Nelly stared at the disconnected phone, seething with rage. She flipped over the tray in front of her, spilling the freshly blended smoothie onto the floor. The glass shattered on the tiles, producing a sharp cracking sound.

"Mrs. Cooper…" The maids looked on, terrified.

"Get out! All of you, get out now!" Nelly shouted, pointing toward the door. Her normally well-maintained face was contorted with rare fury.

The maids scurried out in a line.

Nelly staggered back a couple of steps and collapsed onto the sofa, her chest heaving with anger. For years, she had tried to mend her relationship with her parents.

Her father had softened somewhat over time; where once there was cold anger, there was now at least a semblance of calm, even if he no longer treated her with the same warmth.

But her mother…

Though she never said it out loud, the bitterness remained, and her expression toward Nelly was always cold.

"Mr. Cooper is home…" The butler’s voice came from the doorway, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Timothy Cooper walked through the front door and took in the chaos that greeted him. Without changing his expression, he cast a brief glance at Nelly, still seething on the sofa. He said nothing and headed straight upstairs.

Seeing him ignore her, Nelly couldn’t help but stand up, her frustration boiling over. "Aren’t you going to ask why I’m so upset?"

Timothy turned, unbuttoning his cuffs with a disinterested look. "As long as you’re satisfied."

After all, whatever she broke could be replaced, and whatever mess was made could be cleaned up.

He was always like this….

"Timothy, I’m your wife! Can’t you at least show some concern for my feelings?" Nelly cried out.

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

She stared at him.

"After all these years, why the sudden tantrum?" he asked, completely unfazed.

Nelly stood there speechless for a moment.

"Oh, and I won’t be home for dinner tonight. Got some business to attend to," Timothy said as he started heading upstairs to change.

Nelly hurried after him. "I just found out today that my parents have been back in the country for a week, and Sam knew about it all along! Yet he kept it from me on purpose!"

If she hadn’t overheard by accident, she would still be in the dark.

Recalling how her husband and son always seemed to be in sync, Nelly paused, uncertainty creeping into her voice as she asked, "Did you know about this too?!"

Timothy didn’t even hesitate. "Yes. In fact, I had dinner with your parents just the other day."

The fire that had subsided momentarily in Nelly’s eyes flared up again, her anger shooting to its peak. "You knew my parents were back?"

Timothy replied calmly, "Is there a problem with that?"

"You knew they were back, and yet you didn’t think to tell me? You all knew, but I was left in the dark. What am I to you, Timothy? Someone less than a maid?"

Timothy’s brow furrowed slightly, seemingly puzzled by her outburst.

"First of all, no one realized that you didn’t know they were back," he said. "Second, as you mentioned, even the maids knew they were here, but you didn’t? Have you ever considered why that is?"

They were pinning this on her again!

Nelly finally snapped. "Are you saying that my parents hate me and that it’s all my own doing? That I brought this upon myself?"

"You and Sam–one is my husband, and the other is my child. Yet neither of you ever takes my side, never thinks of me."

"My own parents, and you intentionally leave me out when you meet them. Do you think that’s appropriate, Timothy?" she demanded.

He looked at her, as calm as ever, watching her unravel in her hysteria without the slightest flicker of emotion in his eyes. "They are your parents and also my in-laws. What’s wrong with me having a meal with them?"

"In-laws? Right. It doesn’t matter who you marry, does it? They’d still be your in-laws!" she accused, her voice trembling.

Timothy’s brow tightened in confusion. "I don’t understand what you’re implying."

"Oh, you understand perfectly," Nelly spat back, "You always treated my parents so well, made time to visit them abroad every year, but you never took me along. So, Timothy, who are you really trying to impress?"

By now, Timothy’s face had gone completely blank. "Do you truly not know why you weren’t invited?"