When Apologies Die
On my birthday, my husband, Adrian Grant, suddenly showed up with my adoptive younger sister, Bella Reed, and her child, Tia Reed.
When it was time to head out, he naturally arranged for Bella to sit in the front passenger seat. Then he turned to me and said calmly, "Tia gets carsick easily. The back seat is full of stuff. Since you're healthy, just take the bus."
Our friends immediately chimed in, one after another, "You're the older sister. Taking care of your niece is only right."
Four cars were heading out, yet not one seat was left for me, the supposed main character of the day.
I sat on the bus, swallowing my grievance, and saw Adrian and Bella interacting ambiguously in the group chat. They were even talking about topics I knew nothing about.
When I opened the newly sent video, nothing except leftovers remained on the table prepared for me.
Adrian even treated the birthday cake I had carefully prepared as dessert, spoon-feeding it to Bella and her daughter.
Someone finally couldn’t stand it anymore and asked whether this was appropriate.
Adrian, who was carefully wiping Bella’s mouth, didn’t even look up. "We’re all family. Julia won’t be angry."
At that point, our seven-year marriage came to its end.