The Mother-in-law
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” my mother-in-law snapped at Cullen.
I didn’t hear what Cullen said in response, probably a sigh, or maybe a shrug. Typical.
“Don’t you pull that attitude with me,” Mrs Cincinnati’s voice came again, louder this time and full of fury. “You know there is a lot hanging on this marriage between you and Sarah Sullivan. You know that lives are at stake here. You know that money is at stake. Power. Connections.”
Her voice trembled.
“This is not about you. It is not about your pride. And it sure as hell isn’t about your little broken heart. This is much bigger than you and your little ego. And I thought... God, I really thought that you could do it. That when you agreed to marry her, you would actually step up.”
“I am,” Cullen snapped. “I did. You told me to marry her..... and I married her. What else do you want from me?”
“Well, in case you’re actually asking, let me tell you,” she shot back, furious. “We expected you to do everything as custom dictates. You were supposed to consummate your marriage on your wedding night. And now? It’s morning. I walked in with those gossips, only to find your bride still in her wedding dress from yesterday.”
She hissed, clearly disgusted.
“You made her sleep out here. Like some... Some stranger.”
Cullen sighed loudly. “What do you want me to do, okay? I don’t want to sleep with her.”
“I don’t care!” she snapped, her voice slicing through the air. “I don’t care how you make it happen, as long as it happens. What I care about is that you follow through with everything your father told you to do. That includes not making a goddamn fool of us the morning after your wedding.”
Her voice dropped slightly, tighter now, controlled and cold. “We were supposed to present the sheets. What the hell am I supposed to say now? What will the Irish think when they hear about this? You think they won’t take it personally? As if you’re telling them to go fuck themselves? You think they won’t take it as disrespect?”
A pause.
“What, you think Sarah’s not beautiful?” she demanded. “You think she’s ugly? Do you think she’s not sexy enough? Not hot enough for you?”
Her voice cracked just slightly with disbelief.
“Is that what you’re telling me now? Because if it is I want to hear you say it. I dare you.”
“This has nothing to do with her,” Cullen bit back. “It’s not Sarah. It’s just… me, okay?”
He sounded tired and frustrated.
“I did everything you told me to. I didn’t touch her. She’s untouched. She’s unharmed. I didn’t even talk to her, okay? I didn’t do anything other than marry her, so I don’t know why you’re all over my case right now.”
“Really? You don’t know why?” Mrs. Cincinnati’s voice was sharp again, her patience gone. “I already told you, we need to present the freaking sheet.”
Then her voice shifted, still angry, but more calculated now. Cruel, even.
“Are you telling me you feel absolutely nothing for her? Because I’ll tell you something, and I am a woman.... that pretty girl is beautiful. She’s young. She’s attractive. And if you don’t believe me, why don’t we ask the men in this hotel?”
A pause. And then she delivered it like a dagger.
“In fact, the bodyguards outside. If I walked out there right now and said, ‘Who wants to sleep with Sarah?’.... you want to know how long that line would be?”
Cullen said nothing.
“So if you can’t do your duties,” she continued coldly, “maybe you need someone to help you do them. I wouldn’t even have to pay them. In fact, they’d do it happily. Every day of the week. Every day of the month. Every day of the year. You wouldn’t have to do a damn thing, just play the role of a glorified husband, while someone else collects the benefits.”
I thought to myself, my mother-in-law was something else.
Then, silence.
The room went eerily quiet. I stood there, ear still pressed to the door, wondering what their faces looked like. What was Cullen thinking? Why was he taking so long to answer her?
Then he finally spoke.
“What do you want me to do, Mom?” Cullen’s voice was lower now. “I always do everything you guys want, but it never seems to be enough.”
For the first time, her voice softened.
“Here’s what I want you to do,” she said, slower now, gentler. “I know you and Sarah are strangers. I know you can’t suddenly fall in love with her. But could you please just treat her like a person? Like a human being?”
She paused, then added, “You do remember what happened with your brother… what he did to Bella, don’t you?”
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
“Please don’t tell me you’re about to repeat the same cycle. I… I’ll feel like a failure. Like I’m the mom who failed to teach her sons how to treat a woman.”
Her voice broke just slightly.
“Your dad and I.... we thought we were doing our best. But between your brother, and now you…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
I frowned. What did Cyrus do to Bella? They seemed so in love… or maybe that was just for the public. They really did look like a couple in love. Was it all fake? What did he do to her?
As the questions swirled in my mind, I heard my mother-in-law take a deep breath, the kind you take when you're trying to calm yourself before delivering a final warning.
“I’m giving you two hours, okay? Two hours.” Her voice was firm again, back to business. “I’m going to go down there and distract everyone. I’ll probably say you two can’t keep your hands off each other or something like that. But I’m giving you two hours. When I come back, those sheets better be bloody.”
Then I heard footsteps. The door opened, then clicked shut behind her.
I held my breath for a second. Bloody sheets? My chest tightened as the words echoed in my head.
She means… now? It’s supposed to happen now?
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