The house remained silent all afternoon.
It wasn’t until evening, when Richard brought Ethan home from school, that I forced a smile.
“Ethan, you’re back! Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner.”
Just then, the phone rang. It was Richard’s parents.
He answered, then told me sternly:
“My mom wants us to bring Ethan over for dinner. They miss their grandson.”
“Get Ethan ready—we’re leaving soon.”
I nodded, giving a faint “Mm” from my throat.
Richard kept watching me closely. Even when I bathed Ethan and changed his clothes, he set a timer, checking every ten minutes and rushing me again and again.
He already had my phone—what else was he so afraid of?
After all, this was his own brother. Did he really have no compassion at all?
Even if he thought it was my brother, Mark, wasn’t that still his brother-in-law?
He was acting like he couldn’t wait for Mark to die.
Cold-blooded.
I shot him a displeased glance and told him to drive.
At the Millers’ house, his parents rushed out happily to greet Ethan.
Richard and I handed them the gifts we’d brought, and their smiles grew wide.
Every visit was the same—we always brought things, sometimes even money.
They were practical small-town folk, valuing what they could hold in their hands more than warmth or words. Over time, that became the unspoken rule between us.
Every visit meant gifts—or cash.
I knew their calls to “come for dinner” were never about genuine family bonding. It was about what Richard and I could bring them.
And Richard always insisted we go, using Ethan as an excuse.
His blind devotion to his parents was known across the neighborhood—everyone praised him for it.
At dinner, they laughed and joked while I sat silently by Ethan’s side, sullen and heavy-hearted.
Mrs. Miller Sr. noticed my mood and asked what was wrong.
I glanced at Richard, who glared back at me with wide eyes.
I shook my head and lied, “Nothing.”
But she pressed me, promising,
“Don’t worry, Anna, you can tell us. Your father-in-law and I will make it right.”
She patted Richard’s arm suspiciously.
“Is Richard bullying you?”
Richard’s face hardened, and he shot me a sharp look.
“You always stir up trouble.”
“My mom asked you a question—answer her! And don’t you dare accuse me falsely.”
I gathered my courage.
“It’s not Richard. It’s my brother. He went missing on the glacier.”
“What?” Mrs. Miller Sr. gasped, her face turning pale.
“You mean David?”
I opened my mouth to say “yes,” but before I could, Richard cut me off.
“No, not David. It’s her brother, Mark Green.”
The moment my brother’s name came out, both Mr. and Mrs. Miller Sr. let out a breath of relief.
So much for compassion.
Mr. Miller Sr.’s frown melted away.
“I knew it. David’s just on a trip to Alaska. He’s with a whole group, they’re watching out for each other—how could anything happen to him?”
Just a few days ago, both David and Mark had gone to the glacier. The difference was, David went for adventure, while Mark went for sightseeing.
