Chapter 3

After a while, I stood up and walked into the bedroom.

My two kids were squeezed onto the single bed, sleeping peacefully.

Leo, who was only four, loved holding onto things when he slept. The teddy bear he brought from home was squeezed completely out of shape in his tiny fist.

Lily, my eight-year-old, was a messy sleeper, her leg thrown over her little brother.

I gently moved her leg off him and tucked them both in.

Lily mumbled something in her sleep, sounding like Mommy.

A wave of emotion hit me, and my throat tightened. I quickly stepped out of the room.

I wanted to call my mom.

But halfway through dialing the number, I deleted it.

It had been eleven years.

Eleven years ago, I had confidently promised them that I would be happy.

If I called them in the middle of the night now, telling them I was in a rented apartment with the kids and getting a divorce...

They would be devastated.

I decided to wait until tomorrow.

I buried my face in the pillow and finally let myself cry.

Over the next few days, my life was surprisingly quiet.

In the morning, I took the kids to school. I came back to clean, had a simple lunch, hit the grocery store in the afternoon, and picked them up to make dinner.

Suddenly, the pace of my life slowed down—so much so that I felt lost.

Before, I was always rushing around, cooking, delivering food, and cleaning. I never felt like there was enough time in the day.

Now that I didn't have to cook for Brandon, I had so much free time, and I didn't know what to do with myself.

Sometimes, I would just sit on the couch and stare at the wall for hours.

Brandon didn't come looking for me.

He didn't even call.

After I hung up on him that first night, he had called a few more times. I didn't answer, and eventually, he stopped trying.

I didn't know what he was thinking. Maybe he was waiting for me to crawl back.

After all, for the past ten years, whenever we argued—no matter whose fault it was—I was always the one to apologize first.

This time, I was done swallowing my pride.

On the fifth day, Lily asked me, Mommy, when are we going home

I told her, This is our home now, sweetie.

She shook her head. No, I mean Daddy’s house.

I didn't know how to answer her, so I just said, Daddy is away on a business trip. We'll talk about it when he gets back.

On the sixth day, Leo came down with a high fever.

I carried him to the urgent care clinic alone. Between registration, waiting in line, paying, and getting his medicine, I was exhausted.

By the time we got back, the sky was completely dark. Lily was starving, leaning over the table doing her homework. The moment she saw me walk in, she threw her arms around my waist.

Mommy, you're finally back! I'm so hungry.

I quickly made her a bowl of mac and cheese, gave Leo his medication, and checked his temperature. Once they were both asleep, I realized I hadn't eaten anything all day.

There was only some cold canned soup in the pantry. I heated it up and ate it at the counter.

As I ate, my tears fell right into the bowl.

I suddenly remembered that whenever I got sick in the past, Brandon had never once accompanied me to the clinic.

He always said he was too busy at work and told me to just call an Uber.

Once, when I had a fever of 102 degrees, I still had to cook his lunch before I could go to the doctor.

He said takeout was greasy and that his stomach could only handle my cooking.

Back then, I actually thought he was being romantic.

Looking back, what absolute bullshit.

On the seventh morning, Leo's fever finally broke.

I took them to school. At the school gate, I saw Brandon’s car parked by the curb.

He was leaning against the driver’s side door, smoking. When he saw us, he stubbed out the cigarette.

The kids ran over, shouting, Daddy!

He knelt down, hugged them, and whispered a few words. Lily glanced back at me, then took her brother’s hand and walked into the school yard.

Once the kids were inside, he walked over to me.

Claire.

He stood in front of me, scanning me from head to toe.

Where have you been staying these past few days Are the kids okay

Is there something you need I asked coldly. If not, I'm leaving.

Wait.

He grabbed my arm tightly.

Claire, what is wrong with you You haven't come home for a week, you're ignoring my calls... what exactly do you want

I looked down at his grip. Let go of me.

He let go, but didn't budge. Let me ask you. Are you seeing someone else