Chapter 1
The moment my mother-in-law saw “GIRL” on my ultrasound report, she looked at my pregnant belly with disgust and shoved me backward in front of the entire family.
We were having Sunday dinner at her house outside Boston.
I was twenty-one weeks pregnant, and everyone had been waiting to hear the gender.
My husband, Ethan, sat beside me while I pulled the ultrasound photo from my purse.
His sister smiled.
“So? Boy or girl?”
I took a breath.
“It’s another little girl.”
For half a second, nobody spoke.
Then my mother-in-law, Margaret, snatched the ultrasound from my hand.
“A girl?”
She stared at it like I had personally insulted her.
“We already have two granddaughters.”
I reached for the paper.
“And now you’ll have another.”
Margaret pulled it away from me.
“This family needs a grandson.”
My face burned as everyone looked down at their plates.
I turned toward Ethan.
He said nothing.
Margaret laughed coldly.
“Three girls. What exactly are you contributing to this family, Emily?”
“Give me my ultrasound.”
“I’m talking to you.”
She held the picture up for everyone to see.
“My son deserves someone who can give him a boy.”
I looked at Ethan again.
“Are you seriously going to sit there?”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Emily, don’t make this worse.”
That hurt more than anything Margaret had said.
I stood and reached for the ultrasound.
Margaret shoved me hard in the shoulders.
I stumbled backward and hit the floor.
Someone gasped.
My hands immediately covered my stomach.
Ethan jumped halfway out of his chair.
But he still didn’t confront her.
Margaret looked down at me.
“Stop being dramatic. I barely touched you.”
I slowly pushed myself up.
My hands were shaking.
Not from fear anymore.
From anger.
I snatched the ultrasound from Margaret’s hand.
“You’ve spent this entire pregnancy talking about what YOUR family deserves.”
Margaret folded her arms.
“Because that baby is my granddaughter.”
I stared straight into her eyes.
Then I pointed at Ethan.
He suddenly went pale.
I held the ultrasound against my chest and shouted, “THIS IS NOT YOUR GRANDCHILD!”
The room went dead silent.
Margaret’s smile vanished.
May you like
Ethan whispered my name.
And his father slowly stood up from the table.
