Chapter 3

My mother called me a few more times after that, always hinting that I should help my brother Richard find a job.

But he was a grown man, perfectly capable of fending for himself. There was no way I was going to help him.

Seeing how firm I was, she had no choice but to drop it.

Jonathan finally moved out, and that night, I heard Yvonne crying alone in her room.

I didn't go in to disturb her.

Kids had their own little worlds, and sometimes, they just needed space to deal with their feelings by themselves.

The days of the cooling-off period stretched on without a word between Jonathan and me. The silence held, until one day, I checked my phone after a meeting.

My phone had been on silent, and when I looked, dozens of missed calls from Jonathan flashed on my screen.

He'd also texted me: [I'm in the lobby of your company downstairs. Come down when you see this.]

Jonathan showing up at my office like this meant something big was going down.

I hurried downstairs. As soon as I hit the lobby, I spotted him pacing nervously by the entrance. I walked over and asked, "Is something wrong?"

He was just about to say something when a colleague walked in and greeted me, cutting him off, "Hey, Director Jordan."

Jonathan froze, staring at me with wide eyes. "Wait, when did you get promoted to director?"

I replied calmly, "Last year."

"How come you never told me?" he asked.

Looking away, I remembered a few years back when I got promoted to manager. I was over the moon and couldn't wait to share the news with Jonathan.

But all he did was toss out a quick "Congrats." He didn't even crack a smile or seem to care at all.

Then I recalled the year I had been promoted to deputy team leader. He had been even happier than I was and insisted on taking me out to celebrate.

Jonathan, who usually wouldn't spend more than a dozen bucks on dinner, splurged that night and ordered a feast of seafood that cost us hundreds.

But at some point, we stopped celebrating promotions. Wedding anniversaries became nothing but a token bouquet, and even our birthdays went by without a simple "Happy Birthday."

Weekends stopped being about shopping or catching a movie together. Even meals turned into quiet affairs, and we didn't bother asking about each other's work anymore.

Other than Yvonne, there was nothing left for us to talk about.

In times like these, it didn't even matter whether I mentioned the promotion or not.

I suddenly felt drained, and honestly, I didn't want to get dragged into anything with Jonathan.

So I changed the subject and asked, "What's so urgent that you had to come all the way here?"

Jonathan hesitated, his jaw clenched. After a moment, he finally said, "My mom just called. It's her birthday this weekend, and she wants the whole family to have dinner together."

I arched an eyebrow. It didn't make sense that he came all the way down to my office just to talk about his mother's birthday dinner.

I couldn't figure out what he was really after, but honestly, I didn't care enough to ask.

"Alright, I'll let Yvonne know. You can swing by and pick her up," I said, and with that, I turned to leave.

But Jonathan reached out to stop me. I shot him a look, then glanced down at his hand still holding onto mine.

He finally let go, looking awkward. "Actually, I was hoping you'd come too."

I frowned. "Don't tell me you haven't told your mom about the divorce."

Jonathan looked uncomfortable. "Well... can we just not tell her about the divorce yet?"

His voice was barely above a whisper, almost pleading. "My mom has high blood pressure. I'm afraid it'll be too much for her."

"Funny how you didn't worry about that when you asked for a divorce," I shot back.

Jonathan went quiet, his head hanging low in embarrassment.

I let out a sigh.

Back when Yvonne was born, I was drowning in work, trying to get my career back on track, while Jonathan was all-in on his startup, finally seeing some progress.

His mother Natalie was the one who stepped up and took care of Yvonne for us. She was a real lifesaver.

But a couple of years ago, her health took a turn for the worse. Not wanting to hold us back, she decided to move into a nursing home.

Natalie'd always been good to me, and I really respected her. I honestly hoped nothing ever happened to her.

"I'll cover for you just this once. But before we go and finalize the divorce, you need to find time and tell your mom yourself," I said.

Jonathan let out a big sigh of relief. "Thanks, Elaine. Really."

I just gave him a small nod. Without saying another word, I went straight upstairs.