Chapter 2
When I got home, Charles's black Maybach was already parked out front.
The window was cracked open a bit. The sounds coming from inside made my hand freeze on the doorknob.
There were a girl's soft moans, coming in fits and starts, mixed with a name she was mumbling that I couldn't quite catch.
I stood there for a full two minutes, then turned and went in through the side door.
On the couch, a pair of white sneakers was tossed aside. They were two sizes smaller than mine.
On the coffee table sat two half-finished milkshakes, one with a pink straw and a handwritten sticker stuck to the cup, the words scrawled crookedly: [Charles is the hottest.]
I stared at that sticker, thinking this was absurd.
The front door opened, and Charles walked in, his arm around Olivia.
She was tiny. Her head barely reached his chin. She wore a white floral dress, her face still streaked with tears, curled up against him like a frightened bunny.
When she saw me, she flinched and retreated half a step behind Charles.
"Charles, why is she here?" Olivia bit her lower lip, her eyes immediately filling with tears. "Didn't you say this was our home?"
Charles patted her back, then looked up at me, his face blank. "Emily, the old place in the suburbs is ready. You can stay there for a bit."
I thought I must have misheard him. "You want me to move out?"
"It's Olivia's first time here, and she can't relax with you around," Charles said, absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair. "It's not like I'm kicking you out for good. Give her some time to settle in, then you can come back whenever."
Olivia looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and whispered, "Emily, I'm sorry. I don't want to take your place. If you don't want to leave, I'll go instead."
She bent down as if to put on her shoes.
Charles stopped her, his tone growing more serious. "Emily, I don't want to say this again."
He looked at me, his smile gone. "Don't make things difficult for Olivia."
The night we moved into this villa three years ago, Charles wrapped his arms around me as we sat out on the terrace until midnight. He promised this would be our home with the two of us, and someday, our kids.
I hung the wind chime on the porch myself. I picked out the frames for the photos in the living room.
We picked that long dining table out together at the furniture store because he said that one day, our whole family would sit together for dinner.
I didn't say another word.
He let out a sigh of relief, like he'd wrapped up some trivial matter. "Oh, and there's a party tonight. You're coming with me."
I wanted to say no.
"It's Olivia's first time meeting those people. She has no clue how to deal with this kind of crowd. Look after her for me and help her pick out something nice to wear," Charles said.
Olivia blinked, looking up at him with those big, innocent eyes. "Charles, what kind of party is it?"
"I want to introduce you to some people." Charles gave her nose a playful little flick.
Then he turned to me and said, "The car will pick you up at seven. Get ready."
He took Olivia upstairs. I heard the master bedroom door close, and then her giggles drifted down.
I stood right in the center of the living room, those white sneakers at my feet, and the wind chime I'd hung myself overhead.
The wind blew, and the chime tinkled twice.