had the nerve to complain to me first.

"Mom, this is all because you spoiled her rotten. Look, I ask her to draw me a simple basin of water and she can't even do that right."

As she spoke, she lifted her foot and poked it against Tracey's cheek.

"Little sis, tell me I'm not right."

"Melinda!"

My eyes stinging red, I took a step forward. Then a hand shot out and gripped my pant leg, holding fast. It was Tracey.

Her eyes rimmed red, she shook her head at me, begging me without a sound.

"Mom, I'm okay. It's fine."

Looking at my daughter like that, my heart bled.

Seeing me stand there silent, not coming any closer, she let go of me and lifted a smile toward her sister-in-law.

"Melinda, it was my fault. Don't hold it against me. Look, I've got your feet all clean now."

The smile at the corner of her mouth was so painful to see that I couldn't bear to look at it.

Melinda shot me a smug glance, wiped her foot off on Tracey's body, and gave her a critical once-over.

"All right. Since little sis is being so sensible, I'm the older woman here, of course I wouldn't pick on my own husband's little sister."

Wouldn't pick on her own family?

I laughed coldly on the inside and looked over at Jason.

From the moment I walked through the door until now, he hadn't said a single word, cradling his phone, thumbs going happily, blind to Tracey's suffering.

Or maybe he just didn't see anything wrong with it, as if his own sister was meant to wait on Melinda hand and foot.

But she's pregnant!

Was everyone in this house blind? Couldn't they see the slight swell of her belly?

"Enough. It's not that big a deal. Do you really have to look at me like that, Mom?"

"Everything Melinda said is true. Little sis can't just live off you forever, can she? A grown woman, married off and still sponging off her own family, has she got no shame?"

The words were barely out when I saw Tracey's whole body go rigid.

I stared at my son and his utterly unbothered face in disbelief.

The sheer weight of the disappointment and grief nearly took my legs out from under me.

"Mom!"

Tracey startled and quickly reached out to steady me.

I found my footing, and when my head cleared I realized my Tracey was still kneeling there on the floor like a fool.

"Tracey, get up. Your clothes are soaked. Mom will take you to change into something dry, or you'll catch cold."

My nose stung. With only a little effort, I lifted my daughter up off the floor.

Seeing that I hadn't blown up, the smile on my daughter-in-law's face turned a shade more genuine.

"Mom, little sis, go on, both of you. Next time you come over, remember to bring me a crawfish boil. My mouth's had no taste for anything lately."

I didn't answer her. Leaning on each other, my daughter and I walked out the door.

After my son got married, he'd moved into the complex right across from mine.

My daughter, after her divorce, had come to live with me, back in the old house.

When I got home from my trip and found my daughter gone, I asked the housekeeper, and only then learned that while I was away, my daughter-in-law had been finding every excuse to summon her over to wait on her.

"Ma'am, I'll go get a set of clean clothes for the young lady now."

Back home, the housekeeper took one startled look at the state Tracey and I were in.

Her professionalism kept her from asking too much. She quietly poured my daughter a cup of hot water and turned to go into the closet.

You see, even an outsider knows enough to feel for a pregnant woman.

"Mom, are you still angry? I really am fine. Melinda's usually pretty good to me."

I said nothing. I only opened the medicine box, took out the burn ointment, and dressed my daughter's wounds without a word.

Even though I made my movements deliberately soft, she still flinched from the pain.

My hands stilled. Tracey's mouth opened, her voice catching.

"Mom, it doesn't hurt. It just looks frightening. It'll heal soon. Don't worry, and don't let this drive a wedge between you and my brother and Melinda."

Still I said nothing, silently packing the medicine box away.

Just then the housekeeper came in with the clean change of clothes.

While she took my daughter off to change, I pulled out my phone and made a call to my secretary.

"Hello, Nora Chavez. There are two things I need you to handle for me, as fast as you can."

"Yes, Ms. Johnson. Whatever you need."

"First, get me a full accounting of every mortgage and car payment I've covered for Jason and his wife over the years, every utility bill, including the monthly allowance I've never once missed. Second, draw up a divorce agreement for Jason and Melinda."

Nora's voice carried a trace of hesitation.

"Ms. Johnson, are there any terms for the divorce agreement?"