PART 1
“You are organizing my mom’s 70th birthday party because I have already paid you, so do not even think about making me look bad in front of the family.”
Gwen opened the bank notification at six in the morning, taking her first sip of lukewarm water. Her husband of eight years, Brandon, had just transferred 200 dollars into her checking account.
Two hundred dollars for thirty guests seemed like a cruel joke, yet the strict instruction list left by her mother-in-law, Rosalind, remained pinned to the refrigerator. Rosalind had demanded slow-roasted prime rib, stuffed pork loin, an elaborate dessert display, a three-tiered custom cake, and fresh orchids, emphasizing that the prestigious Dupont family would be attending.
Gwen stared at the screen without shedding a single tear or raising her voice in frustration. Instead, she opened a delivery app on her phone and searched for multi-packs of instant ramen cups.
Since the day they got married, Gwen had served as the uncredited event planner for the entire family, handling everything from holiday dinners and baby showers to medical deliveries and family visits. Every single expense had always been met with Brandon’s reassuring promise that he would reimburse her in a little while, but that short while had stretched into eight long years.
