Chapter 2
"You're right. I really should start paying more attention to myself," I said with a smile.
Delilah nodded, satisfied. "Good, that's what I want to hear. David's always busy and stressed at work, so as his wife, you need to be more understanding."
Just then, the doorbell rang.
David went to open it, and Emily's voice floated in, all sweet and playful. "Uncle David, I'm here to mooch some dinner."
Her voice was as sweet and flirty as it had been at the airport earlier.
I came out of the kitchen with a plate of food, and there she was, clinging to David's arm, looking so close and comfortable.
When she saw me, she instantly let go and chirped, "Aunt Claire."
"Emily, you're here," I said calmly. "Go wash up for dinner."
At the dinner table, Delilah said, "Emily, are you getting used to college? Have you got a boyfriend yet?"
Emily blushed and ducked her head. "I'm still too young for that, Delilah."
"Nineteen's not that young. When your aunt was your age, she had guys chasing after her left and right," Delilah said, shooting me a look. "Such a shame she settled down so soon."
She tried to sound regretful, but the disdain in her tone was clear as day.
David jumped in at just the right moment. "Mom, isn't it great that Claire married me?"
"Yeah, Aunt Claire and Uncle David are so in love," Emily said. She shot David a glance.
That look reminded me of something. Possessiveness.
After dinner, Delilah announced she was staying over for the night.
Emily refused to leave, claiming she had to catch the newest episode of her favorite show.
When I finished up in the kitchen and walked out, the three of them were all smiles, chatting and laughing together in the living room.
Emily was sitting right next to David, the two of them sharing a tablet as they watched a video together.
Every so often, she'd laugh so hard she nearly doubled over, then casually let her head fall onto David's shoulder without a second thought.
And David didn't even bother to act awkward or pull away.
"It's getting late, Emily. You should probably head home," I said.
Emily pouted. "Can't I stay a bit longer, Aunt Claire? This episode is really good."
"Claire is right. It's not safe for you to be out this late." David actually backed me up for once.
Barely a beat later, he added, "How about I drive you home?"
"No, it's fine. I'll just call a cab," Emily said, trying to play it cool, but everyone could see the disappointment in her eyes.
Delilah jumped in right away. "Why bother with a cab? Let David take you. It's not safe for a girl to be out alone this late."
So David snatched up his keys and went off to drive Emily home.
That left me and Delilah in the living room.
"Claire," Delilah suddenly said, "you and David have been married for ten years now, right?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"You've had it rough all these years," she said, but her tone was anything but sincere. "But you know how it is.
"David's got a lot on his plate at work, so sometimes he can't help but neglect the family."
I knew exactly what she was getting at.
"Emily's a great kid. She's pretty and has such a sweet personality," she went on. "Look at her, always so thoughtful and caring."
"Delilah, what are you trying to say?" I asked, cutting straight to the point.
Delilah was caught off guard for a second, then let out a couple of awkward laughs. "Oh, nothing, really.
"I just think Emily's a good kid. Since you two don't have any children of your own, it's nice to treat her like your daughter."
She wanted me to treat Emily like my own daughter.
If only she knew her precious son was making out with that "daughter" at the airport, how would she react?
An hour later, David finally came back.
I could smell the perfume Emily always wore on him.
I'd given it to her for her birthday last year, and she'd said she loved it.
It turned out that she really did love it. She loved it so much that now even my husband carried her scent.
Late at night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep.
David had his back to me, just like always, and soon I could hear his steady breathing.
Over the years, we'd grown used to the space between us.
We'd slept in separate rooms for three years, and only started sharing a bed again because our house was being renovated.
But even now, lying side by side, it felt like an entire galaxy stretched between us.
I pulled out my phone and opened the photo album.
I scrolled back to the earliest pictures, back when we first got together.
Back then, David would go all over the city to get me a cup of coffee.
He'd wait for me downstairs until late at night when I had to work overtime.
He'd remember every little thing I needed when I was on my period.
When did things start to change?
It probably started when Emily moved in with us. At first, he thought I was spoiling her too much.
Then, he started paying more attention to her schoolwork.
After that, he was the one showing up at her parent-teacher meetings.
Honestly, I really thought he was treating her like his own daughter.
My phone suddenly buzzed. It was a message from Emily. [Aunt Claire, are you still awake?]
I stared at the screen for a long time, not replying.
She followed up with another message: [Dinner was amazing tonight. Thank you, Aunt Claire.]
She even threw in a cute little emoji.
If I hadn't seen them at the airport today, I probably would've just replied with a "Goodnight," just like always.
But now, all I felt was pure disgust.
This was the girl I raised, the same girl who used to sob in my arms, calling me "Aunt Claire."
Now she was soaking up my husband's affection as if she deserved it, and still had the nerve to play innocent in front of me.
At two in the morning, I finally made up my mind for good. I tiptoed out of bed and slipped into the study.
I booted up the computer and logged into an email account I hadn't touched in forever.
There were a few unread emails, all from old colleagues.
The most recent one was from last month. [Claire, I heard Sterling Group is looking for an Investment Director.
[Interested? With your background, you'd be a perfect fit.]
I stared at the email for a long time and clicked open the reply box.