Chapter 1

My mother-in-law just had a baby.

She expects us to legally adopt him, put him on our health insurance, and raise him as our own.

Why on earth should we?

It’s not like Ethan and I can’t have kids.

When I refused, she threatened to kill herself.

But here’s the kicker—I’m pregnant too.

Then, she hired a "night nanny" who was a little too perfect. She didn’t just take care of the baby; she breastfed him. She even slept with him in her arms every night.

She didn't act like a nanny. She acted like the baby's biological mother.

And then, I uncovered the sickening truth. They were actually trying to force me to abort my own baby!

I suddenly got a call from my mother-in-law, Brenda.

"Stella, come pick me up from the hospital. I’m going to stay at your place for a while."

Brenda was in the hospital?

Why hadn't Ethan mentioned a single word about this to me?

I quickly packed my things and rushed to the address she gave me.

St. Mary’s Women’s Hospital.

I frowned. This didn't fit Brenda at all. She was almost sixty. Having a baby? Was this some kind of sick joke?

Following Brenda's directions, I walked up to the postpartum ward.

The door was ajar.

Brenda was sitting on the bed in a hospital gown, a soft beanie on her head.

And in her arms, she was holding a newborn!

A baby!

Where did a baby come from?

"Brenda, whose baby is this?"

Brenda’s tone was sharp and impatient.

"Whose do you think? Mine! Since you refused to give me a grandchild, I had to make one myself to carry on the family line. Now he's yours to raise."

What?!

What kind of twisted logic was this?

My anger surged straight to my brain.

Using every ounce of self-control, I demanded, "Brenda! You had a baby? Where is Richard? Does Ethan know about this?"

Just then, my father-in-law, Richard, walked in.

"Honey, we’re good to go. The discharge papers are all signed."

Brenda immediately started bossing me around, telling me to pack her bags.

I was too stunned by the sight of the baby to react.

I completely missed the calculating, greedy looks Brenda and Richard exchanged.

I quickly stepped out and called my husband.

"Ethan, your mother just had a baby. Did you know about this?"

Ethan stammered, instantly giving away that I was the only one kept in the dark.

"So... what is she saying now?" he asked nervously.

"She wants to move into our house! Did you guys plan this together?"

I raised my voice on purpose. If he dared to agree to this, I was going to lose it.

But before Ethan could even reply on the phone, Richard started yelling at the top of his lungs in the hallway.

"Stella! What is your problem? Your mother went through so much pain at her age just to give you guys a child, and you’re planning to just abandon her?"

Brenda chimed in dramatically, "Exactly! If you dare kick us out, you’re heartless! I’ll sue you for elder abandonment!"

Her voice was strong and loud. She didn't sound like a woman who had just given birth at all.

But I was so blinded by rage over this sudden "brother-in-law" that I didn't notice how weirdly energetic she was.

I took a deep breath and roared into the phone, "Ethan! Get to the hospital right now! If you don't explain this to me, we are done!"

But all I could do was vent my anger on Ethan. Did I dare to actually scream back at his crazy parents?

We had been married for two years, and I had long known how unreasonable his parents were.

I hated myself for being so blind to marry Ethan in the first place. He was a total mama’s boy. If his mother told him to jump, he'd ask how high.

Their whole family was a bunch of Oscar-level actors.

Fortunately, Ethan had always been sweet to me, and we didn't live with his parents, which was the only reason we had managed to keep the peace.

But a baby is a human being, not some stray puppy you can just take in on a whim.

Richard got in my face, pointing a finger at me.

"Stella, how dare you speak to Ethan like that? Do you have any respect for your husband? Is this how you treat him at home?"

"Exactly! In our family, the husband is the king. A wife like you just needs to be taught a lesson!" Brenda added.

I finally got it. She had clearly never been put in her place.

"Richard, Brenda, this is between Ethan and me. Please stay out of it."

Interfering in their son’s marriage—didn't they feel any shame?

"What did you just say?!" Richard puffed out his chest, trying to intimidate me. "We are family! I am your elder! What's wrong with teaching you a few rules? A woman shouldn't be shouting at her husband like a maniac!"

He was trying to play the dominant patriarch, but right then, Ethan finally arrived.