Ruthless Chances

The smile on her face was forced. She knew it, and so did everyone else at the table but they didn't care. Well, all except one. She glanced at the only one person who hated the practiced fake smile on her lips but refused to say anything, knowing how hard she had practiced lying to herself that she was comfortable being there with his family.

She would rather eat wood but there she was, surrounded by her husband's family, pretending to enjoy the food that tasted like bile in her mouth and smiling at their ridiculous conversations.

She wanted to leave but endured it all because she loved him. She loved her husband so much she would walk through hell to be with him, even if it was just for a second.

Ethan, Sophia's husband, reached under the table and squeezed her hand gently, apologizing for her discomfort in his usual manner.

She turned to him and shook her head subtly, giving him a genuine smile which was reserved for him alone and mouthed that she was fine.

"I heard you had another appointment with your gynaecologist yesterday, Sophia." Lily, Ethan's mother, said, turning her attention on her.

Sophia tried not to let the exasperated sigh slip from her mouth. Her mother-in-law seemed to know everything about her and was always curious. She would have found it endearing if she didn't know she didn't care about her and only wanted information about her so she could rile and make her unhappy.

Sophia had endured two years of Lily's hatred and snarky comments but couldn't ever get used to the chill. She was the mother of the man she loved after all and she wanted her to love her but despite how hard she tried to impress Lily, it seemed the older woman was determined to hate her for reasons she had no idea.

She found faults at everything Sophia did, reminded her of how Ethan's ex-girlfriends were better than she was and always lamented to her face that she never thought her 'excellent' son would get married to an 'ordinary' girl from a broke family.

If not for how deeply she loved Ethan and her assurance that he felt the same about her, she would have considered her two years of marriage as hell. Ethan's love made it bearable for her and as long as he continued to love her, she wouldn't let Lily get the best of her.

"Yes, I did." She replied, nodding at Lily.

Lily made a low dissatisfied grunt in her throat. "Any hope on when that womb of yours is going to get itself useful?" She asked with a sneer and it was obvious to everyone what she actually itched to say.

She would have loved to call Sophia barren to her face.

"Mum," Ethan warned in his usual polite way.

He loved his mother and didn't feel comfortable with disrespecting her. He didn't like her insulting his wife though. He wished they would both get along and knew that wasn't his wife's fault. Instead of choosing sides, he always subtly interfered when trouble was about to brew, just like he did a minute earlier.

"What?" Lily asked, her tone strained as if she couldn't understand what the problem was. "Can't I talk to your wife again?"

Before Ethan could say something else in defense of his wife, she turned to Sophia and fixed her with a stern gaze. "Is it a problem if I talk with you? Am I to be blamed for engaging my son's wife in a conversation?"

Sophia swallowed and shook her head. "No. The gynaecologist says nothing is wrong with me and we should keep being hopeful."

Lily relaxed in her chair and snorted. "So you keep saying for the past one year."

"And I don't care if she says that for the next two years. I'm not in a rush to be a father. I have Sophia and she is everything to me." Ethan said.

Lily's face crumpled. She put her hand over her face and started sobbing, shaking dramatically. Sophia sighed as guilt enveloped Ethan's face just as his mother hoped he would react.

"I carried him for close to a year, raised him for almost three decades but a woman he met three years ago is everything to me." Lily cried. "Oh, Lily. What has become of your life?"

Ethan sighed and reached for his mother's hand. "You know I didn't mean it that way, mum. I love you."

"But not as much as you love your wife." She glared at him.

He let out a pained groan. "Don't make me choose sides. It will get ugly."

"True, mum. You are ruining the vibe." Emma, Ethan's younger sister, said with a roll of her eyes, speaking for the first time since they all started eating thirty minutes ago.

Sophia wasn't a fool to believe Emma was on her side. She just hated the drama. None of his family was on her side. While Lily never liked her and made it known, Emma was indifferent and pretended like she didn't exist.

She had no idea which of the treatment she preferred.

Finally, the awkward Thanksgiving dinner ended and it was time to bid Lily and Emma goodbye. There was nothing in the day that Sophia felt grateful for except this moment that she had to leave.

Ethan hugged his mother goodbye and she held on to him for so long that Sophia prayed she wouldn't start yapping she would miss him and ask them to stay the night. She couldn't tolerate a minute more of Lily's toxicity.

Lily made a show of staring at Sophia as she embraced Ethan as if to point out that she was his mother. Sophia snorted silently and refrained from rolling her eyes. As if she wanted to contest with her.

"I'm sorry about that." Ethan apologized once they were alone in his car and heading home.

She snorted and laid her head on the seat rest. "You don't have to keep apologizing for what you aren't guilty of."

He sighed. "She is my mother and I should apologize for her rudeness."

"You mean her hatred?" She twisted her head to stare at him. "Your mother doesn't like me. You keep telling me for the past two years that she needs time to get used to me. Is it until we are fifty that she will finally get used to me?"

He let out another sigh filled with torment and she relaxed, reminding herself that he hated the situation as much as she did. She didn't have to take it out on him. She placed her hand on his lap and smiled at him.

"I'm fine, Ethan." She smiled again at him. "I really am."

"I know you are not. Maybe if we have a child, that will soften mum's heart."

Her guards went up. "Are you trying to say it's my fault that your mum acts like a bitch anytime she sees me?"

He scowled. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry if it sounded like that."

"I'm being unnecessarily sensitive. Forgive me."

He shook his head. "I understand. You don't have to pretend like you are fine because of me. I'm your husband and should be your comfort in moments like this."

"Thanks, Ethan." She said, covering her mouth with her palm to stifle a yawn.

He smiled gently at her. "You should get some rest before we get home. I know you've been tense all day."

She nodded and snuggled deeper into the seat. She woke up as he was laying her down on their bed. Her eyes flickered open and she smiled at him.

"Hey," she muttered, her voice thick with sleep.

He smiled as he helped her remove her shoes and tucked her in bed. "We are home. I didn't want to wake you so I carried you inside."

She shook her head. "This isn't home. Home is wherever you are. I've been home the second I was alone with you."

He chuckled. "I love you, Sophia." He said, his eyes softening as he gazed at her.

She smiled back. "I love you more, Ethan."

"Together forever?" He repeated their usual chant.

"Together forever." She nodded, smiling at him.

"You should get some sleep. I need to have a shower." He said and tried to get up.

He gasped when she suddenly wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down.

"Are you leaving me without a good night kiss?" She asked, her eyes twinkling as she brought his face closer to hers.

He chuckled, shaking his head with amusement. He knew that look in her eyes. She was up to no good. "You know it's never going to stop at just a good night kiss?"

"Is there a problem if it goes beyond that?" She grinned, running her tongue gently over her lower lip.

"No." He groaned and closed the distance between their lips, sighing happily as he molded their lips together.

Her hands tightened around his neck and she arched upward. His hands trailed gently over her body as he slowly undressed her. Just as she hoped for and he expected, the kiss turned into more than a good night kiss.

As long as Ethan was with her, she was fine. Sophia smiled as her husband showed her how much he treasured her that night.