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.

The next morning, I still went to Albert’s parents’ house with him.

I didn’t bring up moving our stuff, and since Albert’s clothes were always split between both places, he naturally thought we’d handle the move later. So when Linda saw our empty hands and looked a bit miffed, Albert was puzzled.

“Didn’t bring any luggage? You’re not planning on moving in, are you?” Linda asked, her eyes fixed on me.

“We’ll bring the luggage later,” Albert said, as if just realizing it, glancing at me. “Sophie’s okay with it, right?”

I just smiled and said nothing.

Leon, with his usually grumpy but well-meaning demeanor, stepped in to smooth things over. “Why are we standing around? Come in, Sophia, have some water. Later, we’ll get you to cook something for your mom to try!”

After a few sips of water, Linda seemed to relax a bit. Her gaze was less critical and even a bit warm. “Sophia, I tagged you on Instagram yesterday, but you didn’t reply. Made me look a bit awkward.”

She gave me a scrutinizing look, then added, “And you know, my second son is going to rely on you a lot. We were hoping to celebrate at home after announcing the news, but it’s a shame you couldn’t make it.”

I forced a smile. “My mom’s suspected of having cancer. I didn’t have time to come over yesterday.”

The room went silent.

Linda’s expression shifted through several emotions, but she didn’t say anything. She handed me the fruit she’d received earlier and said, “Make sure to wash these thoroughly with soap.”

I glanced at Albert, who was oblivious. He grinned and patted his mom’s shoulder, turning away. “Don’t worry, Mom. With Sophie here, you won’t need to lift a finger!” He plopped down on the couch.

In the kitchen, the sound of running water couldn’t drown out the laughter from the living room. I stared at the splashing water, feeling it was almost blindingly white.

It hit me that, from the start, I was always an outsider. I thought that after all these years, I’d become part of their family. But instead of being accepted, I felt like I was just a free housekeeper.

After dating Albert for five years and meeting his parents three years ago, my own parents had always been friendly and polite towards him. Whenever Albert came over, he’d greet my dad with a smile, and I’d be busy in the kitchen with my mom.

But the first time I went to Albert’s house, his mom greeted me with a smile and led me straight to the kitchen, saying she heard I was a great cook and wanted to learn from me.

Since then, every time I visited, I ended up doing all the household chores.

I thought it was just part of being family, not something to fuss over. But it turns out, that his family kept score.

In the living room, Linda picked up a piece of fruit with a toothpick and popped it into her mouth, not waiting to swallow before addressing me. “Sophia, have you thought about what I mentioned yesterday? I think you and Albert are still young; there’s no rush to have kids right away.”

Before I could respond, Albert nodded vigorously in agreement, saying we weren’t in a hurry, and gave me a knowing look.

I ignored him and turned to his mom, casually saying, “Have you thought about your second son’s education? The place we live in now isn’t in a good school district. It’ll be hard to get into a good school.”

Linda responded automatically, “That’s already been considered. Your wedding house is in a school district, right? We just need to change the name on the deed. Oh, and after you get married, we’ll swap this house with yours. We’ll transfer ownership to your new place, and you’ll transfer yours to us, but you’ll still live in your wedding house. Albert mentioned this to you, right?”

My smile faltered. Albert hadn’t mentioned this at all.

“I’ll need to discuss this with my parents,” I said, trying to keep my frustration in check.

Linda was about to get up when she looked at me and said, “Your mom’s supposedly dealing with cancer, and you still have time for this?”