Emily needed an ally in the negotiations with Sylvia. If the wedding was going to be in any way less insane than what Sylvia envisioned, someone had to convince her, and Emily didn’t want to be that someone. It was too dangerous.

Her relationship with her mother-in-law was usually pretty good, but it was like a house built on volcanic soil, always under threat of complete destruction.

Luckily, Emily’s parents were coming for a visit. They could give her some ...