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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Her Mondays Are for Her Brother-In-Law: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

8 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Joel's POVBy the time we got back from the hospital, it was already late. The lights were on, and the front door was unlocked. My wife, Sienna Fairchild, was already home. A few plates of half-eaten food were sitting on the dining table.The second our daughter, Abby Whitman, saw her, her eyes welled up with tears. She yanked free of my hand and threw herself into Sienna's arms, sobbing out every bit of her hurt."Mommy, my arm hurts so much. Why didn't you come see me?"Sienna's gaze landed on the bandaged right arm, and her brow furrowed. Instead of showing any concern, the first thing out of her mouth was blame."Abby, were you messing around again? How did you manage to do this to yourself?"The accusation came out of nowhere, and the look in Abby's eyes went blank.Anger flared in my chest, and when I finally spoke, my voice came out rough. "I called you. Why didn't you pick up? Our daughter fell down the stairs, and you couldn't even come to the hospital?"Sienna

Chapter 2

Joel's POVThe next morning I was woken up by a video call from Sienna."Kent made a lunch reservation for us. Bring Abby and meet us there."The second the phone rang, Abby had already wandered into my room. Her whole face lit up the moment she heard Sienna's voice."Daddy, I want to go. Mommy said I can come."The refusal I'd been about to give died in my throat. I felt nothing but exhaustion and resignation. Abby was desperate for her mother's attention, and even the smallest scrap of warmth from Sienna was enough to make her glow.With my daughter staring up at me like that, I caved.We arrived at the restaurant around noon. Sure enough, Kent and Jamie were already seated in the private dining room.The moment Abby saw Jamie sitting next to Sienna, the light in her eyes dimmed. She asked carefully, "Mommy, can I sit next to you?""No! Aunt Sisi's staying with me!" Jamie threw both arms around Sienna's and stuck his tongue out at Abby.Sienna gave a helpless little lau

Chapter 3

Joel's POVI rushed Abby to the hospital. The doctor took one look at her arm, and his expression turned serious."Children's bones are fragile to begin with. This is her second fracture. If it's bad enough, it could affect how the bone heals."My stomach dropped. Her arm was swollen to nearly twice its size, and the sight of it made my chest ache. Abby couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down sobbing. "Daddy, is my hand going to stop working? Why won't Mommy come with us? Does she not like me?"I rubbed her back over and over, doing everything I could to calm her down. When I couldn't stand watching her suffer any longer, I stepped out into the hallway and took a deep breath.I was about to call Sienna when I saw her latest post on social media. She'd taken Kent and Jamie to a portrait studio, and the three of them had taken a family photo.I closed my eyes as a dull, spreading ache settled through my chest. Abby was four years old, and all three of us had never once sat

Chapter 4

Joel's POVEver since the night I brought up divorce, Sienna had acted like a completely different person. She stopped going out and stayed by Abby's side every day.Abby had been confused at first, but she quickly melted into the warmth of having her mother around. With Sienna taking care of her, Abby's face lit up with smiles more and more each day.Over those few weeks, I came to understand just how much Abby needed Sienna. That was why I never told her I was planning to take her away.On the day of Abby's follow-up appointment, I drove the three of us to the hospital. In the backseat, Sienna ruffled Abby's hair."Once your arm's all better, I'll take you somewhere fun, okay?"Abby's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded enthusiastically. "As long as I'm with you, Mommy!"I watched the two of them through the rearview mirror, and the resolve I'd built started to crack. Part of me even dared to hope that Sienna had actually changed.The moment I pulled into the hospital garag

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVThe call cut off abruptly. Sienna stared at her phone for a long time before it finally sank in who had been on the other end.Of course she knew Reese Covington.She and Joel had gone to the same university, and back when she first started dating him, she'd crossed paths with Reese a handful of times. They were never close, but a woman's intuition was rarely wrong. Reese had feelings for Joel, and Sienna had known it even then. She'd kept a wary eye on Reese all through college, and only let her guard down when Reese left the country for graduate school.But now Joel was with Reese, and Sienna couldn't make sense of it. The woman's words kept replaying in her head. What did she mean, she'd take care of Abby? Abby was her daughter.Sienna was still lost in thought when Kent's voice came from behind her. "I didn't hold you up, did I? I had no idea Jamie would get burned like that."Sienna snapped back to the present. Her eyes landed on the blistered skin on Ja

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVThe moment she opened the door, panic hit her like nothing she'd ever felt. Sienna stood in the doorway, staring at the empty house in disbelief.Every one of Abby's toys and clothes was gone. Even the wedding photo of her and Joel had been taken down and smashed on the floor.Reese wasn't there. But neither were Joel and Abby.The thought forming in her mind felt impossible. There was no way Joel had taken their daughter and left with Reese. She refused to believe it, but when her eyes landed on the divorce papers sitting on the table, the last shred of hope drained out of her.They were new papers. Joel had added a custody clause this time, and full custody of Abby would go to him.Sienna took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on Joel's signature. She couldn't understand how they'd ended up here.They'd been married for years. In the beginning, her health hadn't been great, and Joel had said they didn't need to think about children.Abby was an accident. Neit

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVSienna took a deep breath. She tossed and turned all night, not able to sleep.First thing the next morning, she drove to Joel's office. His phone was still off, and when she reached out to his friends, none of them knew where he'd gone either. The only option left was to show up at his company and wait."Do you have an appointment, ma'am?"She was stopped at the front desk. Without an appointment, she couldn't get past the lobby, let alone find Joel. She had no idea how long she stood there before one of Joel's coworkers finally walked by. They'd met when Abby was born, when the man had sent a gift for the baby, so they recognized each other.Alfred Jones spotted her and called out, "Sienna? What are you doing here?"She kept it short. "I can't get through to Joel's phone. I don't know where he went."Alfred paused, looking confused. "Joel accepted an overseas assignment from management. He's on a business trip."It came out piece by piece. Joel had gone ove

Chapter 8

Joel's POVA week had passed before I saw Sienna again. I hadn't expected her to track us down so quickly, and I definitely hadn't expected the reunion to be this awkward.Abby was in Reese's arms, calling her Mommy."Mommy, I want another teddy bear.""How many bears do you have at home already? You just got a new one today and—"Reese cut me off. "If she wants it, we're getting it."She didn't hesitate for even a second. "Done."When Abby noticed Sienna, her reaction was calm. She called her Mommy once, nothing more, and then went right back to giving Reese all of her attention."Joel." Sienna's voice was stiff with discomfort.I carried the shopping bags inside and held the door open. "If you have something to say, come inside."Sienna stepped in and looked around. The couch was covered in teddy bears and scattered toys. She tried to talk to Abby, but Abby was completely absorbed in her new things. When she saw that Sienna and I needed to talk, Reese took Abby by the hand

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