A week before the wedding, my fiancé Albert Jackson's mom, Linda, dropped a bombshell on Instagram—she's pregnant with her second child.

Friends and family flooded the comments with congratulations. One person even snarked. [Sophia hasn't even married your son yet, and you're already having another baby? Aren't you worried she might not like it?]

Linda didn’t take the bait. Instead, she tagged me. [Sophia’s not the jealous type. She’s sweet and generous. Our second son will have Albert and Sophia to support him when he grows up.]

Albert chimed in with a big grin. [No problem! When Sophia and I have a boy, they can grow up together and keep each other company.]

When Linda tagged me on Instagram, I was in the middle of a wedding rehearsal with Bella, my maid of honor and best friend. I stared at the post, completely stunned.

Finding out my future mother-in-law was pregnant in her sixties was surprising enough. No wonder Albert bailed on the rehearsal halfway through. His dad, Leon, had called to say Linda was in the hospital, but he didn't tell me why. Well, she might have pregnancy complications.

Looking at the comment, [Thank God for this blessing. Five months along and everything is great!] and then Albert’s replies, I couldn’t shake the weird feeling in my gut.

Bella leaned over and asked, "What’s up?"

I said, "Linda just announced she's pregnant. She’s five months along."

Bella was shocked, "You never mentioned this!"

I replied dryly, "I just found out too."

Bella was about to say something but held back. Then she glanced at my phone, her expression changing.

"Sophie, you might want to check this out. Linda said you need to help raise her son."

I looked down to find another tagged comment.

Linda, noticing I hadn’t replied, directly asked in the comments that Albert and I take care of her younger son after we get married.

"I understand you young folks delay having kids. For these two years, you can help look after my second son. When he’s older, you can have your own kids, and I can help you take care of them."

My eyebrows furrowed as I finally understood the discomfort I felt earlier.

Linda being pregnant and choosing to tell me or not is one thing. Telling me is understandable because it’s a significant family event, and I’m about to become part of this family. Not telling me is also justifiable since Albert and I aren't married yet, and it might be awkward to bring up.

But deliberately hiding it from me? What's that about?

Was she afraid I’d think poorly of her for being pregnant at her age? That seems unlikely. Both Linda and Leon are retired teachers. If they cared about that, they wouldn't have announced it so excitedly on Instagram.

So, what was the reason?

Moreover, hiding it for five months?

Albert and I met our parents a year ago, decided on the wedding six months ago, and even changed how we addressed each other. Linda showed no signs of pregnancy during all this time.

I felt like an outsider, and naturally, I attributed my uneasiness to this.

After Bella left, I went straight to our apartment. Albert was already home. I figured since we’re going to be family, we shouldn't keep things bottled up to avoid future conflicts. So, I decided to ask Albert what was going on.

To my surprise, as soon as I brought it up, Albert chuckled, "This works out great for you, right? Mom won’t be pushing you to have a baby. You won’t have to suffer but still get to have a little one to play with. Isn't that perfect?"

I swallowed back the words, "Why didn’t your mom tell me she was pregnant? She even came to help with the renovations."

Seeing I didn’t respond, Albert added, "What's up? Aren’t you happy? You always say how painful childbirth is. Now you don’t have to go through it and still get to have a kid around. Isn’t that perfect?"

I muttered, "But it's not my child."

Albert clicked his tongue, "You're being so picky." Noticing my expression, he pulled me into a side hug and laughed, "My brother is your brother. Don’t be so petty. We might even rely on this little guy when we’re old!"

I shot him a strange look, "What do you mean? You don’t plan on having kids?"

He waved his hand, "Of course not. But if we have a daughter and she gets married, who will take care of us? It’s just like your family. You’re an only child, but after getting married, you’re living with us..."

My face instantly turned cold, and I stared at him. "Albert, before we got engaged, I asked you. You said, whether it’s a boy or a girl, we’d only have one."

Albert raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, we’d only have one, but that might be a girl. I’m not against having a daughter. I’d spoil her to bits. But for our future, we need to think about it."

I laughed bitterly. So, having a daughter means we can’t rely on her when we're old?

I’m a daughter too, and I’ll still take care of my parents after getting married.

Albert didn’t notice my expression and stroked my cheek, "You have no idea how much I’ve thought about our future."

I pushed his hand away, but he didn’t get mad. Instead, he continued proudly, "You didn’t know, but my parents asked the doctor, and they found out that the baby was a boy."

I was stunned. From the way he and his mom talked, I assumed it was just old-fashioned thinking, hoping for a boy. But they actually knew the gender in advance.

Isn’t that illegal?

Albert kept talking, interrupting my thoughts, "Sophia, let’s not have kids for a few years. We can enjoy ourselves, and help mom with the baby. If we have a son later, you won’t have to worry much. Just give her a hand now and then, and my brother will remember our kindness. There’s a saying, ‘I raise you young, you take care of me old.’ Isn’t that the same for brothers?"

My phone suddenly rang. I pushed him away, trying to suppress my discomfort, and answered.

It was my dad.

I thought he was calling about Linda’s pregnancy and found it odd.

My dad has always been a straightforward person, even after retirement. He doesn’t usually meddle in these kinds of matters.

To my surprise, he said my mom was in the hospital.

His voice was calm, but I could hear a slight tremor, "Sophie, can you come to the hospital? Your mom’s not feeling well. Come see her."

My heart sank, and I immediately asked what was wrong.

He paused, then said, "She has a nodule in her lung. They suspect it might be cancer."

My mind went blank, and my ears buzzed.

But my voice was oddly calm as I told him I’d be right there. Then I turned to Albert to go over the wedding arrangements for the day, just in case I couldn’t handle things later.

Albert listened and then said, a bit impatiently, "Isn’t the wedding planner taking care of everything? Why is it so complicated?"

A rush of anger surged through me, "If you think it's too much trouble, you shouldn’t be getting married."

Albert smirked but didn’t argue. Then he frowned, "But if you go to the hospital, we’re supposed to have dinner with my parents tonight. Mom’s been craving your pan-fried fish."

For some reason, I felt a chill run through me.

I stared at Albert and said slowly, "Albert, my mom might have lung cancer. Do you understand? And can you at least talk to me before making decisions?"

I rushed to the hospital.

The doctor had already scheduled my mom's preliminary tests. My parents were waiting for the results in the waiting area.

As soon as I saw them, my eyes filled with tears. My dad, ever the stoic, patted my shoulder without saying a word.

My mom, on the other hand, seemed upbeat. She's a petite lady in her early sixties and pulled me aside, trying to reassure me.

"I have to say, your future mother-in-law sure is something else."

She rolled her eyes, a familiar look I've seen many times when she used to complain about other people's mother-in-law's troubles. She worked in women's services before retiring and always had stories to tell.

I was a bit confused, momentarily feeling like we were back in our living room and not the hospital. My mom, quick as ever, gave me a knowing look.

The thought made my tears flow again.

She patted my head, "Why are you crying, silly girl? We don’t know anything for sure yet. Let me ask you, did you know Linda was five months pregnant?"

I shook my head vigorously. Of course, I didn’t know.

My mom had that "I knew it" look on her face and then spat out in disgust.

"How shameless to plan this! Five months along means no turning back now. They’ve got you cornered!"

I was a bit confused, but also starting to get it.

She sighed, "Your dad and I spoiled you too much. You’ve never had to deal with anything like this, so you’re too naive."

"Albert's family thinks that since you're engaged and the wedding is so close, even if you have second thoughts, it’s too late."

She rolled her eyes again, snorting through her nose.

"Once you’re married, in less than six months, you’ll be taking care of Linda during her confinement. If you don’t want to, it’s too bad for you. By then, you’ll be married, and if you refuse, it’ll just cause issues between you and Albert."

A chill ran down my spine, but I still tried to argue, "It can't be that bad. Linda doesn’t seem like that kind of person."

"Are you that naive?"

My mom poked me in the forehead. Suddenly, her face turned pale, and she started breathing heavily. I panicked and told her to stop talking, then rushed to find a nurse.

After a chaotic scramble, running up and down the hospital for tests, admission procedures, and picking up medication, I finally checked my phone. It was already dinner time.

Albert had sent me a few messages.

"How's your mom doing?"

"Are you free tomorrow? How about coming over for lunch? The fish I bought is still in the tank, fresh and lively."

I didn’t reply.

I stared at Albert’s last message, feeling a shiver run down my spine. [You didn’t come. Honestly, my mom’s pretty disappointed.]

I was cold inside.

To be honest, I was just as disappointed in Albert.

The initial results from my mom’s lung tests weren’t good. The doctor said we’d need more tests to figure things out.

It felt like a weight was pressing down on my chest. Coming home to the dark, empty house made me feel disoriented like I didn’t even know what day it was.

In just one day, I’d been through so much that it felt overwhelming.

When Albert came home that evening, he asked why I hadn’t replied to his texts and then whispered in my ear, “Can we talk about something?”

I wasn’t in the mood for affection, so I pulled away and asked what was up.

He had this annoying tone, like he was saying, "Look how considerate I’m being," and said, “How about we move in with my parents for a couple of days? My mom’s pregnant and still handling cooking and chores. It’s really tough on her.”

I looked at him and asked, “Tomorrow or the day after?”

He brightened up immediately, “Tomorrow, tomorrow! See, I’m even asking for your opinion now.” He sounded a bit too pleased with himself.

I wanted to ask if he didn’t realize his mom was struggling with chores before we started dating. Couldn’t he help out? And what about his dad? Isn’t he supposed to help too?

I also wanted to know if he and his parents had already decided that we’d move in tomorrow, and he was just letting me know.

But the words stuck in my throat, and I swallowed them back.

Under the soft light, Albert’s usually sharp and handsome face seemed softer. I suddenly realized I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.

We met in college. He was two years ahead of me. Despite his tough look, he was like a playful puppy with me—always using his tall frame to cuddle and being so mischievous that he made me laugh and cry at the same time.

Even when I wanted to break up, he’d be outside my window, crying and staring up at my room until I came down to comfort him.

With family, he was responsible and took on a lot of the load. When it came to marriage and the future, he was proactive—supporting my career, not rushing into having kids, and even looking forward to having a daughter, becoming a total softie for her.

I always thought I could rely on him forever.

But today, I realized he seemed more like a big kid dreaming of being a responsible man, while his sense of responsibility was far from what he imagined.