Gladys swallowed.
“Mother doesn’t understand what happened.”
I looked at her. “Then explain it.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Because there was nothing to explain.
Everyone had heard exactly what she’d said.
There was no missing context and no misunderstanding. Just her own words.
She straightened her shoulders.
“I was trying to help my son.”
I laughed.
It surprised even me.
“You called me a bad wife.”
“I told the truth.”
A sharp gasp came from Eli’s youngest sister.
Gladys looked at her.
“What?”
“You should stop talking,” she whispered.
Gladys ignored her.
“My generation understood that marriage meant sacrifice.”
“My generation understands marriage means partnership,” I replied.
She scoffed.
“Partnership?”
She pointed toward the kitchen.
“If you’d managed your time better, you wouldn’t have spent all afternoon cleaning.”
