Chapter 1

Ethan and I had just celebrated our wedding a few days ago.

We hadn’t even gotten the marriage certificate yet, when his mom showed up with his pregnant sister and nephew, announcing they would stay at my house until the baby was born.

I told Ethan to send them away, but instead, he and his mom locked me in my own room.

I had just gotten out of bed and opened my bedroom door when I saw Dolores Cole, my future mother-in-law, sitting comfortably in the living room, smiling at me with a look of amusement.

"Abby, not to be critical, but Ethan’s been gone at work for hours, and you’re just now waking up?" she said, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"As a woman, you should learn to take better care of your husband. I noticed he left the house with just a piece of toast this morning. That’s no way for a man to keep his health. You should at least be getting up early to make him some proper breakfast, like a bowl of oatmeal or something."

I was already in a bad mood from waking up, and now she was giving me a lecture before I could even ask why she had come over so early in the first place. She just kept going without pause.

But since we had just had the wedding, I reminded myself to be polite and keep things cordial.

So, I swallowed my irritation and asked, “Dolores, is there something urgent that brought you here this morning?”

She waved her hand dismissively and said with a smile, “Oh, nothing too serious. It’s just that Tiffany is pregnant, and I thought it would be better for her to stay here with you. It’s easier to take care of her here, and the hospital is closer.”

Tiffany Cole, my sister-in-law, is three years younger than me, but she got married young and already has two kids — a three-year-old and another one on the way.

Before I could fully process this, Tiffany waddled out of the guest room, leading her three-year-old son, Brayden, by the hand.

"Good morning, Abby! Your house is really nice. The guest room is so big, it could fit all three of us comfortably!" she said with a grin.

Great. Ethan and I had only just had the wedding, and now his whole family was moving in, trying to take over my house.

“Shouldn’t you be resting at your own home, Tiffany?” I asked, trying to stay calm. “Isn’t your place closer to the hospital?”

At this, Tiffany’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she glanced nervously at her mother.

Dolores quickly jumped in to explain, “Her in-laws are out of town, so there’s no one at home to help out. We didn’t want to bother them. And besides, you and Ethan are both so busy with work, we thought we could help out around the house. We’re family, after all. What’s a few extra plates at the table?”

Something about the way they were rushing to explain didn’t sit right with me. But I figured this was Ethan’s family’s problem to deal with, so I decided to let him handle it.

Without another word, I retreated to my room and called Ethan.

No answer.

I sent him a text message, and after what felt like forever, he finally responded with, “I’m in a meeting. We’ll talk about it when I get home.”

Not wanting to deal with his family any longer, I threw my phone down and locked my door, intending to focus on my work.

But as soon as I sat down and opened my laptop, the blaring sound of the TV echoed through the house.

The volume was at least twice what it should have been, and on top of that, I could hear Dolores and Tiffany laughing and chatting while they snacked.

Then there was Brayden, running and jumping around the living room, making an absolute racket.

The noise was giving me a pounding headache.

I was just about to go out and ask them to keep it down when the doorbell rang.