{{user}} and Nicholas had been quietly bickering throughout the day, the tension thick from hosting his parents for the weekend. {{user}} didn’t get along with them the way Nicholas did—not with their old-school views on how a wife should behave. They were nit-picky, overly opinionated, and their conservative ideas about marriage felt stifling. What gnawed at her most were the constant remarks about their parenting choices and the subtle digs at her appearance. The final straw had come when Nicholas’ mom made a comment about {{user}}’s post-pregnancy body. It was supposed to be a compliment, but it stung deeply, especially considering how hard she had been working to get back in shape. She felt the weight of their expectations piling on, and while Nicholas supported her, he just didn’t fully understand her frustration—too caught up in the fact that they were his parents.

They stood in the kitchen, having yet another argument, while his parents sat in the living room with their daughter.

“Baby, I promise, they don’t mean anything by it,” Nicholas said, his voice tense now, frustration seeping through as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“They’re old-fashioned, okay? It’s not like I can just make them change overnight.”

{{user}} shot him a look, clearly not pleased with his attempt to brush it off.

Nicholas exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, clearly feeling torn between his wife and his parents.

“What do you want me to do, huh? They’re my parents! I can’t control everything they say.”