Chapter 3

I smiled, walked over, picked her up, and settled her into a seat by the window.

A server handed us the menus. Elsie opened hers, her eyes widening. "Daddy, it's so pretty here! Is it really, really expensive?"

"Not at all." I tapped her nose playfully. "You deserve the very best, sweetheart."

Throughout our marriage, Tamsin had always insisted that we shouldn't spoil Elsie or let her develop expensive habits. She never wanted me spending too much money on our daughter. But seeing how happy Elsie was that night, I knew that every penny was worth it.

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing throughout dinner.

"Trent, what did you do? My card's getting declined!

"Mom ordered the king crab platter. It's 288.80 dollars. Hurry up and fix the card!

"The server's standing right here! Can you please not screw this up?

"Trent, I'm warning you. It's Mom's birthday. Don't you dare pull anything!

"Whatever. I put it on my buy-now-pay-later account. You can pay me back later."

I dismissed every message without replying.

Then Karen posted in the family group chat. "Trent, it's my birthday today. Couldn't you have been a little more considerate? Elsie threw a tantrum in front of all those relatives, so I suggested taking her to Popeyes to have some fun. I don't understand why you had to get so upset."

I stared at the message for a couple of seconds. Elsie hadn't thrown a tantrum. She hadn't complained or argued once the entire time.

Yet with one casual message, she had managed to pin the blame for everything on a five-year-old girl.

Marlowe chimed in, "Mom was supposed to have a wonderful birthday, but Trent showed up with Elsie and caused a scene. Now Mom's been upset all evening."

Karen replied, "Oh, forget it. That's just the kind of man he is."

Then Tamsin's aunt, Lenora Ryder, joined in. "It's your mother-in-law's birthday. No matter how upset you are, you should just swallow your pride for one day. Now you've embarrassed the whole family!"

Another relative, Celeste Harper, added, "I've been saying for years that he's no good. He didn't even bother showing his mother-in-law any respect last Christmas, and now he's pulled this stunt."

My phone buzzed again. This time, Tamsin was calling.

I answered.

"Trent!" she snapped, her voice sharp with anger. She sounded like she'd been holding it in all evening and had finally found someone to take it out on. "Mom only turns 60 once! What the hell is your problem?

"All she asked was for you to take Elsie to Popeyes! What's the big deal? Did you seriously have to cut off my spending account and cancel the cards over something so stupid? Do you have any idea how humiliating it was when my card got declined at the restaurant?"

I cut her off. "It's my money, Tamsin. I can cut you off whenever I want. I don't need your permission."

Tamsin exploded. "We're married, Trent! We're a family! Why are you suddenly acting like we have separate money?"

"Family?" I let out a bitter laugh. "Then why did your mother kick me out today? Apparently, I'm not even family enough to deserve a seat at the table."

"Because there weren't enough seats!" Tamsin snapped. "It's Mom's birthday. Couldn't you have just sucked it up for once? Seriously, what's gotten into you today?"

"Tamsin." I was so angry that my eyes were burning. "I've put up with this crap for six years."

"When your mother moved in with us, I didn't complain. When your sister started bringing Milo over for free dinners every single night, I kept my mouth shut. That's been going on for three years now.

"Milo hogs Elsie's desk, breaks her toys, and tears up her drawing books. Every time I say something, you tell me he's just a kid, and I should let it go. And every single time, I do. And after all that, your mother can't even spare us a couple of chairs at her birthday dinner!"

Tamsin went quiet for three seconds.

"You're overreacting," she finally said, sighing. "You know how Mom is. She's got a sharp tongue, but she has a good heart. Now you've canceled the cards and blown this whole thing out of proportion. How are we supposed to fix things after this?"

Through it all, she hadn't once asked where Elsie was, whether she'd had dinner, or if she was okay.