Sylvie gave a sweet smile and gently linked arms with Lavinia.
“Mom, don’t say that. It’s been five years since the Raleighs’ case, and there’s still no killer. It’s understandable if Verity isn’t okay. She’s already hurting, so let’s not rub salt in her wounds. We’re all family, after all—we even share the same last name now.
“Oh, and I heard she’s pregnant, too! It’s a double blessing today, Mom!
“Let’s not have her cook, okay? What if Monty gets upset when he finds out?”
The moment Monty’s name came up, the smile on my mother-in-law’s face froze for a second.
“Gets married and forgets his mother… sounds like my son, alright!”
Verity's POV
“And here I was, worrying about how hard he’s working on his cases—turns out caring too much is a crime now!”
Back then, I used to think Monty avoided coming to his parents’ place because he wanted to protect me.
But now that I know the truth, I can’t even bring myself to feel anything.
The real reason he stayed away was simple—he didn’t want to be around Sylvie under the pretense of being her brother-in-law.
He didn’t want me to bring up the murder case around his relatives and embarrass her.
Everyone kept praising how well Sylvie was taking care of herself—how anybody couldn’t even tell she was pregnant.
I was left forgotten at the doorway.
As the cold wind swept past, Monty finally showed up, late as always, and pulled me into his arms.
He gently patted my forehead like I was something to cherish.
“Why are you just standing out here? Did Mom and Dad scold you again?”
The moment my mother-in-law saw her son walk in, her tone softened.
“Scold the Raleighs’ little princess? How could I dare? Your wife’s something special. Go on, take her upstairs to rest.”
Right on cue, Sylvie chimed in with a fake show of concern.
“Mom, I’ve already arranged a dinner from the hotel. It’ll be delivered later, so you don’t have to stress yourself out. Please rest. Don’t worry about all this.”
Monty’s relatives eagerly jumped in, all compliments and flattery for Sylvie’s thoughtfulness.
No one even looked in my direction anymore, and Monty just nudged me into the bedroom to rest.
I turned back to my mother-in-law to explain that I wasn’t feeling well—that I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.
The Griffiths never liked me to begin with. They couldn’t be bothered to waste time talking about me.