Chapter 5
I closed my eyes and tried to think.
Every Saturday afternoon, David went to the gym without fail. Said he was working on abs for me.
Now it seemed he was building them for Olivia instead.
My phone buzzed.
It was David.
"Sophie, Sarah just called me. Michael wants to buy a car, and he's short thirty thousand. What do you think?"
"I don't have that kind of money," I replied. "You know my salary all goes toward the household."
"I do have some," David said.
"If you want to lend it, go ahead," I cut in. "That's your money."
"Sophie, are you upset?"
"No."
"I think we should help. Michael is your brother. If we ever need something, we'll have to rely on him. And Sarah asked, it would look bad to refuse."
"Do whatever you want."
"Then tell Sarah I'll transfer the money tonight."
"You tell her yourself."
"It wouldn't be appropriate. She's your mom."
"Oh, now she's my mom?" I let out a cold laugh. "Last year, when she tried to take my house, you didn't say that."
"Sophie, that's in the past."
"It's not."
I hung up.
He didn't call back. He knew how I was. Usually easygoing, but once I snapped, I didn't come down easily.
He used to coax me patiently. Now he probably couldn't be bothered. Not when he had someone younger and softer waiting for him.
That afternoon, I met the detective as planned.
He was in his forties, named Jack Carter, with an unremarkable face you wouldn't notice in a crowd.
"Mr. Carter, I need you to look into my husband and this woman."
I slid photos of David and Olivia across the table.
"Find out when it started and where they usually meet. Can you get hotel records?"
"I can, but it'll take time," he said, gathering the photos.
"I charge by the day, one thousand dollars. Expenses are billed separately."
"Fine."
I paid the deposit.
"Let me know as soon as you find anything. And there's one more thing."
I showed him the photo I took that morning.
"Look into this car. I want full details on the owner and how he's connected to this woman."
"Got it," Jack said.
I left the café and went to the hospital.
I registered for an obstetrics appointment.
The doctor said the baby was healthy and told me to get plenty of rest and take folic acid.
"Did your husband come with you?"
"He's busy," I said.
"No matter how busy he is, he should be here. Prenatal checkups are important."
"I understand. Thank you, doctor."
When I stepped outside, the sunlight was harsh.
I rested a hand on my stomach, my emotions all over the place.
This baby hadn't come at the right time.
Or maybe it had.
My phone rang again.
This time it was my brother, Michael.
"Sophie, when are you transferring the money?"
No greeting, straight to the point.
"I don't have it," I said.
"David said he'd give it."
"Then ask him."
"He told me to check with you."
His tone was already impatient.
"Sophie, do you really have to be like this? It's just thirty thousand.
"I'm buying a car, not wasting it. With a car, it'll be easier to find a girlfriend, and Mom and Dad can have a grandkid sooner."
"That house last year was worth over a million," I cut in.
"The car you're driving now was bought by Dad for me."
"Isn't that how it should be?" he shot back without hesitation.
"I'm the only son of the Brooks family. Shouldn't the house and cars all go to me?"
"Then work for it and buy your own."
"Sophie Brooks!"
He said my full name like a warning.
"Are you even my sister?"
"I am, which is why I'm telling you this," I said evenly.
"If you want something, earn it yourself. Taking it or begging for it isn't an achievement."
"You!"
He was too angry to finish.
"Fine, suit yourself. Don't bother coming back home."
The call ended.
I stood by the road, watching cars pass.
For some reason, I felt like laughing.
I laughed until tears started to fall.
This was my family.
Thomas lay half-paralyzed in bed, barely able to speak, yet still thinking about giving the house to Michael.
Sarah kept saying, "You're the older sister, you should give in to your brother."
Michael believed everything I had should be his.
Olivia had slept with my husband.
She and my husband were working together, trying to leave me with nothing.
What a wonderful family.
So loving, so close.
I wiped my tears and put on my sunglasses.
I couldn't cry.
It would ruin my makeup.
And the show had to go on.
On the way home, I stopped by the grocery store.
I picked up fish, meat, vegetables, and fruit, all things David liked.
I grabbed a bottle of red wine too.
We never celebrated our anniversary, so I'd make it up tonight.
Even if it might be the last time.
When I got home, Olivia was already back.
She was stretched out on the couch, scrolling on her phone, shoes still on.
"Sophie, you're back," she said without looking up. "What's for dinner?"
"Pan-seared salmon, pot roast, roasted Brussels sprouts."
"All David's favorites again." She curled her lip. "I want barbecue."
"Tomorrow. I'm tired today."
I carried the groceries into the kitchen.
"Sophie, I need to tell you something."
Olivia followed me in and leaned against the doorframe.
"I had an interview today."
"Really? Where?"
"A trading company owned by one of David's friends." She beamed. "Administrative assistant, eight thousand a month, weekends off."
"That's good."
I rinsed the vegetables under cold water.
"David set it up?"
"Yeah, he's been so good to me," she said.
"He even took the afternoon off to go with me.
"After the interview, he treated me to a big meal. That place was expensive, over five hundred per person. He said it was to celebrate me getting the job."
My hands paused.
David took the afternoon off. He told me he had to work late.
"Really? That's nice," I said, and kept washing.
"Oh, and I found an apartment," Olivia went on.
"Near David's office, about a ten-minute walk. One bedroom, one living room, rent is thirty-five hundred. I don't have enough right now, so David said he'd cover it for me."
The leaves in my hands crumbled.
"Where did he get the money?"
"No idea." She blinked. "Maybe his year-end bonus came in."
His bonus.
It usually came in March. This year, he said business was bad and he only got twenty thousand.
Apparently not.
"Sophie, you're not upset, are you?" Olivia leaned closer.
"I'm just borrowing it for now. I'll pay him back once I start getting paid."
"I'm not upset." I forced a smile. "You found a job. That's a good thing."
"That's what David said."
She hummed as she walked out.