Chapter 1

At dinner, Mom always tossed Dad a bowl and made him crouch by the table to eat, like a dog.

She said men who cheated didn't deserve a seat at the table.

Dad always looked at her with quiet remorse and lowered himself down without a word.

Sometimes, watching him hunched on the floor in his sharp-tailored suit, scraping at his food, a flicker of something soft would cross Mom's eyes.

Then came Dad's birthday.

That day, Mom smiled, which was rare, and told me a secret: I was going to have a little sister.

She bought a big cake and set it on the table, ready to share the good news with Dad, ready to let the past turn a page.

But when Dad came home, he brought Mom's best friend Rachel with him, along with a little boy who looked about three.

The boy called out timidly, "Daddy."

Dad's back was straight for once. He wasn't avoiding her eyes the way he usually did.

"Lucas is my son with Rachel. I'm bringing him home."

Mom's face went white. The wine glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

…

Mom walked over quietly.

Dad instinctively stepped in front of Rachel and the little boy.

But Mom only reached up and placed the birthday hat on his head.

She patted his shoulder. She said nothing.

Then she took my hand.

She was going to take me out of that house.

I could feel how cold her palm was.

I knew, in that moment, that whatever had tied her to this home was gone.

"Claire—"

Rachel chased after us and blocked the way.

Her eyes were red, tears clinging to her cheeks. She looked more heartbroken than Mom did.

"You… blame me, if you have to blame someone."

Her hands were shaking as she reached for Mom, who pulled away.

I had seen Mom and Rachel at their closest, curled up together under one blanket watching a movie, both of their faces lit with the same bright laughter.

Now there was an invisible wall between them.

"Daniel didn't cheat. He doesn't love me. I begged him…"

"I just wanted to help. I couldn't stand watching the two of you drift apart because of a child…"

She caught Mom's hand, tears spilling down her face.

"Rachel. We've known each other for twenty years." Mom's voice was quiet.

"Put your hand on your heart and tell me. When you slid into bed with Daniel, when you got pregnant with his child, did you think of me? Even once?"

Rachel's mouth opened, closed. Tears ran into her lips. She didn't answer.

"You didn't." Mom said it flatly.

I looked up at her. Her eyes held nothing but a still, frozen calm.

"Claire, I did! I thought about you!" Rachel was crying harder now.

"From now on, my child will be your child too. We can all live together. If you're not happy, I…"

She glanced back at Dad, biting her lip.

"I can crouch and eat with Daniel, too."

Before Mom could speak, Dad exploded.

"Enough!"

He shoved Mom hard. She stumbled and slammed into the corner of the table.

A quiet, pained sound escaped her lips.

Dad planted himself in front of Rachel and glared at Mom.

"You've humiliated me enough. Don't you dare lay a finger on Rachel or Lucas."

Mom stood there, head bent, spine curved, unable to straighten up for a long time.

I squeezed her hand, worried.

Then, after a long silence, she gave a low, broken laugh.

"Now you call it humiliation? Daniel, this is what you owe me."

Her head snapped up. The whites of her eyes were shot through with red as she stared him down.

"Or have you forgotten?"