The old couple immediately closed in on me, their hostility palpable.
The old man yanked open the front door. Bitter wind sliced through the entryway.
His wife didn't miss a beat. "Out you go. You're not welcome here."
"Mom, that down jacket you're wearing—I bought it for you. Seven or eight hundred dollars."
Her gaze dropped for just a second before she shot back, "That was my son's money."
Ruth's voice came from behind her, soft and deliberate. "Don't worry. I'll buy you things too. Better things. More expensive."
The old woman's face split into a triumphant smile.
"You heard her. Now get out. I have a daughter-in-law—a real one—and she's about to give me a grandson."
When I didn't move, she shoved me. Hard.
Farm people have strong hands. And hers held nothing back.
I couldn't brace against the force. My feet skidded toward the doorway, one stumbling step after another.
Five years of marriage. And this was how it ended—on the eve of the new year.
My eyes found Ray over his mother's shoulder.
"Ray. Tell me. When did you fall for her?"
Ruth answered instead, her voice dripping with gentle poison. "I'll admit, I gave him a hard time back then. But do you know why?"
I held my breath.