A Parting Gift of Forged Records

Julian's face contorted with rage. "Ava, what the hell is wrong with you!" he hissed.

"Taking out the trash."

My words only fueled his anger.

"I actually remembered our anniversary and brought you something, and this is the thanks I get? You're unbelievable!"

Julian raised his fist, but instead of striking me, he slammed it down on our anniversary gift—a custom crystal sculpture.

As he stormed away, the sculpture crashed to the floor and shattered.

I knelt and quietly began to pick up the shards.

Amidst the glittering fragments, a memory surfaced.

Once, when Julian was drunk, he had held me and slurred Chloe's name, over and over.

I stopped picking up the pieces. Instead, I grabbed the still-intact base and hurled it against the wall with all my might.

The next day, Julian was up early.

A man who hadn't set foot in the kitchen for a decade was, for once, making a full breakfast.

Chloe sat at the table, savoring it with a look of pure bliss. "Julian, you're so good to me."

"Silly girl, who else would I spoil? This is all your favorite, lobster eggs Benedict. You're not well, so you need to eat up."

"That's right, Chloe. Have some more. This is the best part."

The three of them sat at the table, a picture of perfect harmony, making me the outsider in my own home.

Seeing me approach, Julian cleared his throat. "I made lobster eggs Benedict. There's some for you, too."

"Yes, Julian's is delicious, you should try it!"

As Chloe spoke, she placed a piece of lobster on my plate.

Expressionless, I scraped everything from my plate into the trash.

Chloe's eyes instantly welled with tears. "Ava, even if you have a problem with me, you shouldn't waste Julian's kind gesture."

The moment her lip began to tremble, Julian's heart went out to her. He turned on me, his voice cold.

"Ava, I tolerated you last night. But what's with the long face? Can you stop being so damn unreasonable for one second?"

"I have a severe seafood allergy. And chronic stomach problems from years of skipping meals to take care of Caleb. Or had you forgotten?"

Julian froze.

Caleb had been a sickly child, and in caring for him, I had often eaten at odd hours, or not at all.

Over time, I developed chronic stomach issues and a severe food allergy.

He probably didn't remember.

There was a time he would meticulously pick every last piece of shrimp off my pizza.

Chloe blinked. "A little stomach trouble is no big deal. I have to take medicine right after I eat, but I still finished every last bite of the breakfast Julian made for me."

Caleb chimed in with a sneer, "Yeah, unlike some people, Chloe's not a baby, making a big deal out of nothing!"

Julian snapped out of his daze and smiled dotingly. "Alright, my little princess, I know you appreciate me. Your body can't handle too much strain right now."

I couldn't stand another second of this nauseating charade. I threw down my fork. "Then you'd better eat every last scrap."

Back in the study, I tried to focus on my old profession.

After ten years away from architectural design, I was inevitably rusty.

But the sounds of laughter and chatter from the living room were so loud I couldn't concentrate.

I heard Chloe's voice drift in. "What do you think of your mom?"

"She's so annoying! All she does is nag, she dresses like some old lady, and she never lets me eat any good snacks!"

Chloe giggled. "What about me?"

"You take me out to play and buy me yummy food. You're the best."

"So... would you like me to be your godmother?"

Caleb immediately chirped, "Godmom."

In the study, my heart turned to ice all over again.

Caleb was born with a weak constitution and needed constant, careful attention.

Julian, always using his busy work schedule as an excuse, had never been there. For all these years, I was the one who had given up my career to raise him, piece by piece.

I never imagined I'd be worth less to him than a stranger who bought him treats and took him out to play.