I Refused To Be The Light He Put Out

Chapter 3

That evening, Garrett came home early, something that practically never happened.

The second he walked through the door, he ripped into me without holding back, berating me for going to the academy and embarrassing Alden.

I lifted my head and met his eyes. "Did you even ask Alden what actually happened at school today?"

Garrett froze for a beat, and his voice softened just a fraction. "Come on, the kid just said a few sharp words in the heat of the moment. Alden is at an age where peer perception is everything. In front of his classmates, he wants a mother who looks sophisticated, someone who projects success. You are a grown woman. Why are you obsessing over a child's remark?" He peeled off his suit jacket and tossed it carelessly onto the sofa. "Besides, Tamsin is young, she is polished, and she carries conversations easily. It is only natural that the boy gravitates toward her."

Alden trailed behind him through the foyer, not even sparing me a glance, and made a direct line for his bedroom.

I watched his small back disappear down the hall, an aching emptiness hollowing out my chest.

Looking polished and projecting status were never the things that made a mother. Those breakfasts I prepared before dawn broke, those sleepless nights keeping vigil when a fever consumed him, he did not remember a single one of them.

Garrett loosened his tie. "Tamsin told me about what happened this afternoon. She felt awful about how awkward things turned out. She insisted on coming by to apologize to you in person."

That was when the picture crystallized. I understood exactly why Garrett had rushed home so early.

"She ordered a cake and invited a few colleagues and old friends, people we both know." He paused, adding one final instruction. "Do not give her that cold shoulder of yours. She is coming here in good faith."

My lips parted, but in the end, no words came out.

Half an hour later, guests began filtering through the front door. Along with our mutual professional acquaintances, there was Chelsea, my college roommate of four years.

She swept inside and immediately looped her arm through Tamsin's in an easy display of intimacy. "Tamsin, do not let today's little drama bother you. Vespera has been like this since university: rigid, always looking for reasons to hold a grudge."

My fingers tightened around the glass of water in my hand.

Four years of university, we had shared meals and late nights in the dorm. I was the one who pulled her through an agonizing breakup. When she sat unemployed after graduation, I helped her secure her first role. Now, she stood across the room arm-in-arm with Garrett's assistant, casually dismantling my character for an audience.

Right on cue, Tamsin's eyes grew moist. She lifted a brimming glass of wine and stepped forward. "Vespera, I was careless this afternoon. I should have corrected Alden immediately. Please let me toast you to clear the air."

Before I could speak, the room chimed in, urging me to play along.

"Vespera, look how sincere she is being. Just let it go."

"We are all friends here. There is no reason to make things tense over nothing."

Garrett's brow furrowed. "That is enough. Let it drop."

A wave of absurdity washed over me. Tamsin was the one who had assembled this crowd, turning an apology into a public tribunal where I stood on trial.

I had no patience left for this farce. I simply wanted the performance to end.

I accepted the glass. "I do not care anymore."

The living room went quiet for a second.

Then someone scoffed under their breath. "Right, 'I do not care.' Who is she trying to convince? Nobody is buying that martyr act."

That was how they measured me now. A domestic housewife could say nothing right. In their eyes, every response was an offense.

If I reacted, I was petty. If I withdrew, I was fake.

Alden peeked out from behind Tamsin's skirt. "Mom deserves it! It is your fault for making Tamsin cry."

I looked across the circle of familiar faces. They clustered around Tamsin, offering tissues, taking offense on her behalf.

"Do not cry, Tamsin. We know how hard you try," someone whispered.

"Exactly. She stays home all day. Who is she to look down on working professionals?"

Garrett waved a hand dismissively. "Leave it. That is just how she acts. She has an easy life, yet she constantly finds ways to invent conflict." He turned back toward Tamsin, his tone softening into something gentle. "Next week's technology gala, you are attending as my guest. Several enterprise partners have been asking to meet you."

Tamsin paused, offering me a cautious glance from beneath her lashes. "Garrett, maybe... maybe Vespera should attend instead. She used to understand that world."

Garrett let the quiet settle before speaking, his voice flat and definitive. "She has been away from the industry for far too long. She would not know how to navigate those rooms now. You are the right person to represent the company."

Nods of agreement murmured through the room.

I stood by the doorway, my fingernails digging into my palms.

Eight years ago, I stood on a national stage beneath blinding spotlights. Garrett had held a sign above the roaring crowd, his voice carrying over the hall: "Vespera, you are my pride!"

Back then, everyone called us the golden pair: two prodigies building an empire together. Now, I was merely a domestic liability, a title dismissed with a casual flick of his wrist.

I stepped out onto the balcony, grabbed my phone from my pocket, where a message illuminated the screen. 

Vespera, your executive onboarding credentials have cleared. A corporate driver will arrive at your address tomorrow at nine in the morning.

I looked across the glittering skyline below. A cold breeze brushed past, but this time, not a single tear fell.

Because I knew I could finally go fulfill my potential.