I paced the room frantically as light began to stream in from outside.
It was dawn.
Before six o’clock, Freddie got up, washed and sat in the living room, staring blankly into space.
At seven, he tried calling me again.
“Are you out of your mind?” I snapped. “I told you my phone is lost—you can’t reach me. Why didn’t you come find me?”
The words slipped from my lips and then I froze.
I was right here. Why would I want Freddie to come find me?
Or… had I been subconsciously waiting for him all along?
I sat quietly beside him, watching as his frustration grew with every failed attempt to reach me.
Then, a video call came through. Freddie answered it quickly.
“Freddie!”
My mother-in-law’s broad smile filled the screen.
“Mom,” Freddie greeted, though a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
“Freddie, it’s the eve of the New Year in two days. Your dad, Prilly and I will be coming home this afternoon. I brought gifts for Emma and the two little ones. Are they still awake?”
My mother-in-law loved to travel. Not long ago, she had taken my father-in-law and Prilly to Bali.
“It’s too early, Mom,” Freddie replied after a pause. “She usually sleeps until nine or ten. Didn’t you forget?”
Before she could respond, a young girl suddenly leaned into the camera, her face full of worry.
“Brother, I can’t get through to my sister-in-law.”
It was my younger sister-in-law, Prilly, a sophomore in college. Since Freddie and I had known each other from childhood, Prilly practically grew up clinging to me. Out of everyone, she and I were the closest.
Her eyes brimmed with concern. “My sister-in-law has never ignored my calls before.”
Freddie fell silent for a moment.
“She argued with me yesterday,” he finally said. “She might still be upset. Once she wakes up, I’ll have her call you back.”
“What? How could you argue with her?” Prilly exclaimed dramatically. “My sister-in-law is so gentle and kind-hearted. Don’t you dare scold her!”
Freddie’s lips curled faintly, his expression softening. “I know. She doesn’t hold grudges. When will you arrive? I’ll come pick you up.”
“Oh, no need, no need,” my mother-in-law said with a wave of her hand. “Little Kinsey is only five months old. Why trouble yourself? Just stay home and wait for us.”
As soon as the call ended, Aiden came out, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
His face lit up. “Mom, are Grandpa and Grandma coming back?”
I ruffled his hair and nodded, my heart warming.
“Yes. Our family is going to be together again.”
By nine o’clock, Freddie still hadn’t managed to reach me.
Meanwhile, the woman had finished applying her makeup carefully. She slipped her arms around Freddie’s waist from behind, clinging like a water snake.
“Freddie, Auntie and the others are coming back this afternoon. We won’t be able to meet during the New Year, so let’s make the most of our time. Let’s do it a few more times.”
Freddie pushed her hands away. “She hasn’t answered her phone and I’m worried. I need to go check on her.”
But the woman pressed her body tightly against his.
“Your sister-in-law is just sulking. If you go now, won’t you just face her cold expression again?”
Her eyes shimmered with sorrow. “Freddie, I don’t want to let you go.”
He looked at her for a moment, then scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom.
I clutched my chest.
It hurt.
The two of them tangled together again—on my bed.
Rage consumed me. I leapt at them, clawing to pull them apart.
“Freddie, don’t you have any shame? This is my house—my bed!
Take this woman and get out!”
