Three years of deception. That’s how long Elas had been playing me for a fool.
All the late–night meetings. The surprise out–of–town trips. The half–heated kisses and vague explanations. I had accepted every single excuse, convinced myself I was overthinking–until
now
He stood across the room, arms wrapped around a little girl, smiling like everything was fine.
1 think we should bring her home,” he said, his tone light. “She deserves a proper family? Just like that. No hesitation. No shame. As if she wasn’t living proof of the betrayal he had carefully hidden from me for years.
I gave a nod. “Sure”
There was no point in fighting anymore.
So we brought the child–Patty–into our home.
I did everything I could to make it work. Smilled when I needed to. Spoke gently. Pretended to care like the picture–perfect mother Blas expected me to be. I read bedtime stories, tucked her under blankets, tried to hold her hand when we walked through crowds.
But Patty made it clear–I wasn’t wanted.
She flinched when I reached for her. Screamed when I tried to help. She hurled her toys at me, kicked the table legs, and slammed every door behind her like I was poison in her world. Her small fists balled up in rage, and her glare could have cut through steel
“You’re not my real mom!” she screamed.
The words struck harder than I ever imagined.
“My mom is Sabrina!”
That name struck like a branding iron.
I fought the rising sting behind my eyes, tried to steady my tone. “Patty, I know this is new, but—*
She didn’t wait. Her eyes darted to a vase sitting on the table nearby. With surprising strength for someone so small, she grabbed it and launched it straight at me.
Glass exploded at my feet. My breath caught in my throat–just as Elias came rushing in.
His gaze went instantly to Patty. Panic laced his voice. “What happened?”
Patty ran to him without a second thought. Wrapped her arms around his leg like he was her
anchor in a storm.
“She’s mean!” she sobbed. “I want my mommy. Not her!”
Elias’s eyes snapped to me, icy and full of accusation.
“What did you say to her?”
I stared at him in disbelief, mouth dry. The guilt was already mine to carry–but the blame too?
“I didn’t do anything.” I replied flatly, smoothing the fabric of my skirt with trembling hands.
He crouched and gathered Patty close, stroking her hair while whispering reassurances. His voice was soft. Warm. Familiar. A version of him I hadn’t heard in years.
Chapter 3
5:28 pm
After a beat, he looked up at me and said, “She’s scared, that’s all. She’s used to Sabrina. She‘ called her ‘mom‘ her whole life. It’s completely understandable.”
Understandable.
That word echoed in my skull, threatening to crack it open. Nothing about this felt reasonable. Nothing about this arrangement felt real. It was all just some cruel performance, and I had somehow landed the role of the unwanted extra.
Then, he added casually, “I think it would help if Sabrina stayed with us for a while. At least until Patty feels more comfortable.”
My blood ran cold.
He wanted her here. In my space. Living under the same roof?
I should have said no. I should have screamed, torn the curtains down, and kicked them both
out.
Instead, I nodded again. “Alright.”
Because what difference did it make? I had already lost the moment he chose her.
Later, when no one was watching, I stepped into the hallway, pulled out my phone, and pressed
call.
“Hi,” I whispered into the receiver. “I need a divorce attorney.”
That evening, when I entered the dining room, everything was already laid out on the table. Dinner was served, plates neatly arranged.
Except mine.
I hadn’t even been called.
Patty giggled on Sabrina’s lap, scooping bites from her plate. Elias poured juice into her cup, his face gentle, domestic.
I cleared my throat.
Sabrina turned, smiling faintly as if amused by my presence. “Oh! Veronica. I didn’t think you’d be joining us.”
I took a seat and glanced at the meat–heavy platter. “I don’t eat pork.”
Elias sighed, rubbing his temples. “Come on, don’t be rude. Sabrina spent the whole afternoon cooking for us. Be grateful and have some.”
I kept my voice level. “I’m not eating it.”
His jaw tightened. “What’s wrong with you?”
What was wrong with me?
I wanted to scream that everything was wrong. That this meal, this whole scenario, was absurd.
But I didn’t. I reached for my glass of water, lifted it slowly, and sipped with deliberate calm.
“Nothing,” I murmured.
I had lost this round. But I wasn’t done yet.
That night, I lay in bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, ears trained on the faint laughter floating up from downstairs. Their laughter. Their hushed voices, muffled by walls but still sharp enough to
5:28 pm
pierce through. They weren’t even pretending anymore.
A familiar ache spread across my chest, but I kept the tears at bay. I was done crying for people who never truly saw me.
Then, a sound–soft footsteps just beyond my bedroom door.
I pushed off the covers and crept into the hallway.
Patty.
She was still awake, spinning slowly at the top of the staircase, humming a tune only she knew.
I stepped closer. “Patty, sweetheart, it’s really late. You should be asleep.”
She turned, eyes squinting in irritation.
And then she bolted.
“Wait–Patty!”
Her little feet thundered down the hallway–but too fast, too wild. She stumbled.
And then fell.
My stomach dropped.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Her tiny frame tumbled down the staircase in a blur of limbs and curls.
I rushed forward, heart pounding, barely able to think.
Then I heard it.
A scream.
“Oh my God!”
Sabrina came running, panic flooding her voice.
She didn’t even look at Patty. She looked straight at me.
“You pushed her!” she shrieked. “I saw it! Veronica pushed Patty down the stairs! Somebody help!”
The words struck me like bullets.
Frozen in place, I looked down at the child crumpled at the foot of the stairs–my body shaking, my throat dry, my world spinning out of control.
