At my anniversary, my mother-in-law raised her glass: «To the daughter of a cleaning lady who got married successfully!» My husband was choking with laughter and filming it on his phone. My mother stood up and said three words, after which my mother-in-law turned pale…

The room held its breath. Everyone sensed something momentous was coming. Even the musicians stopped, unwitting witnesses to the unfolding drama.

Ellen surveyed the guests, then locked eyes with Margaret. Her voice was soft but clear in the tense silence. “Your son is impotent.”

Ellen’s words hung in the air like a sudden gunshot. Margaret froze, mouth agape, her hand trembling so hard the delicate flute slipped and shattered on the floor. The crash of glass rang sharp in the stunned silence.

Steven stopped filming. His phone dropped, his face contorted as if in physical pain. A flush spread from his neck to his hairline.

He looked like a man caught naked in public. “What?” Margaret gasped, clutching the table. “What did you say?”

Ellen didn’t raise her voice, but each word carried weight. “I said your son, Steven, suffers from impotence. And you know it. Anna told me you’ve been pressuring her about an heir. The issue isn’t her. Doctors explained the cause.”

Margaret straightened, clutching her chest. “How dare you! That’s… outrageous! Steven, say something!”

But Steven was speechless, staring at his mother-in-law in horror, realizing the secret he’d hidden even from close friends was now public. Olivia, Anna’s friend, covered her mouth. Steven’s colleagues exchanged shocked glances. Waiters turned away, pretending to work but clearly listening.

“Do you realize what you just said?” Margaret tried to regain control, her voice shaking. “It’s… slander! My son is perfectly healthy!”

Ellen shook her head. “My daughter has endured two years of a marriage where she’s been humiliated for not having children. Two years of your hints that she’s barren, when your son has a serious reproductive issue. And you knew.”

Margaret paled completely. Her hand on her chest clenched into a fist. “It’s not true! My Steven…”

Steven stood, knocking over his chair. “Enough! Anna, you told her? You promised it’d stay between us!”

Anna watched the scene unfold in slow motion. Her mother, always quiet and unassuming, now stood tall, dismantling the Thompson family’s carefully curated facade. “I told my mom because I couldn’t bear the lies anymore,” Anna said, finding her voice. “Every time your mother implied I was defective, I stayed quiet for your sake. But today…”

Today she crossed every line. One of Steven’s friends, red-faced Paul, coughed awkwardly. “Maybe we should leave? This is personal.”

“Stay,” Anna said firmly. “Since Margaret made my life a public spectacle, let’s be consistent.”

Margaret sank into her chair, breathing heavily. “I’m unwell. My heart. My pills…” Steven rushed to her, pulling a blister pack from her purse.

“Mom, don’t worry, it’ll pass. Just a misunderstanding.” He helped her place a pill under her tongue, then spun to Anna. “Happy now? You gave my mom a heart attack on your birthday?”

Anna didn’t get a chance to reply. Ellen placed a hand on her shoulder and said calmly, “Don’t shift blame, young man. Your mother deliberately humiliated my daughter in public. What did she expect? Gratitude?”

Margaret, recovering slightly, glared at Ellen with raw hatred. “You… a mere janitor. How dare you speak to me like this? Who are you?”

“A janitor,” Ellen replied. “And I won’t let anyone humiliate my child.”

Steven’s gaze darted from his mother to his wife. “Anna, this is too far. Apologize to Mom now.”

Anna felt something inside her snap. Two years of slights, two years of pretending, two years of trying to be the perfect daughter-in-law, all crumbled. But with the fear and shame came an unexpected sense of freedom. “Apologize?” she asked, meeting his eyes. “For what, Steven? For my mom telling the truth? Or for daring to throw a party your mother used to humiliate me?”

“You’re blowing this out of proportion,” Steven dismissed. “Mom made a bad joke, and you… you aired our private business. Only we and the doctors knew, and…” He trailed off, glancing at Ellen. “And my mom,” Anna finished. “Because I needed support, Steven. Because I couldn’t keep hearing your mother call me defective while knowing the truth.”..