No More Mrs. Forgotten novel Chapter 8

York nodded. "I understand."

Hayley said, "Perhaps... it's because of what happened to Caleb."

York truly hadn't expected Hayley to be this blunt. Normally, as a mother-in-law, she should have avoided this topic entirely.

York remained silent.

Hayley continued, "We all know the complicated history there, so there's no need to pretend otherwise. Caleb cared deeply for Sharon. Everyone knew it."

York lowered his gaze, masking whatever emotion flickered in his eyes.

"However," Hayley added, "Sharon is your wife. From beginning to end, you are the only man she has ever loved. Everyone knows that, too. But she shared a profound bond with Caleb as well. If we must put a label on it, he was undoubtedly her dearest friend, someone she grew up with. When a best friend dies tragically young, no one can be expected to remain calm. Right?"

Hayley threw the question straight at him. York instantly understood what she was doing. He nodded. "Yes, you're absolutely right."

Hayley was clearly worried that Caleb's death would cause a rift or an argument between him and Sharon.

But that wasn't the core issue, so York wasn't particularly bothered by it.

He thought Hayley had finished her point, but to his surprise, she spoke again. "If Sharon's emotional state over Caleb's passing upsets you... isn't Emeline also Caleb's wife?"

York froze again, then let out a faint chuckle. His smile was... somewhat inscrutable, laced with deeper meaning. He never realized his mother-in-law possessed such calculated 'tactics'.

Or rather, he knew, but had never cared enough to notice.

Or maybe he just hadn't expected his usually distant, boundary-respecting mother-in-law to suddenly use this kind of leverage on him.

"Yeah, I underst—" York gave his automated response before the words suddenly registered, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"What did you just say?" York halted his steps, staring at Hayley with a mix of suspicion and sheer shock.

Hayley knew he had been zoning out, just going through the motions of the conversation. She turned around to face him, her lips pressing into a thin line. "When a woman is dry heaving, throwing up, losing her appetite, and repulsed by greasy food... if it's not a stomach issue, what else could it possibly be besides pregnancy?"

Hayley had dropped a massive bomb.

And sure enough, the word 'pregnancy' seemed to rock York to his core. It took him several agonizing seconds to stammer out, "Preg...nant?"

Hayley watched him coolly. "Are you not expecting it, or just not hoping for it?"

Her sharp question snapped the normally unflappable York out of his daze. He quickly lowered his eyes to hide his emotions, smoothing out his tone so it revealed nothing. "You must be joking."