Chapter 3

Shannon's POV

Over the next few days, David became noticeably quieter.

He stopped finding excuses to stay out, made a point of being home for dinner, and even started checking in on Nick's homework.

It was almost as if he'd suddenly remembered he was supposed to be a husband and a father.

On Friday night, he brought up an idea out of nowhere. "Why don't we spend Saturday night in Bellwater Bay? It's been a long time since the three of us took a trip together."

Nick's face immediately lit up, and he turned to look at me.

"Sure," I said.

The relief on David's face was obvious.

Later that night, he came into the bedroom after his shower and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Shannon."

I closed my laptop. "What is it?"

He reached for my shoulder, but I shifted away before he could touch me. "Can we stop doing this to each other?"

I looked at him and suddenly felt exhausted. "It's late. I want to sleep."

His expression tightened. "I'm your husband."

I met his eyes. "You still remember that?"

David got to his feet, grabbed his jacket, and walked out. After the front door closed, Nick poked his head out of his bedroom. "Did Dad have to go back to the office again?"

"You can ask him yourself." Nick pressed his lips together and didn't say anything else.

On Saturday morning, I packed an overnight bag and got ready to leave.

Then David called. "There's a problem with the project. I can't make the trip today."

"Where are you?"

"At the office."

"And Nick?"

There was a brief pause. "He should be home."

I walked down the hall and opened Nick's bedroom door. The room was empty. His backpack and jacket were gone.

"He's not here," I replied.

David went quiet for a moment. "Maybe he went out to get something."

I didn't bother answering. I hung up.

A text from Nick popped up on my phone 20 minutes later. "Mom, I'm going to the library with a friend."

"Which friend?" I asked.

It took him a long time to answer. "You don't know them anyway."

I was standing by the window when I happened to glance down at the street. David's car was stopped at the corner. I hurried downstairs, hailed a cab, and told the driver to follow him.

We eventually pulled up across from a hotel.

David got out first. Then he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Kandy. Nick climbed out after her, carrying a gift bag. As they headed inside, he looked up at her with a bright smile. "Happy birthday, Mommy."

I sat frozen in the back seat. It felt as though something had settled on my chest, so heavy that even drawing a breath hurt.

I paid the driver, opened the door, and stepped out.

The doors to the third-floor ballroom had been left slightly open. Inside, there were flowers everywhere and a birthday cake waiting on the table. Several of David's friends were there too, laughing and talking together with the easy familiarity of one big family.

I had barely reached the doorway when I heard one of them joke, "Nick's already calling her 'Mommy'. What are you waiting for, David?"

Nick was sitting next to Kandy, carefully placing candles on her cake. David watched the two of them with a warmth in his eyes that hurt more than I expected.

I pushed open the door and walked in. The laughter died instantly. Someone recognized me, and the smile vanished from his face. The rest of the room quickly followed, an awkward silence settling over the party.

Kandy looked up at me. She was still smiling, as though we'd never met before in our lives. "David, who's this?"

I didn't even look at her. My eyes stayed on my husband. "Go ahead, David. Tell her."

He froze. "Shannon? What are you doing here?"

I smiled faintly. "Wasn't I supposed to be waiting for you in Bellwater Bay?"

Nick shot to his feet. "Mom, did you follow us?"

I looked at him. "I thought you were at the library."

His face turned bright red.

Kandy stood and moved to David's side, her voice still soft and composed. "Shannon, whatever this is, can we discuss it in private? It's my birthday."

Only then did I turn to her. "Who are you?"

The smile disappeared from her face. She looked at David, but David said nothing.

Nick stepped in front of Kandy, as if he thought I might hurt her. "Leave her alone."

My throat tightened. "I'm the one bothering her?"

His eyes were red, but his voice only grew harsher. "All she did was help me with school. Why do you have to turn everything into such a big deal? She treats me better than you do."

"How?"

Nick pressed his lips together, but after a moment, the words came anyway. "She actually spends time with me. She listens when I talk. You only care about my grades.

"And what do you even do at home besides cook and clean? How are you any different from a housekeeper?"

David finally spoke up. "Nick, that's enough."

But it was already too late. I looked at the son I'd spent ten years raising and felt something inside me tear apart. Somewhere along the way, he'd learned how to stand beside someone else and use his words to cut me.

Kandy tugged Nick back, then turned to me with an expression so sympathetic it almost looked sincere. "Shannon, I remember seeing you at the mall. You couldn't even afford a few new clothes that day."

Then she looked at David. "You really should give Shannon a little more spending money. Taking care of you and Nick all these years can't have been easy."

I stared at her. "So, you think I'm their housekeeper too?"

Her eyes immediately filled with tears. "That's not what I meant."

I took a step toward her. "Then let me tell you exactly who I am."