Chapter 3 Disdain
Emily didn’t want to look, but habit pulled her finger to tap the post anyway.
The video was just one photo: Ethan crouched in front of Nancy, his head tilted like he was listening to her.
The caption read: “Had a few drinks, caught a chill, and you showed up the second I called. This feels perfect.”
Seeing this, Emily’s heart ached.
If they loved each other that much, maybe she should just step back and let them have what they wanted.
If they divorced, she’d only ask for Sophia and her fair share of assets. Nothing more.
Emily tucked her phone away and walked into the living room.
Rebecca, the housekeeper, froze when she saw her. “Mrs. Wilson?”
“Where’s Sophie?” Emily asked, stepping inside.
Rebecca smiled softly. “Oh, she’s upstairs playing with her Barbies.”
Her words barely finished when Sophia’s surprised voice called down. “Mommy?”
Emily’s throat tightened. She hadn’t seen her daughter in weeks.
She rushed up the stairs, knelt down, and pulled Sophia into a hug, pressing kisses all over her face.
But when she pulled back, Sophia lifted her hands and wiped her cheeks—hard, until her skin turned pink—before stopping.
Emily’s heart squeezed. The questions she’d planned to ask died on her lips.
She looked at Sophia, eyes blurred, her chest a mess of hurt and confusion.
Before she could speak, Sophia jumped in. “Mommy, you’re back just in time! I was gonna call you. I’m starting kindergarten soon, and I wanna go to Sunshine Kindergarten on East Street Crossing.”
Her eyes lit up when she said the school’s name.
Emily was confused, but she didn’t want to let Sophia down. It was just kindergarten. If it didn’t work, they could switch later.
So she nodded. “East Street it is, then.”
Sophia bounced up and down. “Thank you, Mommy! You’re the best!”
Watching her daughter’s grin, Emily couldn’t bring herself to mention the divorce.
She touched her belly, then looked up, voice serious. “Sophie, would you want a little brother or sister?”
Sophia seemed eager to get back to her room, but she paused to think. “A little brother, I guess.”
A sharp pain stabbed Emily’s chest. She blinked back tears. “What if Mommy’s scared?”
The physical risk of amniotic fluid embolism was gone, but the fear still sat in her bones.
Sophia looked at her, matter-of-fact. “Then don’t be so selfish. You had me, didn’t you?”
Emily froze. It felt like a thunderbolt had hit her. Her face went pale, and she stood there, unable to move.
After a long pause, she forced the words out. “Aren’t you scared of losing Mommy?”
Since Sophia was born, Emily had been there for every late night, every feeding, every tear. For four years, she’d barely slept through the night.
Right now, she just wanted to hear her say she loved her.
But Sophia frowned. “Ugh, I gotta go to bed now.”
She ran back to her bedroom and slammed the door shut.
Emily stood at the top of the stairs, statue-still. Her whole body felt cold.
A second later, Sophia’s cheerful voice drifted through the door. “Nancy! I get to go to East Street Kindergarten! When you get off work, you can pick me up directly, so you won’t have to rush so much.
“And… can you not have a baby with Daddy? I heard Mommy say having babies is super dangerous. You bleed a lot, and you might die. Let Mommy do it. She already had me, so she won’t be scared.
“Nancy, I miss you so much! I wanna hear your stories and cuddle with you…”
Emily’s heart shattered.
She thought of how Sophia had wiped her kisses away, and her knees felt weak.
She’d told herself that even if she lost Ethan, she’d still have Sophia. But now? Sophia was actually closer to a stranger.
All her sacrifices, all the late nights, all the love… had been a joke. No one in this family cared what she’d given.
After a long time, Emily dragged herself downstairs.
Rebecca saw her dazed face and tried to ask if she was okay, but Emily waved her off.
As soon as she stepped outside, she pulled out her phone and called Ethan.
She dialed three times before he picked up, his voice sharp. “I’m busy, what…”
“I need to see you. Now. Right now.” Emily cut him off, her voice cracking like she was breaking.
Her scream made Ethan frown.
When she calmed down a little, he said, “Whatever it is, we’ll talk next month.”
Then he hung up.
The dial tone buzzed in her ear. Emily couldn’t even cry.
This was Ethan, always leaving her with nowhere to turn.
Five years of this… she couldn’t take it anymore.
This marriage has to end. No matter what.
But she still had to fight for custody. Even if Sophia was closer to Nancy now, she had to try.
Sophia was hers. She’d carried her, raised her, lost sleep over her. She wouldn’t just let her go.
Just as the thought settled, a Rolls-Royce pulled up to Joy Gardens’ entrance.
Emily looked over. Through the windshield, she saw Ethan in the driver’s seat, and Nancy in the passenger’s—holding a bouquet of pink roses.
Ethan saw her too. They stared at each other across the distance, a silent standoff.
Once, Emily would have been too scared to make a scene with Nancy there. Now? She didn’t care.
After a minute, Ethan got out of the car. He acted like he didn’t see Emily and reached for Nancy’s door handle.
“Ethan, we need to talk,” Emily called out.
He ignored her, his hand still reaching for the door.
Emily ran over and swatted his hand away. “Ethan, you can sleep with anyone you want. But Sophie is my daughter. Who do you think you are, letting a stranger come between us?”
Finally, Ethan looked at her.
He stared down at her, his voice low and cold. “Nancy’s a better mom than you’ll ever be.”
He pushed her aside and opened the door for Nancy.
Emily stood there, replaying his words in her head.
A better mom? Was he saying he wanted Sophie to call Nancy “Mom”?
