Chapter 2
My husband Julian had just gotten home from work and was on the couch playing video games.
He glanced up at me.
"What's up? Who dared to upset my gorgeous wife today?" Julian teased.
His tone was light and full of affection.
I wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"My flowers—the ones I ordered—got swiped by Gloria from next door again," I said, exasperated.
I filled Julian in on the whole ridiculous story.
Julian's brows knitted together.
He set his phone down.
"She took them again? Why does she keep doing this?" Julian said, clearly annoyed.
I thought he'd have my back.
"Did you go ask her to give them back?" Julian asked.
"Yeah, I did. She flat-out refused and gave me a whole lecture about how stingy I am," I replied, feeling annoyed.
I stared at him, waiting to see what he'd say.
Julian let out a sigh.
"Just let it go," he said. "It's just a bunch of flowers. If she likes them, just let her have them. We're neighbors; no need to make a fuss over something so small."
I couldn't believe my ears.
""Seriously? You call this a small thing? Julian, this is the third time she's done this," I exclaimed. "This isn't just about a bunch of flowers; it's theft."
Before I knew it, my voice was getting louder.
Julian's face showed clear impatience.
"Theft? Come on, that's a bit much, isn't it?" Julian said, brushing it off. "Gloria just likes to snag a little free stuff. It's really not a big deal. Just order another one, okay?"
He grabbed his phone, already getting back to his game.
I walked over and stood right in front of him, blocking his view of the screen.
"Am I supposed to keep ordering flowers and let her keep taking them? Is this never going to stop?" I said, my voice rising.
"Julian, I'm the one she's taking advantage of."
"Can't you just stand up for me for once?" I pleaded, my voice trembling with frustration.
Julian tossed his phone onto the couch and stood up, saying, "What do you want me to do? Go argue with a lady old enough to be my mom? Rachel, could you please act like an adult?
"Is it really worth making a fuss over something so cheap, just so the neighbors can gossip about us?"
Every word he said cut right through me, sharp as a knife.
Turns out, in his eyes, all my pain was just me being immature.
To him, the way I was treated was nothing more than a petty fuss over pocket change.
"Fine, if you think it's just a trivial matter, I'll take care of it myself," I replied, my tone cold as ice.
Julian didn't even pick up on how cold I sounded.
He headed over to the water cooler and poured himself a glass.
Julian scoffed, "Seriously, what are you gonna do? Call the cops or something?
"Just listen to me. Let's just leave it at that. If my mom finds out, she'll just say you're not being the bigger person."
He brought up his mom, Emma Scott.
Emma was way tougher than Gloria. If Gloria was a handful, Emma was a hundred times worse.
Just then, his phone started ringing.
He glanced at the screen, and his face shifted a bit.
He answered the call.
"Hey, Mom," Julian said.
Emma's sharp voice came through the phone—even without speakerphone, I could hear every word.
"Julian! What's going on with your wife?" Emma snapped. "She's causing drama with the neighbors over some cheap flowers, and now she's asking them for over forty bucks?"
"Is she really so hung up on money? She's making our whole family lose face."
Julian quickly put on a placating smile.
"Mom. Mom, please don't get upset. It's just a mix-up," Julian said. "Rachel just got a little confused for a second."
As he spoke, he gave me a look that said, "Don't say a word."
I stood there, not moving an inch, feeling my heart go cold bit by bit.
Gloria's got a real talent for twisting things.
She didn't just take my flowers. Now she was out there acting like I was the one causing trouble, flipping the whole story to make herself the victim.
"Mix-up? Gloria was the first to call me and complain," Emma snapped. "She said your wife pushed her around and didn't even show her any respect.
"Now I'm the embarrassed one. How am I supposed to face anyone after this? You need to make her go apologize to Gloria right now."
Apologize?
Did I hear that right?
Julian bent over even more.
"Mom, do we really need to apologize? That'd be so embarrassing," he said. "It's just some flowers, really."
"Just flowers? This isn't about the flowers—it's about respect," Emma snapped. "How can a woman be so petty? How's she ever going to manage a family?
"Julian, you'd better listen to me. This is my call. "Tell her to apologize, or don't let her set foot in our house."
Emma slammed the phone down with a sharp click.
Julian held his phone, looking at me, clearly torn.
"Rachel, you know, my mom means well. She's just thinking about what's best for us," Julian said, trying to smooth things over.