Greedy God-Sister

My mother-in-law was somehow allergic to me.

As long as I was in the house, her skin would break out in rashes, and she would struggle to breathe.

The hospital could not find any specific allergen. They said it might be something to do with my scent.

To give his mother some relief, my husband Keith asked me to stay in a hotel every weekend.

I quietly packed away everything that was mine. I even stopped wearing my favorite perfume just so I could stay home for one extra day.

However, her condition only grew worse.

The days I was allowed to be home dropped from five days a week to three, and eventually to just one.

I never complained. I only hoped she would get better soon.

One day, I left work early to pick up a document from home.

I heard laughter from inside the house.

"Mom, your trick really works! Every time you cough, my brother kicks that woman out."

It was Keith's god-sister Caroline, who had studied abroad.

My mother-in-law laughed smugly. "Caroline, you're the best. You can cook, and you give great massages. You're nothing like that useless block of wood who's always in the way.

"Keith, hurry up and marry Caroline already. Get rid of that woman!"

Keith's voice was full of indulgence. "Mom, don't say things like that. Caroline, look at the perfume I bought you. You've worked hard lately."

All strength left my body as I stood frozen at the door.

The key sat in the lock. I had just been about to turn it.

Laughter drifted from inside the house, bright and sharp. Each word they uttered stabbed straight into my ears.

"Keith, you're so good to me! This is limited edition. I've been looking everywhere, but I couldn't find it."

Caroline Jenkins' voice was syrupy sweet, the exact tone my husband, Keith Collins, loved most.

My voice had always been cool and quiet. I could never fake such soft, clingy sweetness.

I used to think he loved me because I was different, with my calm, detached edge.

Until the day I accidentally overheard him joking with his friends.

"Silvia's great in every way. It's just her personality and her voice. They're too bland. It's kind of tasteless."

Since that moment, those words had lodged inside me like a tiny thorn. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, there was a trace of hesitation, a hint of quiet insecurity.

I took a deep breath, but the tightness in my chest did not ease.

Then, I shoved the door open.

The laughter in the living room froze. All three of them turned to look at me, their smiles stiffening instantly.

My mother-in-law, Melanie Collins, had a healthy flush on her cheeks. There was not a single sign of the ‘allergy’ she always complained about.

Caroline was wrapped around Keith's arm, clinging to him intimately. In her hand was the perfume I had wanted so badly last month but could not bring