Chapter 1: She Can Never Know
My MIL let herself into our house while I slept with my newborn — then I heard her say, "She can never know."
Three weeks after I gave birth, I was exhausted pretty much all the time.
So when I finally got my newborn to sleep one afternoon, I lay down beside her and passed out too.
I don't know how long I'd been asleep when I woke up to voices downstairs.
At first, I thought my husband had come home early from work.
Then I heard a woman's voice and realized it was my MIL.
That immediately woke me up.
I hadn't let her in.
In fact, I hadn't even known she was coming over.
Then I remembered the emergency key we'd given her after the baby was born.
I was about to go downstairs when I heard her say:
"And what happens when she goes back to work?"
"We'll figure it out," my husband replied.
"You said you'd handle this."
"Mom, keep your voice down.
She's sleeping."
I stopped halfway out of the bedroom.
There was a pause, and then my MIL lowered her voice.
"She can never know."
Okay, that was enough.
I went straight downstairs.
The second I stepped into the kitchen, they both stopped talking.
"What can I never know?"
My husband just stared at me, but my MIL recovered quickly.
"I came over to talk about the baby."
"With my husband?
While I'm asleep?"
She sighed.
"You need help.
Especially once you go back to work."
And suddenly I knew where this was going.
My MIL had been pushing to watch our daughter instead of us using daycare pretty much since she was born.
I'd told her more than once that I appreciated the offer, but my husband and I had already made our decision.
Or at least I thought we had.
"I can take her five days a week," she said.
"There's no reason to pay strangers when I'm available."
"We already have a daycare arranged."
She glanced at my husband.
"You didn't tell her?"
I turned to him.
That's when my husband finally admitted he'd canceled our daycare spot.
I was furious, obviously.
But at least the strange conversation I'd overheard suddenly made sense.
They'd been talking about the childcare arrangement.
At least, that's what I thought.
A few days later, my MIL came over again.
I was upstairs with the baby when I heard her and my husband arguing in the hallway.
I wasn't trying to listen until I heard her say:
"You told me it was over."
"Mom, not here."
"No.
I'm done covering for you."
I froze.
Covering for him?
I started toward the stairs, but of course that was the exact moment the baby started crying.
By the time I got her settled and came downstairs, my MIL was gone.
I asked my husband what they'd been arguing about, but he brushed me off and said it was nothing.
Except now I knew the conversation I'd overheard the first time hadn't just been about daycare.
For the next few days, I couldn't get my MIL's words out of my head.
Then one evening, after I finally got the baby to sleep, I went downstairs to get some water and heard my husband talking in the laundry room.
I almost walked right past until I heard the way he was speaking.
His voice was soft.
Affectionate.
Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to ME like that.
"Yeah, sweetheart.
I know."
I stopped cold.
Then he laughed softly.
"Tomorrow.
Same time."
I walked straight to the laundry room and pushed open the door.
May you like
My husband spun around and ended the call the second he saw me.
"Who the HELL was that?"
