Chapter 3

Faye didn’t even glance at me. She just kept smiling at Lily and said, loud enough to make sure I heard every word

“Oh, Lynn finally decided to come down. Some people have no sense of time, always making the whole family wait.”

Normally Jude would say something to smooth it over. This time, he stayed silent.

I didn’t respond. I just walked up to them, stopped in front of the table, and said it calmly, too calmly, even for me.

“Jude. I want a divorce.”

The second the words landed, all three of their faces shifted.

Faye’s smile vanished. Her voice turned icy.

“Jude, it’s probably her hormones. Pregnancy does that makes women hysterical. For the baby’s sake, let’s talk about this later when she’s calmed down.”

My mind went blank for a moment.

I’d always known Faye didn’t like me.

Jude and Lily had grown up together, and she’d spent years trying to push them into marriage. I’d never been the bride she wanted.

Jude looked stunned but then he forced his expression soft, like he was soothing a child.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gently. “Did I do something that upset you?”

“You’re pregnant. You’re going to overthink everything. Whatever it is, can we talk about it after the baby’s born? Okay?”

He started to step toward me, like he was going to take my hand. Lily grabbed his sleeve.

Then she put on that wounded, delicate voice.

“Oh, Lynn!” she said, eyes shimmering like she was about to cry. “If my visit here upset you, I’m really sorry. I should’ve called first.” She turned to Jude, all sweetness. “Don’t worry about me. Go take care of your wife. Her health, and the baby’s, are the most important thing.”

Then she sighed, like she was the victim in her own tragedy. “I know Lynn don’t like me. If I’d known you’d react like this, I wouldn’t have come. I didn’t mean to cause trouble. It’s my fault. I just haven’t seen Faye and Jude in so long. I finally had a chance to visit…”

Faye snapped, glaring at me like I was dirt on her floor.

“If you don’t like Lily, then pack your things and get out.”

“Lily is my goddaughter. And you—who do you think you are. In this house, you don’t get a vote on whether she’s welcome.”

Jude finally spoke, his voice tight with annoyance.

“Lynn, you’re pregnant. Do you really have to blow up the whole family over some petty old issue?”

“Lily doesn’t have bad intentions. She even heard you were pregnant and bought you supplements. Why can’t you be nice and let the past go?”

“She grew up with me. My mom loves her too. Am I supposed to cut her off just because you can’t handle it?”

I stared at him, like I’d never seen him before.

“Nice?” My voice shook. “My parents are dead. How am I supposed to be nice about any of this?”

“And Jude, when my mom was on that operating table, was she really beyond saving?”

A flash of guilt crossed his eyes. And then he slapped me.

“Shut up!”

“What, you think I wanted her dead? You think I would’ve killed her on purpose?”

“Your parents died because they were unlucky. That’s not my problem. Stop dragging the rest of us down with them.”