My Boss, Her Lover

My mother-in-law, Jessie Fraser, was the backbone of their family. Though there were many brothers and sisters, she had always held the final say in the household.

Jessie's only blemish was the time her husband had been caught cheating, a betrayal she had caught him in the act of, and she'd thrown him out after forcing him to witness the miscarriage of the child from his affair.

Even though the child wasn't her husband's, she'd put up with a lot, but her strength had seen her through.

Over the years, raising Rachel alone had been exhausting, but it was steady work. She also had a boyfriend—one she'd never married.

When she heard that her daughter might be having suicidal thoughts, she quickly devised a hundred ways to punish me. In her mind, if a woman was upset, the man was usually to blame.

Within half an hour of my call, she stormed into my house with a host of aunts, uncles, and a few cousins.

"Chris, where's my daughter?"

I saw Jessie charging in, and hurried to meet her, trying to explain as fast as I could.

"Jessie, it was just a small argument. Rachel and I had a little fight, and she suddenly stopped answering my calls."

Before I could finish, Jessie grabbed a chair and hurled it straight at the door.

With a loud crash, everything went silent.

Jessie banged the bedroom door, calling out, "Rachel, don't do anything rash! If something's wrong, talk to Mom, and I'll help you, I promise."

When there was no answer, she called Rachel's phone, but it went unanswered.

Frustrated, she picked up the chair and smashed it against the door again, but still, nothing.

"What kind of door is this?" she fumed. "I've hit it a dozen times, and it hasn't even budged!"

I grabbed her by the arm, trying to stop her. "Jessie, this is the door you and Rachel picked out together. It's supposed to be burglar-proof. Even with the key, it's impossible to open from the outside. Please, stop! Don't push her any further!"

At my words, she paused.

But then Rachel's cousin, Max, not pleased with my interference, stepped up and punched me.

"Tell me, did you do something to hurt Rachel? I know men—none of them are any good!"

I shoved Max aside. "Not all men are like you, running around sowing chaos!"

"Then why else would Rachel be having suicidal thoughts?" he shot back.

Hearing this, Jessie was fired up again. "I knew it! I walked that path myself, and I won't let my daughter go down the same one. She's had a rough enough life, and now look—her father set a terrible example, and her husband's no better. What kind of life can she have now? Listen to me, Chris—if anything happens to her, I'll make you regret it!"

I grabbed her arm again, pleading, "Mom, I swear I haven't done anything!"

But Max wasn't done. He pushed me aside and started pounding on the bedroom door with both fists. "Rachel, don't be afraid. Whatever it is, I will take care of it. Just open the door, and we'll sort it out together."