Nausea rose in my throat. I turned toward my room, but my mother-in-law blocked my path and shoved me toward the kitchen.
"Don't think you can slack off. You've been married for years and still haven't managed to lay an egg. You haven't earned the right to be lazy."
She watched me like a prison warden while I chopped vegetables.
Thomas entered a moment later. For once, he handed me a pair of gloves.
"Hazel has a delicate stomach." His voice was void of warmth. "If the food isn't clean, she gets diarrhea."
He took the fruit platter I had just cut and carried it out to the living room.
"Professor is so amazing!" the students chorused. "He even helps his wife with the housework!"
My mother-in-law beamed. "My son is young and outstanding. Any woman who marries him should thank her lucky stars! If he hadn't settled down so early, he could have done much better."
"If I had met Teacher ten years ago, I definitely would have pursued him," Hazel sighed. "With such a good husband, I'd give him three children!"
I stood in the doorway, balancing a steaming dish in one hand and a stack of bowls in the other.
Thomas and Hazel were gazing at each other. The air between them was thick. Electric.