Chapter 3

"Oops, my hand slipped. What a waste," Sally said.

Sally looked all innocent as she covered her mouth, acting like nothing happened.

Leo was stunned, his hand holding the bowl frozen in mid-air, his eyes welling up with tears.

Jacob scowled.

He barked impatiently, "Can't even hold a bowl steady? Look at you, is this how your mom taught you?"

Jacob didn't say a word about Sally's 'slip.' Instead, he put all the blame on the five-year-old for not catching the bowl.

Leo sniffled, forcing back his tears.

He carefully lowered the bowl and whispered, "Dad, I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again."

My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe.

But I had to hold it in.

The contract made it clear that Jacob had the final say in public, and I wasn't allowed to talk back.

I grabbed some greens and tossed them into Leo's bowl, then drizzled some soy sauce over the rice.

I mixed it up and smiled at him, saying, "Leo, Soy sauce rice smells amazing and will fill you up. The greens have lots of vitamins. Eat more veggies and you'll grow up big and strong."

I ruffled Leo's hair, my smile full of sadness.

Leo nodded and started eating his soy sauce rice as if it was the most delicious thing in the world.

For the rest of the meal, I maintained my professional smile.

Whenever Jacob's glass was empty, I immediately poured him more wine.

Whenever Sally had sauce on her lips, I instantly handed her a napkin.

I didn't eat a single bite myself, just like an invisible server.

Maybe Jacob thought it was too obvious that Leo and I were only eating plain rice, so he picked up the biggest shrimp and dropped it into my bowl.

"Go on, you used to love this, didn't you?" Jacob said.

I just stared at the shrimp sitting in my bowl.

It was oily and bright red.

Suddenly, my stomach churned.

Back when someone actually cared about me, I used to love shrimp.

After the divorce, trying to save every penny, I'd go to the market and scavenge for discarded shrimp nobody wanted, just so Leo could have something a little better to eat.

One time, I ended up with some that had already gone bad. Leo and I were laid up in our cramped apartment for three days, sick as dogs.

Ever since then, just thinking about shrimp now turns my stomach.

"Blegh..."

I lost it and puked straight into the trash can beside me.

Jacob's face darkened to the extreme, and he slammed his fork down on the table.

"Claire, are you trying to act all high and mighty? I was showing you some respect by serving you, and you just puke it up? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jacob snapped.

Sally, fanning the flames, chimed in, "Jacob, is Claire looking down on you, or does she think the shrimp's not clean?"

I wiped my mouth with a napkin and took a sip of water to rinse it out.

Then I looked up, my gaze steady.

I said, "Sorry, Mr. Grant. Guess my stomach's gotten cheap. Can't handle the good stuff anymore.

"You go ahead, I need to use the restroom."

With that, I got up and left the room.

In the restroom, I splashed cold water on my face again and again, trying to steady myself.

I told myself to endure this.

I have to endure this for Leo's school fees, for that 65 hundred dollars a month to keep us going.

When I came back, I saw Jacob at the front desk, settling the bill.

"Sir, the total comes to three thousand dollars," the cashier said.

Jacob was just about to pull out his wallet.

I walked over quickly and pulled out the supplementary card Jacob had given me.

"Here, use this card," I said, handing it to the cashier.

Since it's part of my job, picking up the tab for my boss is just business as usual.

Jacob stared at the card in my hand, his pride clearly stung, like I'd just challenged him right there.

He grabbed it from me, snapped it clean in half with a sharp crack, and threw the pieces onto the floor.

"Claire, that card was for you to buy clothes, not to embarrass me in front of everyone. Dinner? I can cover that, no problem!" Jacob barked.

People around us gave us strange looks, their eyes lingering on the scene.

I stared at the broken card lying on the floor, and to my surprise, all I felt was a pang of regret.

Such a shame. Leo wouldn't be getting those new shoes after all.

The ride home was suffocating, the tension so thick I could cut it with a knife.

Sally put on a dizzy act, leaning softly against Jacob's shoulder, looking all weak and helpless.

Jacob was driving, but kept sneaking glances and reaching over to feel her forehead, barely paying attention to the road.

Leo curled up in the corner of the back seat, his tiny hand sneaking over to hook around my finger.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Mom, was I good today? That uncle will still give us the money, right?"

My nose prickled, and I held his cold little hand tight in mine.

"Good boy, Leo. You're always the best," I whispered.

I stared out the window, watching the city streets race by in a blur.

This city was glittering with lights, but not a single one was meant for us.

Sally suddenly brought home a long-haired Ragdoll cat. It was gorgeous, but shed like crazy.