I turned to look at Clarence.
"Is what she said true?"
He wouldn't meet my eyes.
"It's all in the past. Why bring it up now?"
Watching him, my throat went tight.
When Clarence was chasing me, I knew he'd been divorced. He'd told me plainly that he didn't want to step into a relationship that wasn't over.
He'd held my hand and said the divorce was because he and his ex-wife had no feelings left, that they simply couldn't go on.
That from then on, he'd be devoted only to me.
After the wedding, he pushed me to start trying for a baby, saying his parents were getting old and wanted a grandchild soon.
Once I was pregnant, he told everyone he finally had a family.
So it turned out what his "family" had been missing was never a wife.
Only a child.
Suddenly I felt ridiculous.
"So you lied to me."
Clarence shot me an impatient look.
"That was ages ago. What's the point of dragging it up?"
"I'm married to you now, we have a kid, and you insist on clinging to the past. Is there any point to that?"
"The reason Mila and I divorced is complicated. It can't be explained in one sentence. But you, I really—"
Rachel suddenly clutched her chest and slumped onto the couch.
"Mila, it hurts."
Mila shrieked and threw herself down to hold her up.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Rachel gasped, struggling for breath.
"Clarence, don't blame your wife. I shouldn't have come."
"She just had a baby. It's normal for her to be short-tempered."
"I'll go. I'll go right now. I can't be the reason you two get divorced."
Clarence snapped, whirling around to unload on me.
"Happy now?"
"If you push her into a real health crisis, can you carry that?"
I just picked up my phone.
"If it's that serious, I'll call an ambulance."
"Get her to the hospital for an EKG and bloodwork. Let's not waste time."
Something like panic flickered in Rachel's eyes.
"No need."
"My condition is always like this. I'll be fine after some rest."
I opened the dialer.
"That won't do."
"If there really is something wrong, who's going to answer for it?"
"Might as well get a full workup, and let the doctor decide whether she truly needs absolute peace and quiet."
Mila snatched the phone out of my hand.
"Antonia, what are you getting at?"
"Are you saying my mom is faking?"
"I didn't say it. You did."
Rachel clutched her chest at once, her body sliding toward the floor.
"I don't want to live anymore."
"Living under someone else's roof, and still humiliated like this."
"Clarence, take me home. At least I can die clean in my own house."
Mila swung her hand at my face.
"If anything happens to my mom, I'm not done with you!"
Before the slap landed, my mother caught her wrist.
"Don't you dare bully my daughter!"
Mila yanked twice and couldn't get free.
"Let go!"
Clarence rushed over and shoved my mother.
"Mom, Mila's just worried about her own mother. Can you stop making things worse!"
My mother lost her footing, and the back of her head slammed into the wall.
She didn't even make a sound. She just dropped to the floor.
"Mom!"
I threw myself down and held her.
Her eyes were shut, and no matter how I called her, she didn't respond.
Clarence froze, then took a step forward.
"Is she—"
But Mila was crying out behind him: "Clarence, my mom passed out!"
Clarence turned at once and lifted Rachel into his arms.
"I'm taking her to the hospital."
I clung to the hem of his shirt with everything I had.
"My mom is hurt too. Take her with us!"
Clarence flung my hand off.
"Your mom does all that work every day, she's perfectly healthy. Don't go copying people, faking sick for sympathy."
"Get out of the way, now!"
"If anything happens to Rachel, neither you nor your mother can bear the blame!"
With that, he charged out with Rachel in his arms.
