A Sip of Regret

On New Year's Day, my husband Jamie Fletcher brought home a company intern. To ensure that Tara Klein slept comfortably at our place, he made me and our eight-month-old, Andy, sleep on the couch.

While I was asleep, Tara even fed Andy a shot of vodka.

Once I found out about it, she threw herself into Jamie's arms with a piteous expression. "I just feel sorry for Noelle. She has to wake up many times in the middle of the night to take care of the baby. She's in her 20s but looks older than my mom!"

Shaking in anger, I tried to kick her out of my place, but Jamie cast me a stern look. "Tara is being considerate. It's one thing to ignore her kindness, but you should calm down about the incident. It's just a shot of vodka. The baby will be fine.

"Apologize to Tara, or I'll freeze your credit card."

In a hurry to get Andy to the hospital, I had no choice but to apologize to Tara. After that, I heard Jamie mumbling in a smug voice from behind me.

"She's been using my money these years. I was too nice to her, and she forgot her place."

At the hospital, I called my parents who were abroad in an act of despair. I announced, "Dad, Mom, I'll take over the family business."

…

Mom grew hesitant when she received a call from me and heard that I planned to come home. "Darling, have you thought it through?"

Staring at Andy, whose eyes were tightly shut in bed, I replied softly, "Yes."

Mom finally believed in my words after I reconfirmed a few times.

"When are you coming home? I'll pick you up."

"I'll be back in a month."

A month was more than enough for me to get a divorce from Jamie, I thought.

…

After hanging up the phone, I asked the nurse on duty to take care of my son. I went home to grab bottles and diapers.

By the time I got home, it was already 3:00 am.

As soon as I opened the door, the heavy smell of alcohol hit my nose, making me cough.

Jamie, who was cooking some soup in the kitchen, was startled by my arrival. He quickly came out and glanced at Tara, who was sleeping soundly on the couch.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he grabbed my wrist and started pushing me toward the door.

"What's with all the noise? Tara finally fell asleep after a while. Are you trying to wake her up?"

He frowned upon seeing my grim expression.

"Tara has never been a mother. How would she know that you can't feed alcohol to a baby? Why are you giving her that attitude? She already feels guilty enough. If she sees your sour face, she's going to feel so much worse!"

Even now, he hadn't noticed that I had come home alone. Perhaps he did, but he couldn't care enough to ask. All that mattered to him was to keep me from waking Tara.

Ever since Tara moved in, she had captured all of Jamie's attention and affection.

From then on, I had to take care of Andy and also Tara, a 20-something who was as hopeless as a baby.

When I subtly suggested that Tara should move into a hotel, Jamie erupted in anger, pointing a finger at my nose as he yelled, "What's wrong with you? What if something happens to a young girl living alone outside? Can't you bear with her for just a little?"

It didn't matter how much I explained my concerns.

In the past, I endured all this for the sake of this family. But now, I refused to take it anymore.

I no longer wanted Jamie either.

Seeing that I remained silent, Jamie's face darkened. He tightened his grip on my wrist.

"Did you hear me?"

Taking a deep breath, I forcefully shook off his hand. I walked into the house in silence and started packing the items Andy needed.

When I grabbed the diaper bag and picked up the tin of baby formula, I realized it felt unusually light.

My heart sank. A wave of unease washed over me. I had bought this formula from abroad as Andy wouldn't drink anything else.

I opened every tin of formula, only to find them all empty.

Just as I was wondering where the formula had gone, Tara, who had woken up at some point, explained, "Noelle, I'm so sorry. It's my grandma's death anniversary. The sight of the baby formula reminded me of her ashes, so I poured them all out. Don't worry, though. I'll pay you back."

Before I could respond, Jamie jumped in. "It's just a few tins of formula. Why do you need to pay Noelle back?"

Clenching my fists tightly, I gritted my teeth and snarled, "Don't you know that Andy throws up whenever he drinks other types of formula?"

"Well, that's a good opportunity for him to break that bad habit. A boy shouldn't be so fussy."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh in the face of his indifference and said no more.

I thought, "Oh, Noelle. When will you wake up? You know that even with you and your son combined, you're no match for Tara in Jamie's heart. Why endure this humiliation any longer?

After packing Andy's belongings, I took a deep breath and left.