The morning my wife went back to work, my mother accused us of “breaking the family.” I thought I could prove her wrong, but when our baby hit his first milestone, I made a choice that spiraled into the biggest lie of our marriage.
It was Jennifer’s first day back at work, but the kitchen felt like a courtroom. My mom leaned against the counter, watching my wife with the kind of look that could strip paint off a wall.
“You’re making a huge mistake. The baby needs his mother,” Mom said, wiping down an already-clean counter for the third time that morning.
Jennifer met her stare. She didn’t blink or flinch. “I’m not abandoning him. I’m going back to my career. There’s a difference.”