I finally gave in to the nauseous feeling that had blindsided me last night during Ava's club drama. I stood in the bathroom clutching a home pregnancy test, my hands trembling as if they already knew what the result would be. When the two lines appeared, bold and unmistakable, I felt my heart drop and lift at the same time.
Positive.
Baby number two was on the way.
I stared at the test for a long time, the silence in the room wrapping around me like a heavy blanket. I didn't know whether to smile or cry. My mother-in-law had been hinting at this, pushing this baby number two agenda with her usual sharp, condescending tone. Jeremy, on the other hand, would be ecstatic. Probably the happiest man on earth. But me… I didn't know what to feel. There was joy somewhere inside me, but it was buried under too many layers of exhaustion and fear. So I decided to keep it to myself for now, at least until I understood my own feelings.
The moment she handed it over, her smirk curled at the corner of her lips like she enjoyed watching something inside me break. The color drained from my face before I could stop it. Was this why Jeremy didn't pick any of my calls when I desperately needed him last night? I wanted to trust him, I truly did, but confusion crept across my chest like a quiet ache that refused to be ignored.
I was seated at the dining table, the morning light slipped through the curtains, pale and gentle, touching the polished surface of the wood. I poured myself a cup of tea slowly, carefully, as though the quiet could break if I moved too fast. For a brief moment, the house felt calm.
"Good morning, Kathleen."
Aileen's voice floated in with an ease that unsettled me. I looked up and offered a polite smile.
"Good morning, Aileen."
I poured another cup and slid it toward her without thinking. Courtesy had become instinct.
"Have this to start your morning."
"Thank you," she said brightly, settling into the chair beside me.
For a heartbeat, it felt ordinary. Two women at a table. Tea steaming gently between us.
Then she reached for something under the table.
"Oh, before I forget," she said lightly. "Please pass this jacket to Jeremy for me. He forgot it in my room last night."
She placed the black cardigan on the table and pushed it toward me.
My chest tightened. A sudden cold spread inward. My smile stayed on my lips, frozen there, while something inside me cracked. My eyes dropped to the jacket. I recognized it instantly.
I did not ask questions. I could not.
"I'll make sure to enjoy the tea," Aileen added, standing up.
I watched her walk away. My fingers trembled where they rested against the cup. The warmth of the tea no longer reached me.
Later, when the house fell quiet again, my mind betrayed me. It began to fill in spaces I had not witnessed, painting images I wished I could erase.
I remembered rushing out of my room the night before, my thoughts tangled, my chest tight with worry. I had been too distracted to notice anything else.
Last night, when I rushed out of my room consumed with my worry and the thoughts of rescuing a drunken Ava.
Aileen saw me rushing out, clearly upset and in a hurry. That was her cue to wedge herself where I didn't want her.
Jeremy.
She went to his door and knocked lightly. He opened it after a moment.
"I'm sorry to bother you," She said softly, lowering her gaze, making her voice small, uncertain and feigning helplessness.
"That's fine," my husband responded, though his tone was clipped. "What do you need?"
"The light in my room went off suddenly," she explained. "I don't know anything about fixing lights. I just need help getting it back on."
Despite his reluctance, Jeremy followed her to the room. He wore a soft black jacket over a T-shirt—the same jacket now sitting in front of me.
The center ceiling light was out, exactly as she had planned it. She pointed upward. Jeremy didn't hesitate; he slipped off his jacket and placed it carefully on the bed. He grabbed the stool from the corner and set it down directly in front of the bed, positioning it beneath the bulb.
He climbed up, focused on the fixture, adjusting the wires with both hands.
This was Aileen's cue.
She moved closer, standing directly in front of him. Close enough to smell the cologne on his clothes. Close enough to make the space feel too tight.
When he leaned up to reach farther, balancing on his toes, she nudged the stool with her foot.
He wobbled. Then the stool slid.
Jeremy toppled forward. And he fell on her.
They both hit the bed, her back against the mattress, Jeremy's face inches from hers. His breath caught in his throat; his eyes widened in shock. For a split second, I wondered if he'd stay there longer than he should.
But he scrambled up almost immediately, mortified.
"I'm so sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair, clearly embarrassed. "I lost my balance."
Aileen nodded, pretending to be flustered, pretending it didn't mean anything at all.
Jeremy stood, fixed the light quickly this time, grabbed nothing, not even the jacket and practically fled the room.
Now, sitting stiffly and staring at the jacket, I recall the faint smirk that curved at the corner of Aileen's lips when she handed it to me. I wanted to trust Jeremy, but a heavy confusion settled in my chest, forming a single question.
Was this why Jeremy ignored my calls when I needed him most last night?