Chapter 3
Just as I expected, Emily never reached out to me again.
Work was going smoothly, and before long, money stopped being a problem for me.
I planned to buy a nice place near a good school before Andrew started grade school.
On a holiday, I took Andrew to the mall.
As luck would have it, we bumped into Richard, Emily, and Richard's second wife, Susan.
Emily had lost a lot of weight since I last saw her six months ago. She looked cautious and uneasy, and the clothes she was wearing were the ones I'd bought her last year, now way too small.
It was obvious she wasn't being taken care of properly.
When Emily saw me, she froze for a moment. Her face lit up, and she rushed over, beaming with joy.
"Mommy," she cried out.
It seemed I still had to play the loving mom.
So I scooped Emily up in my arms with tears welling in my eyes.
"Sweetie, I missed you too," I said.
Richard's face darkened instantly. He took a couple of steps toward me, but Susan quickly grabbed his arm, holding him back.
Susan beamed and said, "Hey, Margaret. Looks like Emily's been missing you. Since it's the holiday, why don't you take her home for a few days and let you two bond a bit?"
Emily immediately put on her sweetest voice, acting all soft and clingy.
"Mommy, I missed you," she said.
I smiled and nodded, "Sure thing."
Richard, clearly afraid Emily and I would get too close, said, "Just make sure you bring her back before the holiday's over."
After Richard and Susan left, I stuck to my plan and took Emily and Andrew out to grab a bite.
Emily was all about burgers and fried chicken, and when I saw Andrew's eyes light up too, I brought them to a fast-food joint.
I ordered two meals for kids.
As soon as the food hit the table, Emily grabbed Andrew's drumstick without hesitation.
Andrew looked at her for a moment, didn't protest, and even gave her his chicken wing.
Emily didn't say thank you or anything. She just started eating like she totally deserved it.
I just sat there, watching Emily gobble down her food, totally lost in thought.
Emily had always been hostile toward Andrew.
Ever since Andrew was born, she'd been hit him when Richard and I weren't looking.
I figured she was feeling insecure with a new sibling, so I never punished her. Instead, I always reminded myself to put her feelings and needs first.
As long as she didn't hit Andrew, she got first pick of everything: food, toys, you name it.
Andrew was thoughtful. Ever since he was little, he'd always put his sister first.
After Emily was stuffed and even started burping, I ordered two more drumsticks, one for each of them.
Andrew was happy. He kept asking me to eat with him.
I told him I didn't really like it, and only then did he finally start eating his drumstick, taking tiny bites.
Emily was stuffed, but she still held onto the bag with the drumstick for dear life, like she was scared someone would snatch it away.
Even when she saw her brother offering me some, she didn't even think about sharing.
After we finished eating, I took them shopping for clothes.
Andrew tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Mom, can you spend my clothes money on Emily instead?"
I figured I could always pick up something for Andrew anytime, so I got Emily three new outfits and just one for Andrew.
I just didn't want Emily getting upset and taking it out on Andrew when I wasn't around.
Emily was absolutely thrilled when she saw all the outfits I'd picked out for her.
She shot Andrew a smug look and said, "See? Mommy loves me more."
Andrew didn't mind at all. He just smiled and said, "Mommy loves me too. That's enough."
I gave Andrew's hair a gentle tousle and smiled. "I love you both just the same."
Emily pouted, not looking too pleased.
But Andrew was happy. He couldn't help but dance around.
Though I thought Emily was a little ingrate, I never wanted to be cruel to her.
But there was no way I was going to pour my heart into raising her like I did in my previous life.
With her attitude, if I did, she'd end up pointing fingers at me again when she grew up.
She'd probably paint me as some psycho mom and shame me for life.
So I decided to just play the doting mom for her.
For the next few days, I spoiled her rotten, giving her good food and playing with her. I let her indulge herself as much as she wanted.
Every day, I just went through the motions of reminding her to study.
The moment she showed even a hint of reluctance, I'd drop it and let her do whatever she wanted.
I posted every little thing I did for her on my social media, just like Richard used to do.
Of course, I didn't forget to post photos of her studying too.
No one who saw my posts could deny I was the picture of a responsible mom.
When I posted that photo of Emily studying, Richard couldn't sit still.
He called me, demanding I bring Emily back early.
Emily threw a fit, crying and making a scene, refusing to go.
Richard had to yell at her before she finally, grudgingly agreed.
When it was time to part ways, Emily wrapped her arms around me, refusing to let go, crying her eyes out.
"I want to be with you, Mom," she wailed.
I said with a distressed face, "Why don't I wait until the holiday's over before sending her back?"
Richard got even angrier and yanked Emily out of my arms.
"Margaret, just take care of your own son and stop meddling with my daughter," he snapped.
I shot Emily a helpless look.
"Come see me next time, sweetie. I will be here waiting for you," I said softly.
"No. I want Mommy. I want to be with her," Emily wailed.
She was bawling her eyes out, desperately reaching for me.
Richard, fuming, scooped her up and walked away.
After Richard disappeared from sight with Emily, I turned away and quietly wiped the tears from my eyes.
Once we got back in the car, Andrew wasted no time and snuggled right into my arms.
I asked Andrew, "Do you like Emily?"
Andrew bit his lip, looking like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
I smiled, patted his head, and admitted, "Honestly, I don't really like her that much either."
Andrew nodded in surprise and then moved closer.
He whispered to me, "Mommy, I don't really like Emily either. She never listens to you, and she's always picking on me."
"I know, sweetie. She won't be staying with us much. Let's keep this just between us, okay? Don't tell anyone else," I said.
Andrew nodded repeatedly. "I know. Secrets are for us and no one else."
"No matter what Emily asks you to do behind my back, promise me you won't, okay?" I said.
Andrew nodded even harder. "I'll remember that."
Emily was always up to something, and who knew how she'd turn out with Richard raising her this time?
I was worried she might try to drag Andrew into trouble someday.
So I decided to give Andrew a heads-up, just in case.