Valerie deftly cracked open the crab claw and extracted the meat, forgoing a formal thank-you in the casual atmosphere.

Aiden, his eyes wide with anticipation, didn't realize the crab was intended for Matthew. His excitement turned to dismay as he watched Valerie place the crab meat on Matthew's plate.

Eyes welling with tears, Aiden felt abandoned. "Auntie has a husband now, and she won't spoil me anymore"

"Don't cry, Aiden. I'm sorry," Valerie soothed, a bit flustered. She turned to Matthew. "Matthew, could Aiden have this piece? I'll get another one for you."

Surprisingly, the usually reasonable Matthew glanced at the tearful Aiden and simply said, "No," before calmly eating the crab meat. He had a firm policy of not sharing food from his plate.

Valerie was taken aback, having never seen Matthew refuse a child like that. She quickly tried to console Aiden. "I'll get you a bigger, tastier piece, okay?"

Aiden, reassured by Valerie's promise, wiped his tears and nodded, "Okay!"

While this unfolded, Ashley, feeling left out of the jovial mood, grew restless. The doorbell rang, sparking a playful look in her eyes. "I'll see who it is."

Julian, who was closer, started to get up, but Ashley stopped him. "Oh, sweetheart, let's let Valerie handle it. It might be her guest."

"Right, Julian. It's probably the cake delivery. I'll take care of it," Valerie interjected.

"A cake?" Aiden's spirits lifted instantly at the mention of food.

"I knew you'd perk up at the mention of cake, you little boy," Valerie said with a laugh.

Valerie laughed softly and playfully tapped Aiden's nose before rising to answer the door. She had ordered the cake through a delivery app, and the payment was already handled. As she reached for the door, a forceful hand shot in from the outside, gripping her wrist tightly and causing her to wince in pain. Shocked, she looked up and gasped, "Mom!"

Panic surged through her. She had never given Ruth her new address, but there was no time to dwell on that. Valerie's arm throbbed under Ruth's strong grip; her face was twisted with anger, signaling trouble. Valerie tried to shut the door, hoping to defuse the situation.

But Ruth was having none of it. Years away from farm work hadn't lessened her strength; regular workouts kept her robust. She barged through the door, her large frame making it impossible to close. "You ungrateful girl! Trying to lock me out after all the years I've raised you! We agreed you'd send me $400 a month, and now three days have passed without a word from you. Are you ignoring me? I know where you work. Don't force me to ask your boss for the money. Don't forget who you are just because you think you're independent now. If you lose your job over this, it's on you!" Ruth yelled, her finger jabbing in the air as she raised her hand threateningly.

Julian sensed the tension as Ruth stormed in and moved to intervene. However, Matthew reacted faster. Just as Ruth's hand was about to strike Valerie, Matthew stepped in, firmly catching Ruth's arm, shielding Valerie from harm.