Mary’s marriage to Ed came with a steep price: his mother Scarlett, who never hid her contempt. From the very beginning, Scarlett’s disdain was evident—at the wedding, she made cutting remarks and continued her barrage of insults and criticisms at every visit. Tensions escalated with each encounter, until one day something even more startling happened.
Mary and Ed were driving toward Scarlett’s house in heavy silence, though Mary was already relieved at the thought of leaving. Scarlett had always adored her son, showering him with affection, while Mary was left to endure constant put-downs. At their wedding, for example, Scarlett arrived in a veil—an unspoken jab, implying Mary wasn’t good enough—and that kind of behavior only worsened over time.
When they pulled into Scarlett’s driveway, Mary stepped out reluctantly, bracing herself for the inevitable verbal attacks. Scarlett greeted Ed with an enthusiastic hug, then turned her icy attention to Mary. “Well, Mary, I see you’ve put on a few pounds,” she sneered. Mary forced a polite smile and replied, “Good to see you too, Scarlett,” while internally bracing herself for what was to come.
During dinner, Scarlett launched into a litany of criticisms—complaining about Mary’s cooking, her job, even her style of dress—while frequently glancing at Ed for approval. Mary endured quietly until Scarlett’s comments took a cruel turn. “I think it’s about time you gave me a grandchild—or maybe, Mary, you have some issues?” Scarlett remarked with a smirk. That comment, a brutal dig at Mary’s ongoing struggles with fertility, was the last straw. In a burst of anger, Mary shouted, “How dare you! Maybe it’s your son who’s the problem!”
Scarlett retorted by telling Ed to instruct his “crazy wife” to show some respect, while Ed nonchalantly dismissed the whole confrontation. Then, Scarlett leaned in with a mocking suggestion about herbal teas supposedly for people like Mary. Overwhelmed, Mary excused herself to the bathroom, her mind reeling, and when she returned, she told Ed she wanted to leave. Ed, barely glancing up, agreed.
On the drive home, Mary’s turmoil only deepened. Determined to know the truth, she convinced Ed to stop at a pharmacy so she could take a pregnancy test. In the solitude of her apartment’s bathroom, Mary anxiously waited—and then saw the two clear lines. Elated yet anxious, she rushed to show Ed, proclaiming, “Ed, we’re going to have a baby!” His reaction, however, was muted—a simple, “Oh, that’s… good,” which chilled her heart.
Not long after, during one of their doctor’s appointments, Ed’s detachment grew more apparent. Later, Mary’s suspicions were confirmed when she noticed a text notification on Ed’s phone. Curious and hurt, she unlocked his phone using his birth date—a trick she recalled—and found a conversation that sent her world crashing down. The message was a provocative photo of a half-dressed woman accompanied by, “Can’t wait to see you, baby.” Shocked, Mary saved every screenshot as evidence of his betrayal.
When Ed emerged from the bathroom, Mary confronted him, phone in hand, demanding answers. Ed curtly snapped, “None of your business,” which only fueled her anger. “You’re cheating on me, Ed—I’m your pregnant wife!” she cried. Ed’s cold response was even more devastating: “Maybe you’re the one cheating on me. How do I know the baby’s mine?” In that moment, Mary’s heart shattered. Ed declared he was filing for divorce, claiming that the pregnancy was too convenient after six months of failed attempts, and even threatened to take over the house, which Mary insisted had been bought by her father.
Devastated, Mary was thrown out, tears streaming down her face. Desperate for support, she went to Scarlett and laid out every painful detail—Ed’s lies, his cheating, and his threats. To Mary’s surprise, Scarlett, who had always been unsympathetic, listened and then tearfully revealed that Ed had also been siphoning money from her, claiming it was for doctor visits related to Mary’s fertility issues—a claim Mary knew was false after checking their accounts.
Scarlett, for the first time, took Mary’s side. “I can’t believe my son would do this,” she said, her voice shaking. She proposed that when the baby is born, they could get a DNA test using one of his toothbrushes to settle the paternity question once and for all. Mary, both angry and relieved, finally felt a glimmer of justice.
Armed with the screenshots, Mary confronted Ed once more, laying out her ultimatum: relinquish his claim to the house, sign the divorce papers, and agree to child support—or she’d expose his infidelity to his lover. Cornered, Ed reluctantly agreed and signed the papers.
Scarlett then took matters further by confronting Ed’s lover, exposing all his lies—his false boasts about wealth and his deceitful behavior. When Ed learned of this, he was livid. Scarlett, sitting with Mary, calmly sipped her tea as Ed’s furious shouts echoed from outside, accusing them of breaking his promises. “I did tell him,” Scarlett retorted loudly, “I taught you that lying is wrong, but you never learned!” In his fury, Ed threatened retribution, but before he could act, the police arrived after a neighbor’s call, and he was taken away amidst a storm of angry threats.
Inside, Mary and Scarlett sat together, finishing their tea in quiet defiance. In that moment, Mary realized that while her marriage had been built on lies and betrayal, the truth had finally emerged—and with it, a path toward reclaiming her dignity.