Chapter 3

"No matter what you think of Quinn, she's my wife. She's the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. If you treat her like this again, I won't come home anymore."

Back then, I had been the one to talk Caleb down, telling him not to fight with his parents over me. If everything on the table was something I didn't like, I could just eat a little and grab something else later.

But today, faced with the same deliberate favoritism and another table full of food I hated, Caleb didn't say a word.

Maya, on the other hand, only had to mention disliking a dish once, and it never appeared on the table again.

Caleb even served food onto her plate.

"This is your favorite. My mom made it especially for you."

Maya took a bite of eggplant and smiled. "Thanks, Mom. After all these years, your cooking is still what I've missed the most."

Diane beamed as she started reminiscing about funny things Caleb and Maya had done when they were young. Maya called her and Mark "Mom" and "Dad" as naturally as if she'd never stopped being part of the family.

Caleb laughed so hard his stomach hurt, chiming in every now and then.

They looked like they were the ones who made up the real family while I looked like some outsider who had shown up for a free meal.

Maya had eaten with us at home the year before too.

Back then, Caleb would hold my hand and pull me into the conversation so I wouldn't feel left out.

Now he only looked at me with regret and murmured, "Maya really does understand me better than Quinn does..."

Mark had been drinking. Eventually, he slapped a hand against the table and said remorsefully, "I never should've stopped you two from dating when you were young. I made you miss your chance with each other.

"I regret breaking you up and leaving you stuck in an unhappy marriage."

Caleb said nothing. He just lowered his head and kept eating.

Everyone at the table acted as though I wasn't there.

That was my last straw. I couldn't force down another bite.

"You don't have to wait for some future chance. Once Caleb and I are divorced, the two of them can finally be together."

I got up to leave, and Diane hurried after me.

"They were only joking. Don't take it seriously. It's not often the whole family gets together like this, so don't ruin the mood."

People tended to say what they really thought after a few drinks. I knew Mark had meant every word.

And I meant mine too.

"No. You four make up the real family."

I went upstairs and started packing my things.

The clothes in my closet were already gone.

Fortunately, I'd hidden my important documents in the back of a cabinet, and every one of them was still there.

Caleb came after me and blocked the doorway, looking genuinely anxious for the first time.

"You're really going to divorce me?"

"Of course."

"I don't believe you. You're just angry. You're saying this because you want to hurt me."

"I'm not angry," I said calmly.

Caleb's eyes went wide with fury.

"Fine, then go! And once you leave, don't come back!"

I walked straight past him.

For once, Caleb and I agreed on something.

I had no intention of ever coming back.

...

When I showed up at my parents' house with my things, they asked what I planned to do next.

I kept unpacking as I answered. "An old classmate of mine has a startup. She wants me to come work with her, so I'm going to resign from Caleb's company."

In the past, my parents would have tried to talk me out of it. They had always believed a married couple should work and build a life together. That was what made a home feel like a home.

But after what they'd seen from Caleb, they never said anything like that again.

Now that I had clearly made up my mind to leave him behind, they supported me completely.

"That's a good thing, sweetheart," my mom, Lidna Grant, said. "I support you. Once you're settled, your dad and I can move closer to you."

My dad, Robert Grant, nodded. "Don't worry about anything else. Home is wherever your family is."

I tried to hold it together, but my eyes still burned.

"Okay. Once I'm settled, I'll bring you both over."

Their support filled some of the emptiness inside me. With them behind me, I finally felt steadier about what came next.

The next morning, I went to work as usual.

I returned to my desk and was just about to submit my resignation when I noticed something strange about the atmosphere in the office.

People were huddled together, whispering over some piece of gossip. Every so often, their eyes flicked toward me.

But whenever I looked up, they immediately looked away.

That alone was enough to tell me what kind of gossip they were spreading.