I'm the Stranger in Our Family Group

Hector continued asking, "And wait, isn't your family dinner tomorrow? Why are you here today?"

That was all it took for my tears to start falling.

Hector and I had been married for two years, and he had been nothing but patient and loving.

Because of our jobs, we had a long-distance marriage, but he was the one who made the trip to see me every single weekend.

Even when my family treated him like a ghost at those dinners, he never once complained.

Lately, his schedule had been brutal, yet he still carved out time for me.

I couldn't bring myself to say a word.

He seemed to sense what had happened and didn't push for answers.

The next morning, Hector was up early. He had called out of work just to spend the day with me.

He made breakfast—oatmeal, omelet, and waffles. They were everything I loved.

Over all these years, he was the only one who actually remembered my likes. And he was the only one who made me feel like I didn't have to lift a finger.

Right on cue, Mom's name flashed across my phone screen.

I ignored it. I already knew what she was going to say.

Hector glanced at the vibrating phone. "Are you not going to answer?"

I shook my head. "No."

But ignoring her phone call only made the family group chat blow up.

First came Mom's text. "@Eileen Where are you? Look at the time! Your brother and sister-in-law are already here. We're just waiting on you.

"Did you get the shrimp and the lamb chops? Your dad is waiting on those nachos to go with his drinks."

Then came a text from my brother, Cody Allen. "Eileen, how close are you? Hurry it up. Don't forget the strawberries. Noah is throwing a fit for them."

Finally, my sister-in-law, Lexie Duncan, messaged. "Eileen, it sounds like you have a massive haul to bring over this time. Take your time."

None of them cared if I was okay or if something had happened to me. The only things that mattered to them were the groceries I was buying and the free labor I was providing.

That was my so-called family.

With a bitter laugh, I typed back into the chat. "I told you. I'm not coming."

The group chat went dead silent for about three seconds. Then, it absolutely erupted.

Mom was the first to strike, firing off a full 60-second voice note.

I couldn't bring myself to listen to her voice, so I hit text-convert. The screen filled with an avalanche of exclamation points.

"You're not coming? If you weren't coming, you should have said so earlier! Cody and Lexie are here, and Noah is crying from hunger because he's waiting for those strawberries! Now you say you're not coming? What are we supposed to eat?"

Cody immediately followed up. "What's your problem, Eileen? The whole family is waiting on you. How could you throw a fit like this? Mom and Dad are getting old. You're really going to make them sit around starving?"

Lexie put on her usual passive-aggressive act. "Eileen, did I do something to upset you? If you have an issue with me, just say it. Don't take it out on the family dinner."

Watching them play off each other like a well-rehearsed theater troupe, I actually laughed.

I didn't reply, but that didn't stop them.

Mom sent another text. "Your dad's blood pressure is going through the roof! Get over here right now! Don't make me come to your apartment to drag you back!"

Cody lost his temper next. "Now that you're married, you think you're too good for us? We wasted all those years raising you for nothing!"

Lexie kept playing the peacemaker. "Oh, forget it. She belongs to another family now. We don't have the status to grace her presence anymore."

Finally came a text from my father, Samuel Allen. He almost never posted in the group chat, but this time, he chimed in with a single line, "If you don't come back today, don't ever bother coming back!"

I watched the notifications pop up one by one, each message twisting like a knife in my chest. I finally turned the phone face down on the table and chose silence.

Hector slid a bowl of oatmeal in front of me. "Eat first."

During those two days with Hector, I completely cut myself off from my family.

On Saturday afternoon, he drove me out to a hot spring resort in the countryside.

As we soaked in the steaming water, I asked him, "Do you know what I like to eat?"