Before I could answer, a sugary voice drifted in from the doorway. "Homer, I'm here."

Then Ellie Fox walked in carrying a bag of fruit, hooking her arm through Homer's like it was the most natural thing in the world, pressing close enough that her body nearly molded to his.

This was Ellie, Homer's adopted sister.

Back when I was pregnant, he'd mentioned her. Said Ellie was a neighbor girl from his hometown, that it wasn't easy for her, coming to the city to work, so he tried to look out for her when he could.

I hadn't thought much of it then. I just took it as kindness.

Now, watching the two of them so cozy together, something jabbed at me like a needle.

Ellie beamed at me. "Rosie, I heard you had a girl, so I made a point of coming to see her."

"Congratulations, Rosie. She's only a girl, but she's still Fox blood."

"I'll come by often to help you with the baby, so you're not run ragged all on your own."

"Homer's busy at work, so I'll keep you company. That way you won't be bored out of your mind."

I said flatly, "No need. I have a nanny."

She didn't treat herself as an outsider at all. She smiled. "Nancy's fine with the baby, sure, but nobody's as attentive as family."

"Besides, Nancy's getting on in years. She can't be as quick on her feet as someone young."

As she spoke, she reached out to touch the baby's face. I turned my body and pulled the baby away.

Her hand froze in midair. She looked over at Homer, flustered, and her eyes reddened on the spot, as if she'd just suffered some terrible wrong.

Homer's brow snapped into a frown, his voice full of blame. "Rosemary, what are you doing? Ellie came out of kindness to see the baby, and this is how you act?"

I said coldly, "The perfume on her is too strong. It's not good for the baby."

Homer was clearly unhappy now. He barked at me, "I think this confinement's just gone to your head. Now nobody can do anything right in your eyes."

"Ellie, don't stoop to her level. She's just in a bad mood."

Ellie nodded meekly, right on cue. "It's fine, Homer. Rosie just gave birth, of course she's out of sorts. I understand."

"If it were me, my temper might be even worse!"

That perfectly understanding act made me look like a shrew throwing a fit over nothing.

Watching Homer shield another woman, I suddenly found the whole thing absurd.

This was the man I'd loved for three years. This was the man I'd insisted on marrying against my parents' wishes.

Back then my mother had said his family was complicated, his mother hard to get along with, and that he himself seemed unsteady. She told me to think it over.

I'd sworn up and down to her that Homer was good to me, that he had character, that he was dependable and driven, and that we were sure to be happy.

Looking back now, I'd been so stupid, so naive.

Holding my daughter, I felt the incision start to ache again, hot and stinging, but next to the ache in my chest, it hardly seemed worth mentioning.

Homer soothed Ellie with a couple of words, then turned and saw the look on my face. His tone softened a little. "Rose, don't read into it. Ellie and I are just like brother and sister."

"You rest up. I'll go see if Mom needs a hand out there."

Ellie went out after him, and just before she left, she shot me a smug little smile, her eyes full of challenge.

The door was left wide open. Their laughter carried in from outside, along with my mother-in-law's over-the-top praise. The place was positively lively.

As if I, the woman who'd just given birth, were the one who didn't belong in this house.

I drew a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

Not long after, my mother-in-law came in with a sheet of paper in her hand, slapped it down on the table in front of me, and announced loudly, "This is Adrian's wedding list. Take a look."

I glanced down. Wedding money of a hundred and eighty-eight thousand, sixty thousand for the reception, thirty thousand for the honeymoon, plus this and that adding up to over two hundred thousand, every item spelled out in full.

My brow furrowed slightly. "What is this supposed to mean?"

She said it like she was owed. "You're the older sister-in-law. You won't chip in for Adrian's wedding? Nobody gets to hold that title for free."

I laughed, furious. "Why should I pay for his wedding?"

My mother-in-law shot me a glare and snapped, "Because you're a Fox wife, that's why!"

"We've fed and housed you all this time. You've eaten our food and drunk our water. What's wrong with you chipping in a little?"

"Besides, you already handed your premarital house over to Adrian. Covering a bit of the wedding costs is only right."

"When did I ever say I'd give my house to Adrian?" I said, my voice cold.

Her face twisted with displeasure and she raised her voice. "Once you married into this family, that house became ours!"

"What does a woman need with all these houses? It'll go to a son in the end anyway."

"You popped out a girl. The family property's going to Adrian to inherit no matter what. Sooner or later, what's the difference?"

I looked at that face, so certain it was in the right, and suddenly it struck me as ridiculous.

How could there be someone this unreasonable in the world?

"That house was paid for in full by my mother. It's premarital property," I said coldly. "It has nothing to do with the Fox family. Not a cent."

"You're squatting in my house, and now you want me to pay for your younger son's wedding? Where do you get the nerve?"

She shrieked, past all reason. "Before the marriage, after the marriage, what does it matter? The second you married in, you belonged to the Fox family!"

"You yourself belong to us. Never mind a house!"

"Then I'll divorce Homer," I said calmly.

She froze for a beat, then screeched. "What did you say? You want a divorce?"

"You give birth to a girl and you've got the gall to bring up divorce?"

"Let me tell you something, Rosemary. Fine, divorce. But the house stays, the baby stays, and you walk away with nothing!"

"Want a slice of the Fox family's money? Not a chance!"

She was working herself into a fury now, jabbing her voice at me. "And don't think a divorce comes that easy!"

"Adrian isn't married yet. You divorce now, and what will people say about the Fox family? Where does that leave our face?"

"Even if you want to divorce Homer, you'll wait until after Adrian's wedding!"

Homer walked in just then. He caught the word "divorce" and his face changed in an instant. He rushed over.

"Rosemary, haven't you made enough of a scene?" he shouted.

"Everything's fine and you start talking divorce? Can't you act like an adult?"

I looked at him, my whole face full of scorn. "Homer. Your mother's taken my house, the nanny you hired abuses my child, and there's something going on between you and your so-called sister. And you call that fine?"

His eyes darted away. He dug in stubbornly. "Ellie and I are just ordinary friends!"

"Can you stop making trouble over nothing? Suspicious and paranoid all day. Is it fun?"

"I'm making trouble over nothing?" I said quietly.

"Fine. Say I am. Then I'll see you in court."

My mother-in-law spoke without a shred of worry. "Court it is!"

"You just gave birth, you don't have a job, you can't even support yourself. Custody's going to the Fox family for sure!"

Homer's face darkened and he threatened, "Rosemary, I'm warning you to think this through."

"If this really goes to court, the odds are the baby goes to me. Weigh that for yourself."

He thought that was enough to threaten me.

He thought I, Rosemary, was just an ordinary housewife who couldn't survive without him, with no income of her own, someone he could bend however he liked.

Watching that look on his face, so sure he had me, I found it laughable.

Three years together, and it turned out that in his eyes I was nothing but a soft, easy thing he could squeeze whenever he pleased.

I didn't answer, and Homer took it for surrender.

His tone eased. "Rosie, can't we just live our lives in peace?"

"Apologize to Mom and we can put this behind us."

"She's getting old. What's the harm in giving in to her a little? Isn't honoring your elders the right thing to do?"

"And Adrian's wedding is a big deal. You're marrying into this family as his brother's wife, so putting in some effort is only right. We're family. Don't split hairs over everything."

I didn't want to hear any more of it. "Get out," I said flatly. "I want to rest."

He wanted to say something more, but seeing the look on my face, he swallowed it in the end, sighing and shaking his head as he left, as if I were the one being impossible.

The moment the door shut, I couldn't hold it anymore. The tears fell without a sound.

I picked up my phone. This time, without a moment's hesitation, I dialed my mother's number.

The instant the call connected and I heard her voice, I broke down. "Mom, I want a divorce!"