Chapter 3

It was Lily's fourth birthday.

I bought her a strawberry cake and put up a few balloons at home.

There was only Lily and I.

David was working overtime.

Margaret was vacationing in Harbinland with Brian and his whole family.

As Lily blew out the candles, she tilted her head and asked, "Mommy, why didn't Grandma come?"

"Grandma's on a trip," I replied.

"Grandma didn't come last time, either."

I gently stroked her head. "Don't worry. Mommy's right here."

"But Grandma went to Max's birthday," she pointed out.

I froze for a second. "How did you find out?"

"Max said at school that Grandma got him a big robot," she replied.

Her eyes were shining with no tears. She only asked, "Mommy, does Grandma not like me?"

I pulled her into my arms.

"Of course Grandma likes you, sweetie. She's busy," I said.

Lily said, "Oh." Then she didn't ask any more.

*****

That night, after Lily fell asleep, I sat in the living room.

My phone buzzed.

Sophie said, "Emma, PureGlow Group caught the eye of an investment firm. They're offering 6 million dollars for a 15% stake."

I wasn't surprised. "Which firm?"

"Summit Capital."

"I'll think about it."

"Emma, do you realize what this means? Your company is worth over 30 million dollars now."

"Yeah, I know."

"You're really not going to tell David?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

I glanced at Lily's bedroom door. "Because I don't have to."

Sophie went quiet for a long time. "What are you waiting for?"

"For the right moment," I replied.

*****

At eight that night, David came home.

There was a lipstick stain on his shirt collar.

I saw it, but I kept quiet.

He went into the bathroom to shower. When he came out, the lipstick stain was gone.

He said, "I had a business dinner tonight and drank a bit too much."

I replied, "Okay, get some sleep."

I turned off the lights and closed my eyes.

Next to me, David's breathing got deeper as he fell asleep.

I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling in the darkness.

There was no need to rush things.

I had all the time in the world.

*****

When Lily was four and a half, Brian's barbecue place closed down.

He ended up losing more than 100 thousand dollars.

Margaret's blood pressure spiked, and she called David.

"Your brother's in trouble. You need to help him out," she said.

"Mom, I don't have that kind of money—" David protested.

"What about your salary? Isn't your wife doing nothing at home? Tell her to go find a job and pitch in," she snapped.

David hung up and looked at me. "My mom said—"

"I heard her," I cut in.

"Maybe you should get a part-time job?"

I kept peeling an apple for Lily. "Why should I get a part-time job to clean up your brother's mess?"

"It's not all about helping him. We're indeed strapped—"

"We're strapped because you hand your mom 300 dollars every month and threw 6,000 dollars into your brother's shop. It's got nothing to do with me not working."

His face darkened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm saying, if you want to save money, maybe start by cutting the 300 dollars you give your mom every month."

"No way. That's out of family obligation."

"Then there's no way I'm getting a job to patch up your brother's hole."

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I handed the peeled apple to Lily.

Lily looked up at me. "Mommy, what's wrong with Daddy?"

"Daddy needed some air," I replied.

He didn't come home that night.

When he showed up the next day, he didn't say a word.

*****

A week later, Margaret showed up at our place.

She walked in, plopped down on the couch, and gave the place a once-over. "Emma, you keep this place pretty tidy."

I poured her a glass of water. "Margaret, is there something you need?"

"Nothing big. Brian's shop lost quite a bit of money. We're family, so if we can help, we should. Do you have any savings?"

I set the kettle down. "Margaret, I've been at home for over four years. Where would I get any savings?"

She stared at me for a few seconds. "What about your parents? Can't they help out?"

"My parents are retired workers. Their pensions are barely 1,000 dollars a month."

She curled her lip. "Well, that's it then."

She stood up to leave.

At the door, she turned back.

"Emma, you can't sit at home all day doing nothing. Lily's in preschool now. You should get a job and at least help out with the bills," she said.

"I'll think about it," I replied.

"Think about what? Jessica's at home helping Brian with the accounts. You do nothing all day anyway—"

"Margaret, Lily's out of school. I need to go pick her up."

I opened the door.

She shot me a glare and walked out.

After the door closed, I checked my phone.

A message read: [PureGlow Group's Q3 financial report: 150 million dollars in revenue and 2.5 million dollars in net profit.]

I smiled to myself.

Margaret was right.

I shouldn't sit at home all day doing nothing

I should be working harder.