I couldn’t believe what I heard and stared at Emily in shock. Could it be that, in her heart, my mother’s surgery meant less than celebrating Grant’s birthday?
“You kept pestering me,” she said, playfully pinching Grant’s nose. “I had no choice but to agree.”
A painful feeling spread through my chest. So it was true.
“I knew Emily loved me the most,” Grant said with a smug grin, glancing at me with open challenge.
“Brother-in-law, you don’t mind, right?”
Then he looked down at the Patek Philippe on his wrist, the one I had recently bought.
“It’s about time. If you’ve got no objection, brother-in-law, I’ll take Emily with me now.”
I kept my face calm and said nothing. Seeing this, Emily grew impatient.
“Grant’s asking you something. Do you have a problem or not? Just answer quickly and don’t waste our time.”
She clearly saw nothing wrong with leaving her mother-in-law on the brink of surgery to go celebrate another man’s birthday. She could sense my anger, yet she didn’t care.
“I’m not a doctor. I can’t help with the surgery anyway. You’re here, that’s enough. Handle it however you want.”
Hearing her words, a deep disappointment filled me.
Before our marriage, she said she was afraid of getting along poorly with my mother and causing problems at home.
But after six years of marriage, it had always been me taking care of Mom, and she had never once lifted a finger to help.
Right now, with Mom about to have surgery, I wasn’t asking for much, just for Emily to stay at the hospital with me so I could feel at ease.
Yet something that simple turned into a heavy disappointment.
“Since you’ve said it like that, then go ahead. I hope you two have fun.”
As soon as I spoke, Grant put on that fake innocent look again. “Emily, maybe we should drop it. If I make you two argue because of me, I’d feel really bad.”
After saying that, he started walking toward the door. “Who told you to leave!”
Emily grabbed his arm and glared at me with clear annoyance. “What do you want now? It’s just a surgery.”
“Why are you being so irritable and sarcastic? Who are you trying to impress?”
“I already promised Grant. Do you want me to break my word?”
“Do you even know how hard Grant’s life has been all these years? Now he just wants me to spend his birthday with him, to make him feel a little better. Can’t you let him have that?”