Rory slipped into the room, and the door closed behind her with a soft click. She walked over to the porcelain sink. Flattening her palms against the cold, hard surface, she bowed her head, eyes cast down in exhaustion. The meeting with her in-laws felt more stressful than normal.
Staring at her reflection in the gilded mirror in front of her, she winced at the evident fatigue on her face. She placed her hands together, forming a cup before putting them under the tap. It came on automatically, and the water rushed out to fill up the indentation of her joined palms. Rory splashed the water against her face welcoming the coolness on her cheeks. Hopefully, it would help the color return in them.
“Okay, Rory, you can do this. Just a few more hours, then you get to go home and hopefully enjoy that tub of ice cream you’ve been ignoring for the past couple of weeks.”
She sighed miserably. Who was she kidding? This evening was bound to get more unbearable the longer she and James stayed. She was sure Lenora was only bidding her time before she started picking on her about her appearance, her choice of occupation and anything else that she was sure would get to Rory.
It had been like this ever since she and James started dating. When she first met James’ parents, she immediately sensed the disappointment that oozed off them in waves, Lenora especially. She had been incredibly catty and had brought Rory to the brink of tears. It had made her reconsider dating James.
Lenora made it a point of reference to mention that they, in fact, were from two different backgrounds. He was born to generational wealth and would always be wealthy, while she had been born to a mother who raised her single-handedly, who struggled hard to make a life for the both of them. The stark difference had been made even more abundantly clear on her first visit to the Davis’ mansion.
The degree of opulence in the sprawling three-story house that she came to understand sat on its own thirty-two acres of land and boasted a garden that could rival that of the Queen of England’s and littered with other amenities such as swimming pools and tennis courts had intimidated her. She’d been set on breaking up with James, but he had convinced her that he was in this for the long haul and would get his parents to understand. That was the first time he’d said, “I love you.” His revelation had melted her heart, and she’d also decided to fight for their relationship. Whatever James said to his parents, Lenora had become more welcoming, but Rory was sure it wasn’t by choice.
“Why are you doing this to me, to our family?”
Rory slowed to a stop outside the dining room’s entrance, obscured from view behind the half-opened sliding doors as their voices echoed loud of enough for her to hear.
“You could have had any one of the debutantes in our social circle, yet y—”
“Yet, I’m not interested in anyone else except, Rory. The woman that I love, Mom,” James spoke up, his statement bringing a smile to Rory’s lips.
“She is a Kindergarten teacher, for God’s sake,” Lenora half-shouted. “Richard…tell him.”
There was a pause before the elder Davis spoke up, “What your mother said, son.”
“Can you imagine what our friends and family would say about this?” Lenora asked. “And to have the wedding in Oak Harbor. Really? Why don’t we just have a good ol’ back of woods, country hoe down of a wedding then?” Her voice dripped with disdain.
Rory shook her head in disbelief at how disrespectful her to be mother-in-law was being behind her back. It shouldn’t have been surprising, but to hear her say those things still felt like being socked in the gut.
“Mom,” James shot in a warning tone. “I am marrying the woman of my dreams. That’s what should matter…that’s what our family should be focusing on, and quite frankly, it’s none of their business,” he fumed with finality.
Instead of conceding, the woman tried another tactic of reasoning. “James, I know it might not seem to be of consequence now, but this union has the potential to wreck our family’s reputation.”
James released a frustrated breath as he asked, “How do you propose it will do that, mother?”
“Well, think of the information that just came to light. She is the product of a one-night stand to state the obvious, and to make matters worse, her mother fooled around with a married man.”
Rory clutched her chest as her heart plummeted to the bottom of her chest. She couldn’t hear anything else that Lenora was saying as the hurtful words kept ringing in her ears. It felt like the first time she’d met James’ parents all over again, only the pain and shame from Lenora’s words hit ten times greater. As much as she knew that her mother-in-law did not care for her, she’d thought that they were making progress enough to at least be tolerant of each other. The woman’s attack on her mother and origin proved that she was unwilling to welcome Rory into her family and probably never would. Unshed tears burned her eyes as her vision became blurry. She pressed her fingers against her closed eyes, willing the tears away.
Rory took a deep breath and allowed her hands to fall by her sides. She walked through the open door, her expression as neutral as she could muster. She raised a questioning brow at James, who was on his feet, his expression dour.
“This dinner is over. We’re leaving,” he spoke, shocking her and the other two occupants at the table. James walked toward her, took her hand and all but hauled her toward the front door. A few minutes after the valet handed James the key to his Land Rover, they were driving through the gates of his parents’ home.
“Are you okay?” Rory asked worriedly after more than ten minutes of tense silence.
“Yeah, I just…I have a lot on my mind,” James responded, his voice tight.
“And you’re angry,” Rory concluded.
James released a long sigh. He looked at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road. “I’m sorry we had to leave like that,” he told her a few seconds later. “My parents and I had a disagreement, and I didn’t think it was wise to continue with our evening.”
“Was it about me?” she slowly asked, even though she already knew the answer.
James’s hand tightened on the steering, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. That was confirmation enough for her. Reaching across the console, she held his free hand. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” he responded gruffly. He released a heavy breath, and she felt him tense. James moved his hand from under hers and rested on the steering, looking straight ahead.
Rory turned to look at the dark, blurry figures the car zipped past. Her heart felt heavy with disappointment and fear.
