Mother-in-law is Pregnant with Her Second Child

The next morning, I still went to Albert’s parents’ house with him.

I didn’t bring up moving our stuff, and since Albert’s clothes were always split between both places, he naturally thought we’d handle the move later. So when Linda saw our empty hands and looked a bit miffed, Albert was puzzled.

“Didn’t bring any luggage? You’re not planning on moving in, are you?” Linda asked, her eyes fixed on me.

“We’ll bring the luggage later,” Albert said, as if just realizing it, glancing at me. “Sophie’s okay with it, right?”

I just smiled and said nothing.

Leon, with his usually grumpy but well-meaning demeanor, stepped in to smooth things over. “Why are we standing around? Come in, Sophia, have some water. Later, we’ll get you to cook something for your mom to try!”

After a few sips of water, Linda seemed to relax a bit. Her gaze was less critical and even a bit warm. “Sophia, I tagged you on Instagram yesterday, but you didn’t reply. Made me look a bit awkward.”

She gave me a scrutinizing look, then added, “And you know, my second son is going to rely on you a lot. We were hoping to celebrate at home after announcing the news, but it’s a shame you couldn’t make it.”

I forced a smile. “My mom’s suspected of having cancer. I didn’t have time to come over yesterday.”

The room went silent.

Linda’s expression shifted through several emotions, but she didn’t say anything. She handed me the fruit she’d received earlier and said, “Make sure to wash these thoroughly with soap.”

I glanced at Albert, who was oblivious. He grinned and patted his mom’s shoulder, turning away. “Don’t worry, Mom. With Sophie here, you won’t need to lift a finger!” He plopped down on the couch.

In the kitchen, the sound of running water couldn’t drown out the laughter from the living room. I stared at the splashing water, feeling it was almost blindingly white.

It hit me that, from the start, I was always an outsider. I thought that after all these years, I’d become part of their family. But instead of being accepted, I felt like I was just a free housekeeper.

After dating Albert for five years and meeting his parents three years ago, my own parents had always been friendly and polite towards him. Whenever Albert came over, he’d greet my dad with a smile, and I’d be busy in the kitchen with my mom.

But the first time I went to Albert’s house, his mom greeted me with a smile and led me straight to the kitchen, saying she heard I was a great cook and wanted to learn from me.

Since then, every time I visited, I ended up doing all the household chores.

I thought it was just part of being family, not something to fuss over. But it turns out, that his family kept score.

In the living room, Linda picked up a piece of fruit with a toothpick and popped it into her mouth, not waiting to swallow before addressing me. “Sophia, have you thought about what I mentioned yesterday? I think you and Albert are still young; there’s no rush to have kids right away.”

Before I could respond, Albert nodded vigorously in agreement, saying we weren’t in a hurry, and gave me a knowing look.

I ignored him and turned to his mom, casually saying, “Have you thought about your second son’s education? The place we live in now isn’t in a good school district. It’ll be hard to get into a good school.”

Linda responded automatically, “That’s already been considered. Your wedding house is in a school district, right? We just need to change the name on the deed. Oh, and after you get married, we’ll swap this house with yours. We’ll transfer ownership to your new place, and you’ll transfer yours to us, but you’ll still live in your wedding house. Albert mentioned this to you, right?”

My smile faltered. Albert hadn’t mentioned this at all.

“I’ll need to discuss this with my parents,” I said, trying to keep my frustration in check.

Linda was about to get up when she looked at me and said, “Your mom’s supposedly dealing with cancer, and you still have time for this?”