At the birthday party, I invited all the top reporters in Nashville and every well-known anchor was there. There were many cameras set up around to make the place look like a film set.
Wearing a red dress, my mother-in-law looked at the cameras aimed at her and, for once, gave me a kind look.
“You may not be as capable as Hudson, but at least you know your place. The Leighton Family didn’t raise you for nothing.”
I nodded with a smile, agreeing again and again.
The guests around me looked on with even more dislike and disgust, while the Leighton relatives lifted their chins, staring down at me proudly.
“He’s got no backbone! His wife’s already sleeping with her brother-in-law and he’s still flattering his mother-in-law. What a shame to men!”
“What do you know? He’s trash, a beggar who grew up eating scraps. Without the Leighton Family, he wouldn’t even have food to eat. He’s fine being a fool.”
As gossip and mockery spread around me, I quietly greeted each guest. When the lucky hour came, Raline showed up holding Hudson’s arm.
The guests quickly gathered around, chatting and trying to please Hudson. Raline stayed close to him, not bothering to hide a thing.