Stepmother in-law

"What?" Both Rita and Eric asked in unison, their voices laced with disbelief.

"You can't be serious," Rita added, her face twisted in shock.

Eric, on the other hand, was filled with a combination of anger and confusion.

"It can't… you can't marry her. Dad, what do you mean you asked her to marry you? This will make me a laughing stock. You can't do this, Dad. You can't! She's my wife. You can't marry her!"

"Your 'ex-wife'," I corrected him, smiling as I took Emerson's hand in mine.

By now, we had gained the curious gazes of people around us. The guests, sensing the tension, began to inch closer, eager to hear what the argument was all about. When they noticed our intertwined hands, mine and Emerson's the whispers started.

Murmurs spread like wildfire. I could see Eric growing more anxious, his face reddening as the embarrassment consumed him. Rita stood next to him, clearly as mortified as he was.

"Dad, what the fuck do you think you're doing? You can't marry her!" Eric's voice rose, desperation creeping into his tone.

His eyes bore into me, accusatory.

"What did you do?" he spat, pointing a shaking finger in my direction.

"What did you 'do' to my father? So, you're not only barren, you couldn't give me kids, you couldn't make me happy, but you're also a 'whore'. You've been sleeping with my father this whole time, haven't you? You disgusting little bitch…"

"Stop it right there!" Emerson cut him off, stepping between us.

He blocked Eric's advance, his voice calm yet firm. "Mina has never cheated on you. She and I have always respected each other. I've always seen her as my daughter... And when you married her, she became my daughter-in-law. She has always respected me too. Nothing ever happened behind your back."

Emerson paused, his gaze steady as if his words would pierce through Eric’s blind rage.

"But when you decided to have a child with her own sister, she was no longer yours and it just happened. As you can see, Mina is beautiful, she's smart and she makes me happy. Ever since your mother left me, I haven't moved on. I haven't been with another woman. But Mina… Mina made me change my mind."

Eric's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, you can't marry her, Dad. You just can't."

"Who are you to tell me who I can and can't marry?" Emerson replied, his voice growing cold. "I told you not to divorce her. I told you that you were going to regret it. But you didn't listen to me. Now you're going to have to learn the hard way."

Eric took a step back, his face drained of colour. "No... No…"

"Yes," I said, locking eyes with him, my tone steady and a smile on my face.

Eric, speechless and defeated, could only stare as I spoke.

"You," he began, his voice low. " You snake, I don't want to hear a word from you."

Emerson's voice followed mine. "This is your wedding day, Eric. Your wife is standing right beside you, and you're making a fool of yourself. Why don't you take your bride and continue celebrating and greeting your guests? You should be happy. You did decide to move on. You 'did' choose this woman over your ex-wife, didn't you?"

Eric stood frozen, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to form words that refused to come out. His eyes darted back and forth between me and his father, the shock on his face unmistakable.

“Dad, you're my father. You're supposed to be on my side, you can't let her embarrass our family like this. Please tell me this is a joke” Eric pleaded to his father.

“I don't take the constitution of marriage as a joke. Never have, never will. You should learn to respect it too.“ Emmerson answered, unmoved by Eric's little sympathy move.

“So what, you are going to become his stepmother now? My stepmother?“ Rita asked, eyes widened.

“Yes and no. I won't only be his stepmother, I will be Eric's ex-wife, his Sister-in-law but most importantly…I will be his stepmother.“ I say with a smile on my face, directing it at Rita.

“For you, I will be your distant sister, Your new stepmother-in-law and your husband's ex-wife. Any other title I forgot?“ I ask the both of them pointedly.

Finally, Eric couldn't take it anymore and he decided to stomp away, leaving Rita standing there, her expression full of astonishment. When her eyes met mine, that astonishment quickly morphed into disgust.

"How could you? That is so disgusting," she spat, her face twisted in revulsion. "This is his father! What is he, like seventy? A hundred and fifty?"

"Oh, please stop it, Rita," I replied, my voice calm but cutting. "I see the way you look at him. Are you setting up your next victim? You are pregnant and You just got married, and yet here you are."

"I know, and I am 'offended' that you're trying to ruin my wedding day, my party, and my new family!" she snapped, her voice rising with each accusation. "Have you no shame?"

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "No, Rita, the person who should be asked that question is you. *Have you no shame? Sleeping with your brother-in-law, getting pregnant by him, and then throwing this lavish wedding to celebrate it. Have you no shame?"

Her face flushed red with anger as she stamped her foot in frustration, clearly at a loss for words. Without another word, she spun on her heel and stomped away, probably off to find Eric so they could wallow in their misery together.

The murmurs and whispers of the crowd intensified as they watched the scene unfold, their eyes darting between me, Emerson, and the retreating figures of Eric and Rita.

I turned back towards Emerson with a small smile, trying to shake off the tension from the confrontation.

"Well, that was unexpected," I said with a chuckle, the weight of the moment beginning to lift.

"It was," Emerson replied with a small smile of his own, "but it was worth it. Seeing the look on their faces... priceless."

"Not as much as I was," I teased, feeling lighter than I had all day. "You're my saviour, my hero. Today would have been the worst day of my life, but you managed to make it a good day, a happy day. I should get a recording of this wedding, just to watch it over and over again. Think you can manage that as my wedding gift?"

Emerson looked at me with a strange expression, one that I couldn't quite read. "I'm glad I could brighten your day," he said softly.

"But... engaged, though?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't expect that. I thought it would be too much for you, too much attention, too much drama."

"I know," he admitted. "But when I saw you walking into this party, looking the way you did, trying so hard to hold it all together... I had to. Something just pushed me into it. You deserved some form of revenge, no matter how big or scandalous."

"I hope you don't mind," he added after a pause, his eyes searching mine.

"Of course, I don't," I reassured him, smiling. "You've made my day, Emerson. Thank You."

"No," he said, his voice lowering slightly as he looked at me more intently. "I hope you don't mind 'this'."

And then, to my complete shock, he got down on one knee in front of me. From his jacket, he pulled out a small black box and opened it, revealing a gleaming diamond ring.

I heard gasps ripple through the crowd around us, but my eyes were locked on Emerson, my breath catching in my throat. I didn't expect this.

Oh My!

"Mina," he began, his voice steady but filled with emotion, "would you marry me?"