The alliance between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law on one side and the consensus reached by Sophia, Ruby, and Olivia on the other drew clear battle lines.
As soon as Ruby stepped out the door, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She sobbed softly, turning to Olivia for comfort. "Grandma, did you see how Helen treats me now? It's even worse than before. Maybe I should stop coming here so often. I don't want to be a burden."
Sophia's temper flared at those words. She was already barely tolerating Claire's attitude at home. Ruby's presence was her only solace, and if Ruby stopped visiting, she'd truly be left on her own.
Sophia quickly reassured her, "Ruby, don't talk like that. This is all Claire's fault!"
"Sophia, what are you saying? Has Claire done something so outr
