Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN HIS MOTHER THOUGHT SHE COULD DESTROY
By Saturday morning, Judith had decided that the problem wasn't Derek's decision.
The problem was me.
I discovered this when I came downstairs and found her sitting at the kitchen island with her phone pressed to her ear.
“Yes, Susan, it's absolutely outrageous,” she was saying. “Natalie has suddenly decided that because she earns a little money, she can control everyone in this house.”
I opened the refrigerator.
Judith continued talking.
“She has always been cold. Derek deserves a wife who understands that a man's first responsibility is to the woman who gave him life.”
I took out a bottle of water.
Judith glanced at me and lowered her voice.
“No, I don't think she's capable of having a proper conversation about it. She's become obsessed with money.”
I closed the refrigerator.
“I'm standing right here, Judith.”
She ended the call.
“Good. Then perhaps you'll finally listen.”
I leaned against the counter.
“I'm listening.”
She folded her arms.
“Derek is suffering.”
“I'm sorry to hear that.”
“His own wife has humiliated him.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“He doesn't have to. I can see it.”
I nodded slowly.
“Then perhaps you should ask him why he gave away his entire paycheck before discussing our household expenses.”
Judith's cheeks flushed.
“He wanted to help me.”
“And he was free to help you. He wasn't entitled to decide that I would automatically cover everything he stopped paying for.”
She shook her head.
“You have no understanding of family loyalty.”
I looked at the woman who had occupied my home for three years, eaten at my table, and treated my professional success as a minor inconvenience.
“Judith, what did you contribute to this household last month?”
She blinked.
“What?”
“What did you contribute financially?”
“How dare you interrogate me!”
“Nothing, then.”
“I raised two wonderful sons!”
“And I'm sure that required sacrifice. But it doesn't mean you get to spend money I earn.”
She stood.
“You think your business makes you important. You're nothing without Derek's family.”
I felt a strange sadness.
Not because I believed her.
Because I remembered how hard I had tried to make her feel welcome.
When she first moved in, I had cleared out my office closet so she could store her clothes. I bought her a comfortable mattress after she complained about her back. I even helped her find a specialist when her previous insurance plan stopped covering a particular treatment.
Every kindness had become another reason she believed she was entitled to more.
“I hope you enjoy your Saturday,” I said.
I started toward the stairs.
“Natalie!”
I turned.
Judith's expression had become calculating.
“Derek and I are having guests tonight. I've invited six people from my charity committee. You will prepare dinner.”
I stared at her.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. This family has a reputation. I won't have people asking why the household has fallen apart.”
“Then cancel the dinner.”
Her mouth opened.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am.”
She looked at me with undisguised contempt.
“You're going to embarrass your husband in front of his mother's friends?”
“No. I'm declining to organize an event I never agreed to host.”
I went upstairs.
An hour later, Derek appeared in my office.
He looked exhausted, but he had changed into a fresh shirt and carefully arranged his hair. He seemed determined to present himself as the reasonable person in a dispute with an irrational woman.
“Mom says you're canceling dinner.”
“I'm not canceling anything. She invited people without consulting me. She can decide what she wants to do.”
“She doesn't know how to prepare food for six people.”
“Then this is an excellent opportunity for her to learn.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Can you stop being difficult for five minutes?”
I turned my laptop toward him.
“Would you like to see the household budget?”
“No.”
“Then what exactly would you like to discuss?”
He sat opposite me.
“I want things to go back to normal.”
“What does normal mean to you?”
“You know. Us. The house. Dinner together. Mom being comfortable.”
“And you giving your paycheck to your mother while I pay for everything?”
He shifted in his chair.
“We can work something out.”
“We could have worked something out before you changed your direct deposit.”
“I didn't think you'd react this way.”
“That is the problem, Derek. You made a major financial decision without considering how it would affect me because you assumed I would absorb the consequences.”
He looked down.
For a moment, I thought he might apologize.
Instead, he said, “You have more money than I do. Why does this matter so much?”
I stared at him.
“Because this isn't about whether I can afford our expenses. It's about whether you believe I should be responsible for them simply because I can.”
He leaned back.
“Marriage isn't supposed to be a business arrangement.”
“Then why did you turn your paycheck into a private arrangement with your mother?”
His jaw tightened.
“You always have an answer.”
“Because you've finally started asking questions.”
He stood and left.
At noon, I drove to my office to finish reviewing a contract. When I returned home, I found Judith's charity committee arriving in expensive cars.
Six women stepped into the foyer wearing designer coats and carrying elegant handbags.
Judith greeted them like a celebrity.
Then she gestured toward me.
“This is Natalie. She's the one causing all the excitement.”
The women exchanged uncomfortable glances.
One of them, a silver-haired woman named Margaret Ellis, offered me a polite smile.
“It's nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
Judith laughed sharply.
“Natalie has decided she doesn't want to support the family anymore.”
I could have defended myself.
I could have explained the paycheck, the expenses, and the bracelet.
Instead, I asked the women whether they had enjoyed the drive.
Margaret studied me for a moment.
Then she said, “Judith, perhaps you should explain what you mean by support.”
Judith's smile faltered.
“Oh, you know. Family responsibilities.”
“No,” Margaret replied calmly. “I don't know. My husband and I have always discussed our finances openly.”
The room became uncomfortable.
Judith changed the subject and ushered everyone into the living room.
I went back upstairs.
Twenty minutes later, I heard Margaret's voice from the hallway.
“Judith, I think we should leave.”
“But we haven't had lunch!”
“We can arrange lunch another day.”
When the front door closed, Judith marched upstairs.
“You deliberately embarrassed me!”
“I didn't say anything.”
“You didn't need to!”
She pointed a trembling finger at me.
“You think you're going to win this. You think Derek will choose you over his mother.”
I stood.
“Judith, I'm not competing with you for your son's affection.”
“You should be!”
The words escaped her before she could stop them.
For one revealing second, her face showed the fear beneath her anger.
Then she turned and hurried away.
That evening, Derek sat alone in the living room.
Judith had retreated to her suite, refusing to speak to either of us.
I was preparing tea when Derek said, “Mom told me Margaret thinks she's been taking advantage of us.”
I placed the kettle on the counter.
“Perhaps Margaret has a different understanding of the situation.”
“She said Mom told everyone you were financially controlling.”
“I heard.”
He looked at me.
“Why didn't you defend yourself?”
“Because I don't need every person in the room to agree with me.”
He stared at the floor.
For the first time, I saw something resembling shame in his expression.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
“Yes, this is Derek.”
A pause.
“What do you mean the payment arrangement has changed?”
Another pause.
His face tightened.
“No, I'm not the primary account holder.”
He listened, then hung up.
“What happened?” I asked.
“The leasing company says the account is in your name, and they can't discuss your payment arrangements with me.”
I nodded.
“That sounds correct.”
He looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite identify.
Fear, perhaps.
Or disbelief.
“Natalie, I need to understand something.”
“What?”
“How much of our life have you been paying for?”
I thought about the years of invoices, statements, and automatic withdrawals.
“More than you ever realized.”
He swallowed.
“And if you stopped?”
May you like
I looked at him.
“You're beginning to find out.”
