I wasn\u2019t gullible about Ryan\u2019s mother when I married him two years ago. Margaret never bothered to conceal her contempt for me; whenever I walked into a room, her eyes would always narrow a little, as though I had brought a foul odor with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ryan would squeeze my hand beneath the dining table and whisper, \u201cShe\u2019ll come around, Cat,\u201d while his mother questioned him\u2014and him alone\u2014about his day in a direct manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She muttered, \u201cThe children aren\u2019t even his,\u201d not realizing that I was coming with empty plates. \u201cShe trapped him with her ready-made family. Classic gold-digger move.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plates shook in my hands as I froze in the corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was crying when I confronted Ryan that evening. \u201cYour mother thinks I married you for money. She doesn\u2019t even see Emma and Liam as your family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His heartbeat was steady against my ear as he drew me in. \u201cYou and those kids are my world, Cat. Nothing and no one will come between us. Not even my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ryan kept his promise. He purchased a lovely house for us in a community with tree-lined streets and nice schools, far enough away from Margaret that we didn\u2019t have to visit her unless we so desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under Ryan\u2019s tutelage, Emma and Liam flourished. Since their biological father left when Liam was still in diapers, he has never attempted to take his place. Rather, he developed his own bond with them, based on bedtime stories, Saturday morning pancakes, and pillow forts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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