Chapter 3
Elsa's voice wasn't harsh, but I could tell she felt superior. "Sarah, can you take down that post on Instagram? Emily's been crying all night. Her eyes are all puffy now."
I was standing at the entrance of the apartment complex. The wind was blowing, and my hair was stuck on my face.
"But Emily was the one who sent me that photo," I said.
"I know, she told me. But you really shouldn't put stuff like that online. Whatever's going on between you two, handle it privately. If you air things out like this, how's Emily supposed to find a good match in the future?" said Elsa.
I brushed my hair out of my face and switched the phone to my other hand.
"Elsa, your daughter wrapped her arms around my husband for that photo, and you're asking me how she's supposed to get married?" I shot back.
There was a pause on the other end.
"She's still young. She doesn't know better. Can't you be a little more understanding? Making a big deal out of this isn't going to help anyone," Elsa said.
"Well, it sure helps me," I shot back.
"You—"
"Elsa, I'm done with this conversation. If Emily has something to say, she can talk to me herself," I said.
I hung up.
I stood there for a moment, turned, and walked across the street to the breakfast shop.
I ordered a cup of coffee and some bread, sat down on one of the plastic stools by the door, and ate slowly.
My phone kept buzzing.
I switched it to silent and placed it screen-down on the table.
After finishing my breakfast, I called my mom.
"Mom, I might be getting a divorce," I said.
There was a three-second silence on the other end.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Daniel's seeing Emily now," I said.
"Which Emily? Your college friend?" she asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
There was another pause.
"Come home," my mom said.
"Not yet. I need to handle some things first," I replied.
"Are you sure you can handle this on your own?" she asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Just remember one thing," she said.
"What?" I asked.
"Don't go soft," she said.
I gripped the phone and murmured, "Okay."
After hanging up, I sat outside the breakfast shop and flipped my phone over.
My screen was flooded with messages.
Someone tagged me in the work group chat, but I didn't open it.
Someone in the college group sent me a private message, but I left it unread.
I opened my photo album and looked at the picture Emily had sent me again.
I zoomed in, checking every detail.
Emily's hand was resting on Daniel's chest.
She'd gotten a new manicure. She'd shown me at dinner last time, saying that it cost over a hundred dollars.
I was the one who paid for that meal.
I closed the photo, opened my notes app, and started making a list.
I typed: [Daniel claimed he was on a business trip to Grandon, but he actually went to the beach. Time: last Wednesday to Sunday.
[Emily sent that photo at 9:47 PM last night.
[Joint assets: house, car, savings.
[The marriage certificate is in the second drawer of the bedside table at home.]
After I finished, I read it over and added another line.
[Emily knows my Wi-Fi password and has a spare key.]
Thinking about the spare key, I froze in place.
Last month, when Emily came over for dinner, I handed her a spare key so it'd be easier for her to visit.
She grinned and said, "Sarah, you're really nice to me."
I set my phone down and stared at the water stains on my coffee cup for a while.
I needed to replace the keys.
I needed to change the lock, too.
I got up and headed to the hardware store to buy a new lock for my door.
When I got back to my apartment building, I saw someone waiting by the entrance.
It was Emily.
She was standing by the door, clutching a tissue. Her eyes were puffy.
When she saw me, she hurried over.
"Sarah—" she called out.
"Give me back the key," I said.
She froze for a second.
"What?" she asked.
"Give me back my spare key," I said.
She stood frozen with trembling lips, rummaged through her bag, pulled out her keychain, removed one key, and handed it to me.
I took it and slipped it into my pocket.
She stood in front of me, her eyes red again.
"Sarah, I know you hate me, but it's not like you think," Emily said.
"Then explain it to me," I said.
"Daniel was the one who made the first move," Emily said.
I stared at her. "So he came after you, and you said yes?"
"I turned him down more than once, but he kept coming back, and I..." Emily lowered her head. "I never meant to hurt you."
"You say you didn't mean to hurt me, but you still sent me that photo," I said.
"I just wanted to come clean with you," Emily replied.
"Come clean?" I repeated. "Emily, when you sent me that photo, did you honestly think you were confessing?"
She stayed silent.
"You weren't confessing. You were ordering me to step aside," I said.
The wind picked up again, blowing her hair into a mess.
She looked up at me, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"So what do you want from me? Do you want me to beg you?" she asked.
I didn't respond to her question.
I walked around her, swiped my entrance card, and went inside.
As the door closed behind me, Sarah heard Emily shout from outside. "Sarah, you can't treat me like this. You can't dump all the blame on me."
I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor.
As the doors slid shut, I clenched the old key in my palm.
The metal was pressed into my hand, stinging a little.
When I got to my door, it was left slightly open.
I pushed it open and found Callie sitting on the couch, but Daniel wasn't there.
When she saw me, her face was full of mixed emotions.
"Sarah, come and sit down. Let's talk," Callie said.
I stayed where I was, standing in the entryway.
"Where's Daniel?" I asked.
"He went out to talk things over with his dad," Callie said.
Talk things over, huh?
I set the new lock on the shoe cabinet.
Callie noticed and frowned.
"What's that for?" she asked.
"I'm changing the lock," I replied.
Her expression changed.
"Sarah, don't stir things up. Let me mediate between you and Daniel. You two need to talk it out. Just delete that post, and let's move on, alright?" Callie said.
I stared at her.
"Callie, there's no moving on from this," I said.
She stood up and walked over to me.
"Are you really going to tear this family apart to get your way?" she asked.
I didn't respond to that.
"Callie, why don't you ask your son how long he stayed at the beach with Emily and if they were in the same room or not?" I said.
Callie's face fell.