Chapter 1

The crab on Roxanna Clark's plate? My husband, David Clark, cracked it for her. By the way, Roxanna was the wife of David's older brother, Michael Clark.

There were five people at the table, but he only cracked crab for her. After cracking it, he set the meat onto her plate and even said, "Here."

Linda Clark, David's mom, was sitting right there, helping herself to the dishes, acting like she didn't see anything.

I set my fork down.

Linda looked up and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"

I replied, "David gave all the food to Roxanna. What was I supposed to eat?"

The whole table went silent for three seconds.

David's hand froze mid-air.

Roxanna lowered her head.

Linda's face changed in an instant.

*****

That dinner happened on a Saturday night, at Linda's house. Every Saturday, without fail, the Clark family gathered for dinner.

It was a rule Linda set even before I got married. I had been part of the Clark family for three years, and I had not missed a single one.

I was the one who bought all the groceries. I cooked dinner with Linda. When it came to washing the dishes, that was all on me. Roxanna never even stepped into the kitchen.

Every single time, Linda said, "Roxanna's hands are too delicate for kitchen work. The heat and grease aren't good for her, so don't make her do anything."

So my hands weren't delicate, too?

I never bothered to ask.

That night, we had grilled fish, garlic butter crab, sautéed pork with peppers, a fresh salad, and a light soup on the table. I was the one who picked out the fish, prepped the crab, and sliced the peppers.

When the dishes were served, the fish was placed right in the center of the table. Linda reached out and nudged the plate slightly toward Roxanna. She said, "Anna, you like this. Have some more."

Roxanna smiled softly. "Thanks."

Linda called her "Anna."

But she always called me "Elizabeth."

Three years in this family, and not once had she ever called me "Ellie."

That night, the crab was the main dish, and I was the one who cooked it. There were plenty of pieces, and I handled everything myself—cleaning, seasoning, and cooking.

After the dishes were served, I had not even picked up my fork yet when David reached for a crab leg and started cracking it, head down and focused. I thought he was doing it for me.

He used to do that for me, back in our first year of marriage, I remembered, feeling a faint ache. But once he finished, his hand moved straight toward Roxanna's plate. David said, "Roxanna, here."

His voice was quiet, but it felt so natural. It was like he had done this a hundred times before.

Roxanna did not hesitate. "Thanks, David," she said with a quick smile, picked up her fork, and started eating right away.

I watched as the crab meat landed on her plate, and my hand paused mid-air with my fork. I did not say a word.

He went on to crack another one. Once again, he placed it on Roxanna's plate. Then a third. Then a fourth. He spent several minutes cracking crab legs for her, and every single piece went straight onto her plate.

My plate was still empty.

I was sitting to his left, and Roxanna was on his right. He kept leaning slightly toward her.

Linda sat across from us, helping herself to the food, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Linda's husband had passed away years ago, and David's older brother, Michael, was away on a business trip in Willow Springs that month, saying he was indispensable for the project.

So it was just the five of us that night. Linda, David, me, Roxanna, and Roxanna's daughter, Lily.

Lily was five, sitting beside Roxanna, quietly eating her meal.

I looked around the table, taking it all in. Most of the main dishes had ended up in front of Roxanna. The crab was all on her side. The plate of sautéed pork had been pulled closer to her.

The only thing left in front of me was the salad.

I set my fork down.

Linda looked up. "Elizabeth, why aren't you eating?"

I looked at her. "David gave all the food to Roxanna. What was I supposed to eat?"

The whole table fell silent.

David's hand froze mid-air.

Roxanna lowered her head, her face flushed slightly.

Lily glanced up at me and then went back to her meal.

Linda's expression flickered for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. "Come on, Elizabeth. David was just being considerate," she said.

"Roxanna was raising her child alone, and it was not easy for her. So what if he took a little extra care of her? Don't be petty. We are all family here."

I had been hearing this for three years. "Don't be petty. We are all family here." Every time I brought it up, she threw that line at me.

I smiled faintly. "Fine." I stood up and grabbed my coat.

"Where are you going?" David finally noticed me.

"I am leaving," I replied.

"But we haven't finished dinner yet," he said.

"I am full," I cut him off.

As I closed the door behind me, I heard Linda mutter, "Look at her. No class at all."

Roxanna did not say a word. David did not even bother to come after me.

As I walked alone in the hallway, my phone buzzed. It was a message from David.

David: [What the hell was wrong with you? Saying something like that in front of Mom, how was I supposed to deal with that?]

I stared at the message for ten seconds. Then I closed the chat window. I did not reply.

After I got home, I sat on the couch alone for a long time.

It was not anger. I was just stuck on one question.

When did David start doing that for Roxanna?

I thought about it for a long time, but the truth was that I had no idea.

Because at every single family dinner before this, I had always been in the kitchen, cooking, serving, and cleaning up. By the time I finally sat down at the table, the food had usually gone cold.

I had never once seen how David acted at the table from start to finish.

This was the first time.

Because I finished cooking half an hour early, I got to sit down before everyone else. So I saw everything, from beginning to end. Four crab legs. Several minutes.

He did it as naturally as breathing, like it was just a habit. It was definitely not the first time.

I unlocked my phone and scrolled through Roxanna's social feed.

The latest post was from three days ago, a picture of a cup of coffee with the caption, "Needed this." The location showed a café inside Maplewood Mall.

The first comment underneath was from David.

David: [Was it good? Next time, bring Lily along. My treat.]

Roxanna: [Sure!]

She added a smile at the end.