“PART 2: My declaration left the air in the living room so dense and heavy you could have carved it with a steak knife. Julian stood paralyzed, his eyes darting frantically around the room, as if trying to process the auditory illusion of what I had just said. But the deeply ingrained nature of an arrogant man wouldn’t allow him to compute that a woman working from her couch in pajamas could possess a fortune that he, working himself to the bone in corporate America, might never achieve.
He forcibly recovered his sneer, letting out a condescending scoff. “Pregnancy hormones are making you delusional, Genevieve. Or maybe you spend way too much time reading trashy romance web novels online and you’ve actually started believing them. I applied for the mortgage on this place when we got married. I break my back paying that massive loan every single month. You do a few online translation gigs that barely cover the cost of diapers. What gives you the right to claim this house is yours? Who exactly are you trying to scare? My mother?”
“Of course she is. How utterly pathetic,” Eleanor interjected, finding her venomous courage once more. “Other people’s daughters-in-law are docile, respectful, and grateful. This one gets knocked up and thinks she can turn my son’s house upside down. Do you think my boy is stupid? He is an executive! He holds a master’s degree! He could buy ten houses just like this one. Stop the theatrics, Genevieve. Come on, Julian. Don’t argue with her anymore. Go change into your loungewear. I’m ordering premium delivery. Nobody in this family is eating this toxic waste.”
I stood perfectly still, watching mother and son perform their little choreographed routine of mutual delusion. I felt nothing but absolute, freezing contempt…
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PART 3
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