Sabina's car pulled up in front of me before I'd gotten very far.
She rolled down the window and said, "I knew you'd be upset. Fine, you don't have to apologize. But honestly, they're in such a tough spot already. Why do you have to get all jealous over the two of them?"
"I came all the way out here to pick you up. Get in."
I didn't feel like arguing. I walked straight to the passenger side.
I opened the door and found Rhys sitting there.
He raised an eyebrow and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry, Edgar. I'm not feeling well today, so I took the front seat. You can sit in the back."
Sabina glanced at me nervously, her lips parting as she prepared to defend Rhys.
Any other day, I would have frowned and insisted. I would have argued my way back into the passenger seat, the one that belonged to the man of the house.
But today, I said nothing and climbed into the back.
The visa office was eleven miles from downtown. Cabs were nearly impossible to flag down out there. If she was willing to come get me, I'd treat her as a free ride. Nothing more.
Sabina seemed surprised. Her lips moved, and she turned her head to say something to me.
Rhys cut in. "Sabina, the car behind us is honking. Let's go."
I closed my eyes. I didn't know how long we'd been driving when the car finally stopped.
I opened my eyes and found we were parked outside a Michelin-starred restaurant.
When she saw me frown, Sabina smiled. "Rhys knows you're upset about the green card. He's treating you to dinner to make it up to you."
"No thanks," I said flatly. "I want to go home."
But Sabina laughed and pulled me out of the car.
"Come on, be good. We'll sit down and explain everything about the marriage certificate. I promise."
I sat down with a blank expression and spent the entire evening watching the three of them act like a cozy little family.
One moment, Rhys was reaching over to take Sabina's steak and cutting it for her. The next, Joey was whining for Sabina to feed him.
My patience ran out. "If you have something to say, say it."
Sabina took her time. "Let me order some wine first."
The moment she finished ordering, Joey knocked over a glass of red wine.
Rhys yelped.
Sabina turned to me immediately. "Honey, let me take Joey to the restroom to clean up his clothes. Wait here for me."
Rhys shot me a smug look, then took Sabina by the arm and led her away.
I waited for a full hour. Not one of them came back.
Instead, the restaurant manager appeared. He smiled politely. "Sir, we're closing up for the night. Your bill comes to a hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
I froze.
A second later, a message from Sabina lit up my phone.
"You just had to make things difficult for my brother and his son. You still won't apologize. It's only because I loved you too much that you got this entitled."
"I've frozen your card. You're in a foreign country with no money to pay. Let's see if you're ready to back down and say you're sorry."
The manager watched me stare at my phone in silence. He raised his voice. "Sir! Your bill, please!"
Whispers and quiet laughter rippled through the dining room around me.
"Can't afford to eat here, so why bother coming? What an embarrassment to his country."
"People like that should just go back where they came from..."
Countless mocking stares landed on me, each one sharp as a slap across the face.
My phone kept buzzing.
"Edgar Finch, apologize to my brother. Promise you'll never bring this up again. Otherwise, you can sit here until they call the police and haul you off to jail."
I read her message, my expression completely still.
