My Husband Accused My Family of Stealing His Mother’s Gift Chapter 03

My Husband Accused My Family of Stealing His Mother’s Gift Chapter 03

Mom opened the door, but the person outside was not delivering a cake. A courier stood there holding a stack of gift boxes.

Adrian suddenly rose from his chair.

It was the first time since arriving that he had voluntarily gotten up to help anyone.

He walked over, took the boxes from the courier, and carefully carried them to the dining table.

Dad’s eyes lit up.

He looked at the boxes, then at Adrian, and a pleased smile spread across his face.

“Look at that. He even brought me presents.”

The relatives joined in with admiring smiles.

“Frank, you’ve got one thoughtful son-in-law.”

“Sixty is a big milestone. He must have planned something special for you.”

Dad leaned forward eagerly, his hands clasped together in his lap. He was clearly trying to contain his excitement.

Adrian opened the first box.

Inside was a heavy, solid-gold bracelet weighing almost three ounces. The light flashed across its polished surface so brightly that everyone at the table narrowed their eyes.

Adrian immediately handed it to Linda.

“Mom, this is for your retirement. You’ve been talking about wanting a gold bracelet for the past six months.”

Linda beamed as she accepted it, slipped it onto her wrist, and turned her arm from side to side to admire it.

“This must have cost a fortune. My son is always so thoughtful.”

Adrian opened the second box.

Inside was the newest iPhone, which he held out to Noah.

“This is your college send-off gift, Noah. Study hard once you’re overseas.”

Noah stared for a second before breaking into a huge grin and jumping to his feet to accept it.

“I get one too? Thanks, Uncle Adrian!”

Adrian moved on to the next box.

It was covered in velvet and was smaller than the first two. When he opened it, a delicate diamond band designed as one half of a matching pair lay inside.

He turned and held it out to Maya without the slightest concern that I was standing right there.

“A little gift to celebrate your permanent position. You’ve worked hard these past six months.”

Maya’s eyes reddened again.

“Mr. Mercer, this is far too expensive. I can’t accept it.”

“Wear it. You’ve earned it.”

There were several more boxes, and Adrian opened them one by one. Even Coco, Linda’s toy poodle, received a present.

There was only one thing missing: a sixtieth-birthday gift for my father.

Dad slowly drew back into his chair, his shoulders sinking with disappointment.

His eyes reddened as he ran a finger around the rim of his glass again and again. He seemed to be searching his memory for whatever he might have done wrong to upset his son-in-law that day.

The room remained lively as the relatives congratulated Linda on her retirement.

Not one person said “Happy birthday” to Dad.

Every so often, Dad glanced at the colorful presents that were not his, his lips pressed together with obvious longing.

He looked like a stranger who had wandered into someone else’s living room and stumbled upon a celebration that had nothing to do with him, even though he was sitting in his own home.

I could not tolerate it any longer. I stood up and stepped protectively in front of Dad.

“Adrian, today is my father’s birthday. I haven’t said a word about your family inviting themselves to his dinner.”

“But are you deliberately doing all of this to humiliate my family?”

Everyone at the table froze.

Linda clicked her tongue and looked me up and down with one eyebrow raised.

“Listen to you. Why do you have to make everything sound so ugly? My son is here, so why shouldn’t I be here too?”

Dad hurried to his feet and desperately tried to pull me back. His hands were still trembling.

“Don’t start anything, sweetheart. I’m fine. None of this matters to me.”

“It’s my fault my birthday happened to fall on Thanksgiving this year. I shouldn’t have made things harder for everyone.”

Just then, Tyler came out carrying the final dish, a large platter of Buffalo chicken tenders.

His forehead was slick with sweat from working in the kitchen. Grinning, he untied his apron and spoke brightly to Noah.

“Everything’s ready. I heard you like food with some heat and tang, so I made Buffalo chicken just for you. Give it a try.”

Noah kept scrolling through his phone without looking up or answering.

After a long moment, he finally raised his eyes. His gaze passed straight over Tyler as he addressed Adrian.

“Uncle Adrian, didn’t you say we were going to the restaurant at the hotel later? Shouldn’t we get going?”