Blake marched into the kitchen, expectations high. When he saw the pristine, empty counters, his face curdled into a scowl.
"Mom, I just asked Auntie Vera to go to the school event instead of you. Do you really have to throw a tantrum? Smashing bowls and refusing to cook?"
Harrison checked his watch, brow furrowed. His gaze landed on me, heavy with accusation.
"Vera's stomach is sensitive after years abroad. If she doesn't eat on schedule, she gets sick. I'm taking her out now." His tone hardened. "Sara, clean up this mess, then meet us at the restaurant I texted you. And vacuum thoroughly—Vera has a dust allergy. Don't miss a corner."
I caught the glint in Vera's eyes as they fawned over her. Not gratitude. Triumph.
That single, smug look severed the last thread of our friendship.
I'd wanted to ask Harrison to help bandage my bleeding foot. But the words died in my throat. It felt like swallowing acid—keeping it down burned my heart, but spitting it out would destroy what little dignity I had left.
They didn't wait for a response. Harrison and Blake ushered Vera out, leaving me alone with the wreckage.
My slipper was already sodden with blood. A stark crimson stain neither of them had noticed.
Why would they? Vera had occupied the throne in Harrison's heart for years. There was no room left for me.
I took a taxi to the hospital alone.
My wrist—injured earlier protecting Vera—trembled so badly I couldn't grip the intake forms. The paper fluttered to the floor. I bent to retrieve it, but my fingers failed me again.
The line behind me grew restless. Their impatient stares stripped away my composure, and I felt the hot prick of tears threatening to spill.
A small hand snatched the paper from the floor and held it out, steady and sure.
"Ma'am, if your hand hurts, why are you here alone?"
I looked down. A girl, no older than ten.
Her name was Bonnie Abbott. She explained she was an orphan who worked as a "hospital runner," helping patients navigate the system. Her fee was a flat twenty dollars.
Twenty dollars. Blake spent more than that on snacks in a single hour.
Impulsively, I transferred two hundred to her account. Almost immediately, my phone buzzed. She'd sent back one hundred and eighty.
"I only did twenty dollars' worth of work," she said firmly, eyes serious. "I can't take ten times what I earned. Money doesn't fall from the sky."
My vision blurred. Blake only ever complained his allowance was too small; he never considered the cost of earning it. Yet this child, who had nothing, understood the value of every cent.
Bonnie gave me her number for next time. I smiled through the ache in my chest and thanked her.
I returned to the empty house. I'd just collapsed onto the sofa when my phone rang. Harrison.
His voice was ice.
"Sara. I told you to meet us. Why aren't you here? Vera's stomach flared up because we waited. She's on an IV right now."
He didn't wait for an explanation.
"Get to the hospital immediately. You need to apologize to her. Bring a fruit basket on your way."
Then Blake's voice piped up from the background, sharp and piercing.
"Dad, tell Mom not to get mangoes! Auntie Vera is allergic."
The boy's childish voice stabbed straight through me.
"Mom is way too vicious. She did it on purpose to make Auntie Vera sick just so she'd be hospitalized."
Blake's voice shrilled through the phone speaker, dripping with a malice no child should possess.
"She's just mad about the parent-child activity. I don't want such a petty mom. I want Auntie Vera to be my mother!"
Harrison didn't hesitate. He accepted our son's twisted narrative as gospel, his voice dropping to a temperature that could freeze marrow.
"Sara, how old are you? You're a grown woman throwing tantrums like a toddler. What's the point?"
His lecture continued, sharp and condescending. "Blake is right. You really should learn from Vera—learn to be broad-minded instead of so self-absorbed."
I closed my eyes. Hot tears leaked out, sliding down my cheeks and dripping onto the fresh wound on my foot. The salt stung raw skin—a sharp, piercing reminder of reality.
Harrison didn't give me a chance to speak. He didn't want explanations; he wanted a target.
I had intended to tell him the truth. Hours ago, I'd sent him a WeChat message explaining I was at the hospital bandaging my foot and wouldn't be making dinner. I didn't know why he hadn't seen it—or if he'd simply chosen to ignore it.
But now, the words died in my throat.
If they actually cared about the truth, they would have asked. Even a blind man can feel his way there if he tries. But Harrison and Blake refused to lift the blindfold. I could shove evidence under a magnifying glass and they'd still claim they saw nothing.
Why bother? Justifying myself now would only invite more humiliation.
The mirage of my perfect marriage evaporated, leaving nothing but dry, barren ground.
I wiped my face. When I spoke, my voice was flat.
"Harrison, let's get a divorce."
