CRACKS
1434 Words
The weekend arrived with a heaviness Amara couldn’t shake.
Saturday morning sunlight spilled across the Lawson penthouse, illuminating everything in warm gold the glass vases, the white walls, the expensive art Ethan collected over the years. Everything looked perfect.
Yet inside, nothing felt steady.
Ethan was in the gym downstairs, burning stress on the treadmill. It had become his escape these days, a place he could avoid talking. Amara, on the other hand, hovered between the living room and her office, trying to pretend she was fine while the silence told a different story.
She wanted to bring up the conversation again, but she feared pushing too hard. She feared the unspoken: that Ethan was beginning to consider her offer in ways he didn’t admit.
A knock broke her thoughts.Not Tari’s usual rhythm.This one was brisk, firm, authoritative.
Her stomach dropped. She already knew who it was.
Amara opened the door to find Mrs. Lawson, elegantly dressed in a burnt orange wrapper and lace blouse, her gele sculpted to perfection. Behind her, their driver held a small tray of gifts kolanuts, sweets, two bottles of wine.
A traditional visit.
Maybe even a symbolic one.
Amara’s pulse spiked. “Mama Lawson… I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I didn’t announce,” Mrs. Lawson said coolly, stepping inside. “Some matters are better addressed without warning.”
Amara’s throat tightened. That never meant anything good.
“Please, sit,” she said quietly.
Mrs. Lawson settled on the sofa, posture regal, eyes sharp and calculating. “Where is Ethan?”
“at the gym.”
Mrs. Lawson nodded. “Good. Then let us talk woman to woman.”
Amara felt her palms grow cold. She took the seat across from her mother-in-law.
For a moment, Mrs. Lawson simply studied her. Not with warmth. With the discerning gaze of a queen observing a pawn.
“You look thinner,” she said. “Have you been eating?”
“Yes,” Amara lied.
“Hmm.”
Silence stretched between them like a barbed wire.
Then Mrs. Lawson spoke. “I heard about the doctor’s report.”
Amara’s chest tightened. “We were planning to tell you together.”
“No need for pretense,” Mrs. Lawson said. “Your husband is my son. He tells me things he struggles to tell you.”
The sting of those words scraped deep.
Mrs. Lawson leaned forward. “You must understand, this family is rooted in legacy and Continuity. Our family have always borne heirs. Ethan is the first son. Expectations are not suggestions.”
Amara held her breath. “I know.”
“No, child,” Mrs. Lawson corrected. “You think you know. But you do not grasp the weight of a lineage.”
Amara swallowed. “Ethan and I are exploring options.”
Mrs. Lawson’s expression hardened. “There is only one option.”
The room seemed to tilt.
Mrs. Lawson continued. “You must allow Ethan to take a second wife.”
Amara closed her eyes, just briefly. Hearing it from Ethan had been painful. Hearing it from his mother felt like an attack on her soul.
“I have already discussed possibilities with the family council,” Mrs. Lawson added. “There are families ready.”
Amara’s head snapped up. “Families? Already?”
“Of course,” Mrs. Lawson said. “Girls of good background. Pure lineages. Fertile.”
The insult was blatant. A slap wrapped in silk.
Amara’s voice wavered. “This is Ethan’s marriage. His choice.”
Mrs. Lawson smiled coldly. “My son is torn between love and duty. I am here to make the path easier.”
Amara felt anger trembling under her skin. “You are overstepping.”
“Am I?” Mrs. Lawson asked calmly. “You are the one who cannot give what is required.”
The blow landed hard, sharp, humiliating.
Amara stood abruptly. “This conversation is over. Ethan and I have not made any decision. And until we do, there will be no discussions with anyone else.”
Mrs. Lawson rose too, looking at her as if she were a foolish child. “You think you can control this. But nature has already dictated your role. It is better to accept it now, with grace.”
Amara’s throat burned. “I will not be replaced.”
Mrs. Lawson leaned in, voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “Every first wife believes that—until the second arrives.”
Amara’s breath stuttered.
The older woman stepped back, smoothing her wrapper. “When Ethan returns, tell him I came. And tell him my suggestion stands.”
She walked to the door with regal arrogance. The driver handed her a shawl, and she draped it over her shoulder.
Before leaving, Mrs. Lawson turned one last time.
“Prepare yourself, Amara. You are standing in a storm. And I fear you will not survive it if you continue clinging to pride.”
Then she left.
The door closed.
And Amara collapsed onto the sofa, shaking.
Thirty Minutes Later
Ethan found her exactly like that. “Amara?” He rushed to her side. “What happened?”
She wiped a tear. “Your mother was here.”
Ethan stiffened. “She what?”
“She told me I must accept a second wife.”
His expression darkened with fury. “I didn’t ask her to do that.”
“She said families are already offering their daughters.”
Ethan cursed under his breath, pacing. “She had no right. None.”
Amara swallowed, voice small. “Is she wrong?”
Ethan turned sharply. “Don’t start that again.”
“Ethan, families are already lining up. This isn’t going away.”
“It will,” he said firmly. “I’ll put a stop to it.”
“How?”
He didn’t answer.
Amara’s voice broke. “Your mother said I won’t survive this storm. That I should accept it before I’m forced.”
“Amara, she was manipulating you. She always pushes hard. But I’m not letting anyone make this decision for us.”
“But are you making it?” she whispered.
Ethan froze, stunned by the question.
She continued, voice trembling. “Are we deciding together… or are you waiting for me to step aside so you won’t have to choose?”
“Amara!” Ethan grabbed her hands. “You are my wife. My partner. I’m not replacing you.”
“But your silence leaves a space where someone else could enter.”
That broke something in him.
He sank beside her, forehead pressed to hers. “I’m scared too,” he whispered. “I’m scared of losing you. Scared of breaking us. I’m trying to find the right path.”
“Is there one?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Later That Night
After Ethan fell asleep, Amara sat alone at her desk, staring at a blank document on her laptop.
She was supposed to be working,the company was launching a new cyber security branch in Asia but she couldn’t focus. Her mind was full of Mrs. Lawson’s words.
You are the one who cannot give what is required.Prepare yourself.
You will not survive this storm.Her phone buzzed.
Tari:
I’ve been thinking about you all day.
Everything okay?
Amara stared, fingers trembling on the screen.
Then she typed:
No.
Everything is getting worse.
A beat.
Tari replied almost instantly.
Talk to me.
What happened?
Amara hesitated then poured everything out.Mrs. Lawson’s visit.
The pressure.
The threat.
The fear.
The cracks widening.
Tari sent a long pause.
Then,Amara. Listen to me carefully.
Do not let anyone force you into a decision that will destroy you eventually.
Not Ethan. Not his family. Not tradition. Not fear.
You are more than a womb.You are Amara Lawson.Don’t forget that.
Tears blurred Amara’s vision.
Then another message:
If he ever accepts another wife, I swear, it won’t be me. And it won’t be because of you.
But for now, hold on.
Don’t break yet.Not before the truth becomes clear.
The truth?
Amara frowned.
Before she could ask, Tari sent:
I’ll explain when we see each other.
There’s something you need to know.
Something about Ethan.
Amara’s heart lurched.
Amara:
What is it?
Tari?
Tell me.
But no response came.
Not that night.
Not before morning.
And Amara spent the rest of the night awake, heart pounding, wondering:
What truth?
What secret about Ethan was Tari holding?
And how long had she known?
The storm Mrs. Lawson warned about was no longer coming.
It was already here.
- Writer
