My Secret.

That day, as I approached the front door of my house, I was greeted by the sound of laughter and chatter from inside. Instantly, I knew my sister-in-law, Mara Francis had brought her daughter over.

I took a deep breath, but it felt as if there was a stone weighing on my chest, making it stuffy and hard to breathe. After several seconds, I finally unlocked the door with my key.

Usually, no matter whether he was cooking or watching TV in the living room, my husband, Caleb would always come and open the door for me. He'd also be all enthusiastic about handing me my slippers and taking my handbag.

He once said that he loved for me to walk in and see the warm lights and his welcoming smile, as that was what made a house feel like home.

To my relief, he always kept his word, and for the past twenty years, our relationship had been steady. Especially after our son went to college, we returned to our life as a couple, and our love was as sweet as when we were young.

But there were exceptions. Whenever his mother and sister were around, it was as if he was under a spell, becoming cold and distant towards me.

Just like at this moment, he was looking at me with a rigid expression as I opened the front door, only uttering a faint, "You're back?"

I glanced at the dining table, which was laden with a variety of dishes. They had already started eating, with no intention of waiting for me. They hadn't even bothered to call and ask when I'd be home.

The laughter and joy abruptly ceased as I entered, as if I were an unwelcome intruder disrupting their perfect moment.

Mara didn't even greet me, nor did she look me in the eye, acting as if I were invisible.

Her daughter was just as ill-mannered as she was. She secretly curled her lips in a sneaky way, showing her dissatisfaction with me, her aunt.

Were you kidding me? I was the lady of that household!

What gives them the audacity to treat me with such arrogance and disrespect in my own home?

Feeling unhappy, I became rougher with my hands, banging things around. This made Caleb give a "tsk" sound towards me. He's always like this. He'd play dumb and deaf just to defend his mother and sister, being completely unreasonable.

I changed into my slippers and went into the bedroom to change into my loungewear. Caleb followed me in. As soon as he entered the door, it was like he changed his face. The coldness disappeared in an instant, and with a flattering smile, he said, "There's some food left for you in the kitchen."

I ignored him, aware that my complexion must have been rather unsightly. He went on with a fawning smile and said, "Sheri will be studying in her sophomore year of high school here and will be living with us for two years. I've let her sleep in Ruben's room."

Sheri was my Mara's daughter, and Ruben was my son.

Logically speaking, Sheri should have already finished taking the college entrance examinations. However, her grades were so terrible that she didn't even dare to sit for the exams. Mara used her connections to get her to repeat her sophomore year of high school here. She'll go back to their place to take the exams when it's time for the college entrance examinations again.

I stared at Caleb and asked, "You didn't get mixed up in her affairs, did you?"

He was a leader of a certain rank. It wasn't like the previous few years. Those things were being strictly investigated at that time. Once someone reported it, he would have lost all his prospects, and it might even have got our kid's future political review affected.

Caleb nodded reassuringly, whispering in my ear, "Don't worry, honey. I know how to prioritize things."

"And what about the people?" I countered him right away.

He grinned so wide that his face was all wrinkled up as he cajoled me, saying, "Sweetheart, you're well aware of our family situation. They've only been here for such a short time. In the end, it's still just the two of us spending our days together, right?"

He was good at smoothing things over. To be fair, he treated me and our child well, and his parents rarely visited.

So, even though I felt stifled when I saw Mara and his mother, Cleo Fernandez, our everyday life was quite pleasant.

I didn't want to hold his sister's faults against him relentlessly.

As for Sheri, she's just a young girl. I'm already in my forties. What's there to haggle with a half-grown kid for?

Originally, I thought I could let this go, but as soon as I stepped into the kitchen, my anger flared up again.