Chapter 3

I locked my phone and forced down a few mouthfuls of food, swallowing past the lump in my throat. Though my stomach was full, my heart felt like it had been gouged wide open.

Scout let out two soft barks and curled up at my feet, silently keeping me company.

At 11 p.m., Daisy finally came home, carrying a takeout box in her hand.

Scout trotted over to her feet, only to be nudged away without a second thought. The dog whined softly and scurried back into my arms.

I pulled him close, slowly shifting my eyes toward the takeout box she was holding.

"Late-night snack?"

She set the box down on the dining table. "The food was pretty good, so I specifically brought some back for you."

"I'm not hungry."

She frowned, her tone immediately turning sharp and uncompromising. "I went out of my way to bring this back for you. Come and have some."

She was calling her leftovers a special gesture just for me.

I didn't reply, so she marched over, snatched the phone straight out of my hand, and stood over me, looking down at me.

"Matt, what's your problem? If you have something to say, just say it. I absolutely despise when you act like this."

"Act like what?"

"Sit there with that miserable look on your face, as if the whole world owes you something."

As if she didn't owe me anything?

I didn't feel like arguing with her, though. Getting up, I walked over to the table and flipped the takeout container open to find it filled with garlic butter shrimp, crab legs, and lobster.

I pointed at the spread, my face completely devoid of expression. "Daisy, did you have this packed specifically for me? I’m deathly allergic to shellfish. Did you forget?"

She froze. "I didn't know... Jas—a friend helped me pack it up."

"Jason?"

Her brow furrowed deeper. "Are you tracking me?"

I held up my phone and opened my social media feed. After scrolling just a few times, multiple photos of her posing with my mother popped up.

"It’s pretty hard to miss."

She stared at me intently, turned around to pour herself a drink from the bar, and took a big sip.

"It was your mother's birthday, and you didn't even bother making a simple phone call. You want to throw a childish tantrum, fine, but do you expect me to act as immature as you?"

Her voice was thick with exhaustion.

"If you had just swallowed your pride and made peace with your mother years ago, maybe I wouldn't have had to work so damn hard. Matt, I’m exhausted."

So, she was blaming me for not letting her take an easy shortcut.

"I want to sleep alone tonight." I turned around, walked into the bedroom, and clicked the door shut behind me.

Because of the unresolved fight from the night before, we fell into an unprecedented cold war.

While she was away at work during the day, I started packing up my belongings.

I didn't leave behind any of the caviar, truffles, or vintage wines, and the sourdough starter I made was finally ready. So I scheduled a courier service to ship all of it out immediately.

I even booked a private pet transport service to ship Scout out ahead of time.

At 8 p.m. on Saturday evening, Daisy had barely stepped through the front door and hadn't even taken off her high heels yet when she spoke.

"Jason invited my dad out for dinner tomorrow night. Both families are having dinner together, and you're coming too."

My thumb paused mid-swipe on my phone screen.

"Can I say no?"

She looked straight at me. "Matt, you should know what a dinner between both families signifies. Don't make things difficult for me."

What did it signify? An engagement? A wedding announcement?

And who was the groom supposed to be—me or Jason?

I didn't ask, nodding along and said, "Okay." I had no other reason for agreeing than wanting to see just how far they had actually gone behind my back.

When I arrived the next evening, the private dining room was already packed.

Jason sat right in the middle, surrounded by everyone like a star among the clouds. Whatever he was saying had Daisy’s father, Ben Duke, laughing hysterically.

Catching sight of me, Ben's laughter instantly faded.

"You're late," he said flatly.

My mother, Mary, who had been completely absent from my life, put on the strict matriarch persona for the very first time.

She slammed her glass onto the table with a heavy thud.

"What took you so long? Where are your manners, making us wait for you?"

Before I could even speak, Jason walked over to my side, smiling pleasantly as he tried to smooth things over.

"Don't blame Matt. If I hadn't driven over to pick up Daisy first, he wouldn't have had to take that extra detour."

I nodded. "Yeah. It really is your fault."