Chapter 5
It had been two weeks since I moved out, and I thought Frank and Diane would finally back off.
But when I got home from work that day, I found someone waiting at my apartment door.
It was Diane.
No clue how she even found out where I live.
"Diane?" I called out.
"So you still remember me?" she said, her expression sour. "You've been gone for half a month, won't answer my calls, and when I had Eric come find you, you just ignored him. What's your plan here?"
I opened the door and let her in.
She walked in and looked around, my 600-square-foot apartment was spotless, with some green plants in the living room and a coffee maker sitting on the kitchen counter.
"When did you buy this apartment?" she asked.
"I bought it before I got married," I replied.
She took in the painting on the wall, then eyed the throw pillows on the couch.
"You bought an apartment before you got married and never said a word to the family?" she said.
"I paid for it myself. Didn't see any reason to mention it," I replied.
She sat down on the couch, her face a mix of emotions.
"Claire, you know Frank, he's just stubborn. If you come back, I promise he won't ask about your salary card anymore," she said.
"Diane, it isn't only about the salary card," I replied.
"Then what else is it?" she pressed.
I said, "For three years, I've been getting up at 5:30 every morning to make breakfast, coming home after work to cook dinner, scrubbing the house every weekend, and cooking twenty dishes for holidays, all on my own.
"Eric never did a thing, and you all acted like it was just my job."
"That's what wives are supposed to do—" she started.
"I work ten hours a day too. I'm not your maid," I cut her off.
Her face went red.
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on our family?" she snapped.
"I'm not looking down on anyone. I just don't want to keep being your free maid with no boundaries," I replied.
She stood up and grabbed her bag.
"Fine, if you think you can make it on your own, go ahead. Do you really think you'll amount to anything without the Chambers family?" she shot back.
The door slammed shut behind her.
I stood by the door, took a deep breath, and tried to steady myself.
My phone buzzed. It was Eric.
Eric: [Did my mom come to see you? What did she say?]
I didn't reply.
*****
By the third week, things started to go south.
Eric didn't text me for three days straight.
On the fourth day, I got a friend request from a stranger on WhatsApp, with the note: [Eric's coworker, Ryan Hills.]
I accepted it.
Ryan: [Hey Claire, I'm one of Eric's coworkers. There's something I don't know if I should tell you.]
I replied: [Just say it.]
Ryab: [Eric's been having lunch with Emily Lane from finance every day lately. Today, they even left work together.]
He sent me a photo.
In the parking lot, Eric and a woman in a light blue dress were walking side by side, so close they were almost touching.
I zoomed in on the photo to get a better look.
Eric was smiling, and it was the kind of genuine smile I hadn't seen on him in forever.
I saved the photo to my phone.
I replied: [Got it, thanks.] Then I blocked him.
That night, I called Eric.
He picked up right away. "Claire?"
"Eric, who's Emily Lane?" I asked.
Eric went quiet for three seconds.
His voice was tense: "Who told you that?"
"That's not important. Just answer me," I said.
"She's just a coworker. You're making a big deal out of nothing," Eric replied.
"So you eat lunch together every day and leave work together, and that's just 'coworkers'?"
"It's just a small team, having meals together is no big deal," Eric said.
"Eric, I moved out three weeks ago, and you haven't come to see me even once. But you somehow have time to have dinner with other women every single day," I said.
"You're the one who left!" Eric suddenly raised his voice. "I asked you to come back, but you wouldn't. I don't even know your new address."
"If you don't know my address, how did your mom find me?" I shot back.
He fell silent again.
"You know where I live, don't you? You just didn't want to come," I said.
He didn't deny it.
I hung up.