My Father In-Law Belongs To Me

MAEVEI hurried back home from work after grabbing my test results from the hospital. I was excited to break the news about my pregnancy to my husband. I’d heard countless times from Thayer, my husband, about how he wanted to have kids, and I was so proud and excited to be finally fulfilling that desire of his.I’ve never had it easy with love. I was born chubby and was forced to endure relentless mockery from peers and even my family while growing up. I was called all sorts of names: overweight, fat, chubby, shark, and other painful names that forced me into hiding. No one wanted to associate with me, let alone fall in love with me.I tried various methods to lose weight; I went on diets, practiced yoga, and even engaged in morning exercise routines, but instead, it felt like I was gaining more weight.For the twenty-two years I’ve lived, I desperately wanted to experience romantic love, as I was also a human with feelings. Then Thayer came. He confessed his love for me despite my si

MAEVEI woke up again with a dull ache in my head. I noticed that I was lying perfectly on the bed and that the dress I was wearing was not the same one from the other night. I didn’t remember laying on the bed last night, nor did I change my clothes from the night before.I was a bit concerned, as I was sure whoever had changed my dress while I was sleeping must have seen my naked form.Could it be my father-in-law? My heart skipped a beat at the thought. He wouldn’t do that.But that was the least of my worries, because as I tried to sit up, I noticed someone standing far away from me, very close to the door, with arms crossed.I took a deep breath and slowly looked up to find the unsmiling face of Thayer staring down at me, with so much disgust evident in his facial features that I became self-conscious again.He was dressed in a light blue polo over dark jeans—the pair I bought for him just a few weeks ago. It hurt seeing him in that outfit, and I instantly regretted getting those

MAEVEI was not expecting Xander’s reaction to Thayer’s insults just now, but his apology afterward was something I didn’t want to hear. I know he did it to make me feel better, but now I feel worse.Just a few minutes ago, I actually thought he had a thing for me, but he was really doing it for his son. I didn’t want to think about it too much, so I demanded to be left alone. I needed to think things through. Hot tears raced down my cheeks as I considered what would be best to do in this situation.I wanted to disappear and never see Thayer again, but I had nowhere to go. My parents were both dead, I didn’t want to face the insults of my step-sister and stepmother, and I didn’t want to get anywhere near crowded places. I just wanted to be locked up somewhere in this house, away from the eyes of the whole world.It was painful to come to this decision, but I decided to play along with Xander’s plan. I needed to teach Thayer a lesson, and to do that, I was going to become his stepmothe

MAEVE “Look, Maeve, I don’t want it to seem like I’m forcing you to do my bidding,” Xander explained as he steered the car down the road. “Are you sure about this?”Sure about what? I turned to him. “Yes, I’m sure. No one is forcing me to do anything. Besides, I’m not doing it for Thayer; I’m doing it for myself. Someone has to teach him a lesson and it has to be me,” I answered, starting to bite my fingernails. It was something I usually did whenever I was tense. This time, I was especially tense about being my father-in-law’s fiancée.For someone like him, a public figure in Chicago, what would people see me as? A gold digger? A thief? This might bring more humiliation and hatred from people all over the world.“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Xander suddenly asked; he must have noticed my anxiety.“No, I’m fine. It’s nothing.” I looked out the window, hoping this wouldn’t bring in more trouble.The car pulled up in front of Xander’s mansion. I would never have dreamed that I would ge

MAEVEIt wasn’t Kath’s business to know what relationship I had with Xander, so I didn’t answer her question. “I’m going to pick a room, and you’re going to arrange it immediately,” I tried to change the topic as I headed down the hallway. Kath followed behind me, still blabbing.She seemed like one of those busybodies who always wanted to nose into people’s affairs just because it was a habit, and I didn’t want to ever meet such people. They turn around and stab you in the back.“Do you think I’m not attractive enough?” Kath asked again, her tone becoming sharper and more alarming. “I’ve been working here almost all my life and I’ve dedicated everything to my work. Yet, the boss doesn’t even seem to notice me. Then you come along, and he starts treating you like a wife.”Now I get it—jealousy. Had she actually tried to seduce Xander? At the thought of that, anger flared in my chest.“Even when it’s clear you’re not prettier than I am. I didn’t know he was into chubby women with flesh