His Other Family

Chapter 2

Marcus came to pick me up for dinner at his mom, Mia Hayes's place that evening. I hadn't wanted to go in the first place.

But after 13 unanswered calls, he finally softened his tone.

"Chloe, you've taken care of Mom all these years. Before we get divorced, let's give her one last nice dinner together, okay?"

In the end, I gave in.

It wasn't because I was clinging to what we had. I just wanted to say goodbye properly, with some dignity, to the role I'd held for five years.

The moment the door opened, a little girl's sweet voice rang out from the living room.

"Grandma!"

Lily was curled up in Mia's lap, clutching a brand-new Barbie doll to her chest.

Elena emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of food. The moment she saw me, she offered an awkward, apologetic smile.

"Chloe, Mia said we're all family here, so I brought Lily over."

Marcus glanced at me and reached for my coat.

"Don't just stand there. Come on in."

Oh, I see. His little family was already settled in as if they belonged.

Looking at the three of them together, I felt so out of place.

After I sat down, I noticed the fish soup dish in the middle of the table. The strong, fishy smell hit me immediately, turning my stomach so violently that I thought I was going to throw up. I grabbed tissues and hurried to the bathroom.

As I was making my way back, I heard Mia cooing at Lily.

"I've waited five years for this. Finally, there's a little girl in this house calling me Grandma."

Back when people used to whisper and snicker about my inability to have children, Marcus would slam his fork onto the table every time.

"I'm the one who doesn't want kids yet. Don't you dare blame Chloe for it."

I'd squeeze his hand under the table, and he'd tease my palm with his fingers until I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

That day, he spoke up for me again, "Mom, you know how well Chloe's treated you all these years."

My nose stung. Then Mia let out a sigh.

"I never said she wasn't a good person. It's just that this house has been too quiet for too long."

Elena hurried to smooth things over, her voice gentle.

"Mia, Lily won't be coming over all the time. Please don't let Chloe get the wrong idea."

But Lily climbed down from her chair and ran straight into Marcus's arms.

"Daddy, can I have another piece of cake?"

I froze, gripping the bathroom sink. For what felt like an eternity, I couldn't move.

Marcus froze, too, for the briefest moment. But he didn't correct her. Instead, he pulled out a tissue and gently wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth.

"Finish what's in your mouth first, okay?"

"See?" Mia said, beaming at him. "Listen to how naturally she calls you Daddy."

I roughly wiped the tears streaming down my cheeks, walked out of the bathroom, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door without saying a word.

"Happy birthday, Mia. I have some things to take care of at home, so I'm going to leave early."

Marcus chased after me all the way downstairs and draped his overcoat over my shoulders.

"Why are you being so sensitive today? Mom's just happy, and Lily didn't mean anything by it."

"I know she didn't."

"Then why are you still upset? I came out here to comfort you. It's not like I'm leaving you to deal with everything on your own, right?"

I slipped the coat off my shoulders and handed it back to him.

"When people used to say I couldn't have children, you were the one who couldn't stand hearing it. Now they're calling another woman's child granddaughter right in front of me, and you expect me to be happy about it?"

He dragged a frustrated hand down his face.

"Aren't you a little too old to be picking fights with a child?"

Just then, a taxi pulled up to the curb.

I got in, and even then, Marcus leaned down to tell the driver to take it easy.

10 minutes later, my phone lit up with a new message.

Marcus: You just walked out on Mom's birthday like that and made her cry. Take some time to cool off. Lily wants me to stay with her tonight, so I won't be coming home.

I opened my chat with the rental agent and typed.

Chloe: I'll take the apartment. I'll come by tomorrow morning to sign the lease.

The agent responded almost immediately, asking me if I would live with my husband?

I stared at the message for a long time.

Chloe: No.

Chloe: From now on, it'll just be me.