Chapter 2

First thing the next morning, Hazel walked out of the guest bedroom in my sleepwear.

That was my birthday present from Tatum in the first year of our marriage.

I'd been saving it all this time.

Hazel fiddled with the sleeves.

"I hope you don't mind, Brooke. My clothes were soaked, and Tatum said that we were about the same size and told me to grab anything from the closet."

I turned to Tatum.

"You let her rummage through my closet?"

"It's just pajamas."

He placed a piece of toast on Hazel's plate.

"You weren't feeling well last night, so make sure to get a bit of food in you."

Hazel frowned.

"But I don't like the crust."

Tatum sliced the crusts off and put the toast back on her plate.

"There you go. All removed for you."

My hand on the cutlery went still.

For six years, I always cut the crust off my own toast.

Yet, Tatum never once noticed.

Yet, he looked after Hazel's health, knew when her neck and back were bothering her, made sure she didn't get caught in the rain, and even remembered that she liked her toast without the crusts.

After breakfast, Tatum handed me an envelope folder.

"Dad's appointment is at ten. His charts and X-rays are in this folder. Mom's leg is hurting, so grab her preion while you're there."

"I just got back from a business trip. I don't have any days off left."

"Your job comes with flexible hours. How much could you possibly lose by taking one day off?"

My income was irregular as I worked as a freelance translator. Still, I was responsible for paying half the mortgage and all the household expenses.

Even then, Tatum believed I was available all the time so long as I didn't sit in an office.

Hazel murmured, "Maybe I should go with your father."

Tatum shook his head.

"You're not familiar with his illness. Plus, it gets busy in the hospital. Don't tire yourself out."

Tatum grabbed Hazel's bag.

"Come on. I'll drive you."

Once the door clicked shut, a call from my mother-in-law, Susie, came in.

"Brooke, why aren't you here yet? Tatum said that he left the car with you."

I stared at the closed door.

"He took the car."

Susie paused.

"It's unsafe for a girl like Hazel to cram in buses. Just call a taxi. Now that you're part of the family, the responsibility of caring for us falls on you."

I didn't bother to explain.

At the hospital, Ted, my father-in-law, talked about a funky smell in the vehicle while Susie grumbled about my poor management.

While we waited for the preion, Susie asked, "Is the car insurance up for renewal?"

"Next month."

"Hazel said that she has a friend working in insurance. Since she can get a good deal, just let her handle the insurance. She's much more detail-oriented than you are."

I pulled up the transaction history on my phone.

For the past three years, the insurance, servicing, and parking came straight out of my bank account.

However, all they cared to remember was that Hazel knew a thing or two about cars.

When the follow-up was over, Susie insisted on having dinner at our place.

I bought groceries and whipped up a three-course meal. Just as I set the table, Tatum returned alongside Hazel.

Hazel carried a cake box in hand.

Susie beamed. "Oh, my birthday isn't for another two days. What's the cake for today?"

"I'm heading out of town for a training program. Just in case I can't make it back in time, I wanted to celebrate your birthday ahead of time."

She placed the cake on the table. Susie took her hand and pulled her into the seat beside her, gushing over how considerate Hazel was.

Tatum took out a jewelry box and passed it to Susie.

"Hazel picked it out for you."

Susie put on the necklace and checked herself out in the mirror, raving about Hazel's aesthetics.

Standing by the kitchen door, I glanced at my phone.

Six years ago today, Tatum and I got married.

The calendar reminder remained lit, but no one at the dinner table remembered.

After dinner, I cleared the table and carried the empty plates into the kitchen.

Tatum stepped into the kitchen for a glass of water, leaving his phone on the counter.

The same calendar notification lit up his screen.

He stared at it for a bit before meeting my gaze.

"Today's our anniversary?"

"Yeah."

For a moment there, Tatum looked a little uneasy.

"I've been busy lately, so it slipped my mind. We've been married for six years. There's no need to make a huge deal out of it every year."

Catching our conversation from the living room, Susie jumped in with a smile.

"Exactly. Marriage is about the life you build together, not all those unnecessary romantic gestures."

I turned off the faucet without a word.

When Hazel got up and excused herself, Tatum grabbed the car key to drop her off at home.

As he turned, a parking garage access card slipped from his pocket and landed on the floor.

I bent over to pick it up.

The license plate number matched Tatum's car, the car he'd chosen to start our life with.

Yet, the card was registered to Hazel.