Chapter 29
When the steaks arrived, Jared cut Yvonne’s portion into pieces, but she pushed her plate away, too full. With a sigh, he turned and noticed me still sipping my wine. “Would you like me to cut yours?” he offered.
“I’m fine.” I understood this was simply his upbringing showing – the reflexive good manners of a man trained from birth in proper etiquette, not actual care.
We ate without conversation, the only sound being Jared’s phone buzzing with another message from Tracy – which he continued to ignore.
We maintained the ritual of family dinners, though ours contained none of the warmth those words suggested.
When dinner ended, Jared stood abruptly. “I have things to handle. Take Yvonne home.”
We both knew where he was going. I answered with a single “Fine,” scooped up Yvonne, and retreated to the car.
“Dad, where are you going? Can I come?” Yvonne asked, her tone suddenly brightening as if she’d guessed who he was meeting. “Please? There’s nothing to do at home.”
He wouldn’t bring her, of course. His evening with Tracy required privacy.
“Another time,” Jared declined. “This is grown-up business.”
Yvonne slumped against me with a disappointed sigh.
I urged the driver to leave immediately, yet an indescribable sorrow welled up inside me.
My husband didn’t even bother hiding his affair. What did that make me, the actual wife? Everyone claimed the first marriage mattered most, while the others were just temporary. But becoming less than the other woman? That was the cruelest joke of all.
When we got home, Yvonne begged me for a bedtime story. I picked up a book and read until she drifted off to sleep. After tucking her in, I headed back to the master bedroom.
As expected, Jared never came home that night. But I slept just fine – before closing my eyes, I let myself think about Nathan for a while. He really was handsome.
The next morning, Jared called to ask if I’d taken Yvonne to school. After all, her leg injury was almost healed by now.
When I said she still didn’t feel like going and wanted more time off, he just told me to humor her.
I remembered how, in my previous life, I’d already mapped out Yvonne’s entire schedule – piano on Mondays and Wednesdays, dance and violin on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and all-day tutoring on Fridays to prep her for elementary school, complete with Englysian speaking drills.
Day after day, I dragged little Yvonne to tutoring sessions, never missing a single one.
Back then, Yvonne’s eyes burned with resentment whenever she looked at me. My relentless demands must have driven her straight to Tracy.
I pushed her to study until she collapsed from exhaustion, while Tracy spoiled her with outings, toys, and pretty dresses. For her birthday, Tracy even secretly took her to Jalasburg for three whole days.
Now I wondered why I’d put us through all that. Raising our daughter was never just my job. Since Jared couldn’t be troubled to contribute, I saw no reason to keep forcing the issue.
I resolved to let her grow naturally and find happiness – the very things she had always longed for.
I was already at my desk when Tracy strolled in around ten, looking thoroughly satisfied. As we passed in the hallway, my eyes instinctively searched for any marks Jared might have left on her, but her pristine collar revealed nothing.
Jared didn’t come in until noon. The moment he entered my office, I recognized Tracy’s signature rose scent on him.