Emerson didn’t speak right away, and neither did I. The silence between us felt strange and heavy. But it wasn’t just the news about Eric and Rita, it was everything that had brought us to this point, all the unspoken things I couldn’t name. I wanted to ask him why he had felt the need to tell me, why he thought I needed to know this. But I didn’t. Instead, I just sat there, numb, the quiet between us stretching on."Okay then, um, I think I'll just go," Emerson said, almost like he didn’t want to."Okay," I answered. He stood up, looking around the room, his gaze lingering on the objects that filled the space, but his thoughts seemed far away. I couldn’t tell if he was actually going to leave or if he was just lost in the moment.He took two steps forward, toward the door, then suddenly stopped and turned back. He came back to the chair and sat down, still watching me, as if waiting for something. I kept my eyes on him, unsure of what was coming next, my mind racing, trying to figu
I didn’t go to Emerson’s bedroom last night after he told me about the family dinner. I don’t know if he was expecting me or not, but I was too hyped. I had too many thoughts working overtime in my head, and the night seemed too heavy to go to him. Instead, I spent the night alone, letting the anticipation build.Now, standing in front of the mirror, I could feel the excitement running through me. The white dress I wore hugged all the right places, accentuating my curves in ways I didn’t usually allow myself to see. My hair was freshly done and styled to perfection, and my makeup was flawless, highlighting my eyes and lips, and making me look like a model I never had the chance to be.It was 7:30, time to head downstairs. I wasn’t just going down there as a guest—I was going down as the host I was born to be, ready to meet my ex, now married to my sister. I wasn’t sure what to call someone who you were related to but didn’t really want to be related to. The whole thing felt twisted, a
I open my mouth, about to come up with a retort, when suddenly Rose appears and announces, “Dinner is served. Please come to the dining room.”“Thank you, Rose,” I tell her with a bright smile because she just saved me from serving Rita the answer she deserved. I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I was sure it would have destroyed the whole day. So, Rose was kind of a lifesaver today. Rose widens her eyes from my smile and quickly retreats, but before she goes, I call her back.“Rose, could you show Rita, my sweet daughter-in-law, to the dining room? I’m going to get Emerson and Eric; we’ll be right with you.”Rita turns her head to look at me so fast, I think her neck might snap. But as I look at her, I realize that her being my daughter-in-law is far better than her acting like my sister when she doesn’t really mean it. When she isn’t, and probably never has been. I give her a wide smile as Rose continues waiting, and then I turn around and start heading toward Emerson’s off
Emerson sighs, giving me an apologetic smile before turning back to Eric. "Please just eat the food, Eric. It’s not like you’re allergic."Eric begins, "Even though you’re taking her side…" but Emerson cuts him off with a firm, "Eric, please." Emerson’s gaze on him is layered, suggesting there’s more behind tonight’s dinner than the dishes on the table."I’m not eating this," Eric says, voice tight with frustration. "If you didn’t want to have us here for dinner, you shouldn’t have asked me and my wife to come." He gestures towards Rita. "I didn’t bring my heavily pregnant, beautiful wife here to eat food she doesn’t even like."But as he glances back at Rita, he’s met with the sight of her plate already half-empty, her fork poised with another bite of seafood. The way she’s savouring it only adds to Eric’s agitation. He glares at her, disgust flickering across his face, which only makes me smile. I know how much Rita loves seafood; it seems pregnancy has only deepened her cravings.
“Why don’t you just let the poor woman have her food and enjoy it?” Emerson said, his voice calm but cutting through the tension at the table. “She’s pregnant, so whatever she feels like eating, just let her have it.”Eric’s gaze snapped toward his father, Emerson, accusingly. “You know what? You didn’t even want me here,” he retorted.Emerson sighed, his patience fraying. “I was the one who asked you here for a family dinner,” he reminded him.“Yes,” Eric countered, “and then your wife made this whole thing her stage for revenge, didn’t you?” He threw a sharp look in my direction.“Eric, please sit down,” Emerson said, his voice a bit firmer as he tried to keep some semblance of control. But Eric ignored him, now standing, looking ready to storm out.“I’ve had enough of today,” Eric spat. “We just came back from our honeymoon, where I was with my beautiful pregnant wife, enjoying our time together. And the first moment we get back, we’re thrown into this mess where people are trying
I looked at Emerson's double doors and then asked myself, why not? I mean, everything was going great, and the dinner was just perfect, until for some reason I disappointed Emerson. But that doesn't mean that the night has to end badly. There's still a chance that tonight can end wonderfully. That tonight can end in wonders. And so, I changed directions and started heading towards the master bedroom.I stepped inside, heading straight to the bathroom, and let the hot water cascade over me, breathing in the scent of Emerson’s shampoo as I washed. Using his things made me feel so close to him. After a long, relaxing shower, I wrapped myself in a fresh towel, dried off, and started brushing my hair in front of the dressing table mirror. I smiled at my reflection, feeling a sense of excitement. I was planning to surprise Emerson tonight, imagining his reaction as he walked in and saw me here waiting for him.Just as I was about to move towards the bed, I heard the bedroom door creak open.
Minutes later, I heard a knock on the door."Mina….Mina, please open the door." His voice was quiet, and I stayed silent, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor with my back against the door, staring into my empty bedroom.He knocked again, more gently. "Mina, I can hear you. I know you're there. Please open the door. Let's talk."I still didn’t respond. There was a long sigh, and then I sensed he, too, had sat down on the other side of the door. The faint thud of his head resting against it was barely audible, but I knew he was there, just inches away, separated by the door."I'm sorry, Mina," he said quietly. "There are things I wish I could tell you, but I don’t think you’re ready to hear them yet. Sometimes, when you do things, I let my jealousy get the best of me, and I end up hurting you. But I don’t ever want to hurt you. Can we please just talk? I can’t let you sleep like this, knowing you're mad at me and…."He fell silent, waiting for my response, but I had nothing to
My husband’s phone pinged with a message. I was about to take it to him at work because he’d forgotten it at home. The message was from my sister. Curiosity piqued, I entered the password to unlock the phone and went to the message.“I AM PREGNANT.”My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Pregnant? I had to sit down for this. I sank into a nearby chair and began scrolling through the messages between my sister and my husband. The evidence was clear: they had been having an affair for a very long time, and now it looked like she was pregnant. Something I couldn’t even manage to do.A tear escaped my eye as I tried to compose myself. It shouldn’t have been a complete surprise, considering how close they had recently become and how oddly they had been acting. I had suspected they might be involved, but I didn’t want to believe that the two people I trusted most could betray me in this way. Still, I should have suspected it.She’s probably not pregnant with him, I lied to myself as I texted