Chapter 2
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Even the children had stopped running.
The birthday music was still playing from the speaker near the patio.
Some cheerful song about friendship.
It sounded sick now.
I stared at Jessica’s hands resting over her stomach.
Pregnant.
My mind refused to understand the word.
Then I looked at Daniel.
He wouldn’t look at me.
That was all I needed.
“No.”
Jessica started crying harder.
“Emily, I’m sorry.”
“No.”
I held Lily tighter.
She was shaking against me.
“Mommy?”
I forced myself to look down.
Her cheek was bright red where Daniel had struck her.
Something inside me changed.
The betrayal hurt.
But the sight of my daughter’s face burned hotter.
I handed Lily to my mother.
“Mom, take her inside.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Emily, don’t make this worse.”
I turned.
“Worse?”
“Everyone is watching.”
I actually laughed.
“You slapped our five-year-old daughter in front of thirty people, and you’re worried about people watching?”
“Lower your voice.”
“No.”
His eyes hardened.
That familiar look.
The one that had made me apologize during arguments even when I had done nothing wrong.
But something was different now.
I wasn’t afraid of it anymore.
My brother Ryan pushed through the crowd.
He had been inside helping my father carry presents.
“What happened?”
Nobody answered.
Ryan looked at Lily.
Then at Daniel.
Then at Jessica.
His wife.
“What happened?”
Jessica covered her mouth.
I looked at my brother.
“I’m sorry.”
His face went pale.
“Sorry for what?”
Daniel moved toward me.
“Emily, shut up.”
Ryan grabbed his shoulder.
“Don’t talk to my sister like that.”
Daniel shoved him.
Ryan shoved back.
My father got between them.
“Enough!”
I pointed at Jessica.
“She’s pregnant.”
Ryan froze.
Then his expression changed.
A small, confused smile appeared.
“I know.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
Ryan looked at Jessica.
“We found out two weeks ago.”
Jessica started sobbing.
Ryan stared at her.
His smile disappeared.
“Why are you crying?”
No one spoke.
His eyes moved slowly from Jessica to Daniel.
Then back.
“No.”
Jessica whispered his name.
“Ryan…”
“No.”
He backed away.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
Jessica couldn’t.
Ryan looked at Daniel.
“You?”
Daniel said nothing.
Ryan lunged.
My father barely caught him.
“You slept with my wife?”
“It’s not that simple,” Daniel snapped.
Ryan roared.
“It is exactly that simple!”
He tried to get around Dad.
Two of my uncles grabbed him.
Jessica kept crying.
“Ryan, please.”
“How long?”
She looked down.
“How long?”
“Eight months.”
Ryan went still.
The anger vanished from his face.
That was somehow worse.
Eight months.
I thought back.
Christmas.
Thanksgiving.
Family dinners.
Jessica sitting across from me.
Daniel rubbing my shoulders while we watched movies.
Ryan laughing with him.
All of us trusting them.
Eight months of lies.
I looked at Helen, my mother-in-law.
“You knew.”
She crossed her arms.
“Emily, this is not the place.”
“You knew.”
“I knew there were problems.”
Ryan laughed bitterly.
“Problems?”
Helen looked at him.
“Marriage is complicated.”
“You knew your son was sleeping with my wife?”
Helen’s lips tightened.
“I was trying to protect the family.”
That sentence nearly made me lose control.
“Protect the family?”
I pointed toward the house.
“My daughter is inside crying because your son hit her.”
Helen sighed like I was being difficult.
“Daniel panicked.”
I stared at her.
“He assaulted a five-year-old.”
“She embarrassed him in front of everyone.”
The yard went completely silent again.
My mother appeared in the doorway.
“Did you just blame my granddaughter?”
Helen turned.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You absolutely did.”
Daniel rubbed his face.
“Everybody needs to calm down.”
I walked toward him.
“Get out.”
He blinked.
“What?”
“Get out of my house.”
“Our house.”
“My father paid the down payment.”
“My name is on the deed.”
“Then sleep on the deed tonight.”
A few people gasped.
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“You’re emotional.”
I stepped closer.
“And you hit our child.”
“She was repeating something she didn’t understand.”
“You slapped her because she told the truth.”
“I barely touched her.”
My father moved so quickly Daniel stepped backward.
“You ever call hitting my granddaughter ‘barely touching her’ again, and you’ll have a bigger problem than your marriage.”
Daniel looked around.
Everyone was staring at him.
For once, nobody was defending him.
Except Helen.
“Come with me,” she said.
Daniel shook his head.
“I’m not leaving my own house.”
I pulled out my phone.
“Then I’m calling the police.”
His face changed.
“You wouldn’t.”
I dialed.
“Watch me.”
Helen grabbed my wrist.
I jerked away.
“Do not touch me.”
“Emily, think carefully. If police come here, Lily will remember this forever.”
I stared straight into her eyes.
“She’s going to remember her father hitting her forever.”
Helen’s expression flickered.
Only for a second.
Then she whispered, “You don’t know everything.”
“What does that mean?”
Daniel snapped.
“Mom, stop.”
I looked between them.
“What don’t I know?”
Helen pressed her lips together.
Jessica suddenly said, “She knows about the apartment.”
Daniel spun around.
“Jessica!”
My heart stopped.
“What apartment?”
Jessica wiped her face.
“The one Daniel rented.”
Ryan stared at her.
“Rented for what?”
Jessica looked at him.
“For us.”
A sound escaped me.
Not quite a laugh.
Not quite a cry.
Daniel took a step toward Jessica.
“You need to shut your mouth.”
She backed away.
“No. I’m done lying.”
“Now you’re done?”
Ryan asked.
Jessica flinched.
“I know how that sounds.”
“You destroyed two marriages and now you found honesty?”
“I made mistakes.”
“Mistakes?”
Ryan pointed at Daniel.
“You accidentally fell into his apartment for eight months?”
Daniel shoved him.
This time Ryan hit him.
Hard.
Daniel stumbled into the table.
Cake hit the ground.
Children screamed inside the house.
My father and uncles pulled Ryan back.
Daniel touched his bleeding lip.
“You’re crazy.”
Ryan struggled against Dad.
“I’ll show you crazy.”
I stepped between them.
“Stop!”
Ryan looked at me.
His eyes were full of tears.
That broke me more than anything.
My older brother had always been the strong one.
Now he looked like a man whose entire life had cracked open.
I lowered my voice.
“Please.”
He stopped fighting.
Daniel pointed at him.
“I’m calling the cops.”
I held up my phone.
“Good. We can tell them why this started.”
He stared at me.
Then at the people around us.
He knew how many witnesses there were.
His shoulders dropped.
“Fine.”
He marched toward the house.
I blocked the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To get clothes.”
“You’re not going upstairs alone.”
“For God’s sake, Emily.”
“My mother will get them.”
He laughed without humor.
“You think I’m dangerous now?”
I looked toward Lily.
She was standing behind my mother.
A tiny hand pressed against her swollen cheek.
“Yes.”
Daniel followed my eyes.
For half a second, something like shame crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
He looked at Lily.
“Sweetheart, Daddy didn’t mean—”
She hid behind my mother.
Daniel stopped.
That reaction hurt him.
I saw it.
And part of me was glad.
My mother went upstairs and returned with a duffel bag.
She dropped it at Daniel’s feet.
“Leave.”
Helen followed him toward the gate.
Before she left, she turned to me.
“You’re going to regret humiliating him.”
I stared at her.
“He humiliated himself.”
She leaned closer.
“You think throwing him out solves your problem?”
“What problem?”
Helen looked toward Lily.
Then back at me.
“You should ask your husband why he really needed Jessica to keep quiet.”
Daniel shouted from the driveway.
“Mom!”
Helen walked away.
My heart pounded.
Jessica remained in the yard.
Ryan looked at her.
“Why are you still here?”
She whispered, “I have nowhere to go.”
He stared at her in disbelief.
“You had a home.”
She closed her eyes.
“You had me.”
“Ryan…”
“You had me.”
Then he walked away.
Jessica looked at me.
I had never hated anyone more.
But behind the hatred was something else.
Fear.
Because Helen’s words wouldn’t leave me.
Ask your husband why he really needed Jessica to keep quiet.
I walked inside.
Lily ran to me.
I lifted her into my arms.
“I’m sorry, Mommy.”
I pulled back.
“For what?”
“For ruining my birthday.”
My eyes filled instantly.
“No, baby. You didn’t ruin anything.”
“But Daddy was mad.”
“That was Daddy’s mistake. Not yours.”
“I told the truth.”
“Yes.”
“Are you mad at me?”
I kissed her forehead.
“Never for telling me the truth.”
She leaned against me.
Then she whispered something that made my blood run cold.
“Grandma Helen told me Daddy would stop loving me if I told you.”
I stopped breathing.
“When?”
Lily played with the edge of my shirt.
“When I saw Daddy and Aunt Jessica.”
“What exactly did Grandma say?”
“She said some secrets keep families together.”
My mother sat beside us.
I could see anger rising in her face.
Lily continued.
“And she said Daddy had already made one little girl go away.”
The room disappeared around me.
I stared at my daughter.
“What little girl?”
Lily shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Grandma said it to Aunt Jessica.”
My phone rang.
Daniel.
I declined it.
He called again.
Then a text appeared.
WE NEED TO TALK BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING STUPID.
Another message came.
THERE ARE THINGS ABOUT MY PAST YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND.
Then another.
DO NOT ASK MY MOTHER ABOUT THE GIRL.
I looked at my mom.
She had read the message over my shoulder.
“What girl?”
May you like
I didn’t answer.
Because for the first time that night, I realized Daniel’s affair might not be the worst secret in my marriage.
