Chapter 3

I hit the call button. The phone rang twice before it was picked up.

Arthur's voice came through the line. "Claire, what's wrong?"

Olivia's smile froze instantly.

I put the call on speaker.

Arthur's end was completely silent. He must've stepped out of the meeting room.

His voice was low, but steady. "Claire, talk to me," he said.

Olivia immediately forced a smile. "Arthur, it's Mom. It's nothing, really."

"Claire's a little stir-crazy from being stuck at home after giving birth, so she's acting up a bit."

I stared at Olivia. She said it so smoothly, like she'd practiced that line a hundred times.

Arthur didn't even acknowledge her words. "Claire, tell me."

As soon as he said those three words, my eyes stung, hot with tears.

It wasn't me feeling wronged. It was that solid feeling that someone was really behind me, holding me up.

I took a deep breath. "The postpartum meals in the fridge are all gone."

There was a brief pause on the other end. "Which ones?" Arthur asked.

"The meals my mom cooked," I replied. "Thirty-seven boxes. Every single one is gone."

Arthur's voice turned cold and serious. "Who took them?"

Olivia cut in, not missing a beat. "I took them. I sent them over to Audrey.

"She's pregnant with twins. She needs it more than anyone right now.

"I've been making oatmeal for Claire; she's perfectly fine.

"Don't listen to her. She's making a big deal out of nothing."

I said, "These past seven days, I've been eating nothing but oatmeal.

"There were no postpartum meals this morning. There wasn't any yesterday either.

"The day before that, it was a plate of instant pasta.

"Last night, Sophia woke up crying from hunger three times."

There was a loud, grating sound of a chair being dragged across the floor on the other end of the line.

The noise was so sharp, it sent a chill down my spine.

Arthur's voice was cold and sharp. "Mom, say that again."

Olivia's smile was starting to crack. "I told you, Audrey's pregnant with twins. She needs it way more than Claire does.

"Claire's young; she'll recover in no time. So what if you just eat some oatmeal?

"That's how we all survived back then."

Arthur's voice was icy. "Before I left, didn't I make myself clear?"

Olivia froze. "What?"

"Didn't I tell you everything in the fridge was for Claire?" Arthur pressed. "She had a C-section, and she's anemic. She needs to eat exactly what the doctor told her to.

"Sophia's breastfeeding. If Claire doesn't eat well, it affects the baby too."

Olivia's face darkened. "So now you're keeping score with your own mother?"

Arthur's voice was icy and clear. "I'm asking you a question."

The living room was dead silent.

Olivia stared at the phone, as if she was looking at a stranger instead of her own son.

She probably never expected Arthur to talk to her like that.

What really caught her off guard was that he didn't even try to tell me to just let it go.

I didn't expect that either. I just wanted to tell him. At least he'd know I wasn't making trouble out of nowhere.

But he never even asked why I didn't let it slide. He only cared about who took them.

Olivia finally lost her temper. She snapped, "Arthur, I'm your mother.

"I'm the one who's been up early and staying up late, looking after your wife while she's recovering from childbirth, and you talk to me like this?

"What's wrong with me giving the soup to Audrey?

"Eric's family isn't doing so well. Audrey's carrying twins.

"You're the uncle. Shouldn't you be helping out?"

Arthur said, "You can help, that's fine. But do it with my money."

"Use what I bought. Use what's mine. Just don't touch Claire's things."

Olivia's lips twitched. "That was from her mom. Once it's brought into our house, it's ours."

When she said that, she looked so sure of herself, as if she really believed she was right.

I set my phone down on the table. The screen was facing up.

Arthur's voice came through the speaker. "No. Anything Claire's mom gave her is hers.

"I don't even get to make that call for her. And you absolutely don't."

Olivia was left speechless. Her lips trembled, and her voice wavered as she switched to a softer tone. "Arthur, I meant well.

"Audrey called me yesterday. She's been really sick and can't keep anything down.

"I thought the soup was going to waste. Missing a couple of meals won't hurt Claire.

"Come on, we're all family. Don't be so petty about it."

Arthur said, "She hasn't missed a couple of meals. It's been seven days. Seven days, Mom."

Olivia whipped her head around to glare at me. "You went and ratted me out?"

I didn't say a word. But Arthur caught that.

"Mom, don't yell at her," he said. "She can't handle any stress right now."

Olivia's chest heaved with anger. "So I'm the one at fault for taking care of her?

"Your wife's so precious, but I'm just supposed to put up with all this?"

Arthur didn't argue with her. He asked, "Are those containers of postpartum meals still at Eric's house?"

Olivia's eyes darted away. "I sent them all to Eric's house. How would I know if they even ate them?"