I never imagined that the same woman who swore she'd have my back would leave during my maternity recovery to help her son take care of another woman going through hers.
How absurd.
I looked at her and managed a small smile. "Mom, don't say that. Your health comes first. I'll be fine here."
Jean nodded, visibly relieved.
"Good. Good girl."
"Don't you worry. Once I've recovered, I'll come straight back and take care of you and the baby properly. I won't let you suffer one bit."
I gave a quiet laugh and said nothing.
Brad booked their flights for the next morning.
Early the following day, he and Jean showed up at my bedroom door with their luggage. They fussed over every detail—reminding me to keep warm, warning me not to touch cold water.
Maybe they genuinely worried. Or maybe they just wanted to put on a thorough performance.
They'd even taken a pen and jotted down a long list of reminders, leaving the notes on my nightstand. The way they fussed over every little detail, you'd think leaving was tearing them apart.
Jean wiped the corners of her eyes as she stepped out of the room.
"Jill, sweetheart, I can't bear to leave you, and I can't bear to leave the baby. But this illness won't wait. I just don't have a choice."
Brad wrapped his arm around my shoulders, his eyes rimmed red.
"Honey, I've already hired a postpartum nurse for you. The second Mom's better, I'm coming straight home. I promise. Not one extra day."
I nodded and watched them leave.
It wasn't until they were gone that something occurred to me.
The moment it did, I grabbed my phone and called my parents, asking them to come over right away.
They must have heard the urgency in my voice, because they arrived in record time.
"What's going on, Jill? You sounded frantic on the phone."
I didn't hold back. I told them everything in one breath—how Brad and his mother had conspired to deceive me, how they were really going to take care of his pregnant mistress during her maternity recovery.
When I finished, my father couldn't believe it.
"Jill, could this be a misunderstanding? Everyone can see how good that boy is to you."
"And your mother-in-law has treated you like her own daughter all these years."
"Why would the two of them team up to lie to you?"
"What if it's just a coincidence? What if Jean really is sick?"
My mother shut that down immediately. "Not a chance!"