Outgrowing Love

I turned around to see Sean standing at the doorway, staring at me with a dark expression. When I didn’t respond, his gaze shifted to the guy beside me.

Then, he gritted his teeth and demanded, “Andrea, I’m talking to you. I told you to report your schedule to me every hour. Why didn’t you tell me where you were? Or are you feeling guilty? Too afraid to say anything because you’re sneaking around behind my back with another man, are you?”

I glanced at him indifferently.

“Mr. Larson, does who I see have anything to do with you? Instead of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, why don’t you go back to your wife, Brittany, and keep her company at karaoke?”

That shut him up instantly.

His brows furrowed as he snapped, clearly annoyed. “What’s with the sarcasm? I went to the karaoke bar with Brit as a show for her parents. We have to pretend we’re in love so they won’t suspect anything. And here I was, trying to make it up to you today. I even canceled all my work and social plans to cook your favorite chili con carne. What a waste of my effort.”

As he spoke, he placed a container on the table. I glanced at the bright red minced meat in there, but seeing it made my stomach churn.

Not this dish again.

At the beginning, I used to think it was his way of showing he cared. I had even felt touched. However, over time, I realized it was nothing more than a lazy routine. Every time he needed me to help Brittany, he would cook that exact dish to appease me.

He was even aware that I had undergone surgery for my stomach and couldn’t eat anything spicy anymore. However, he never bothered to change it. He still made it unbearably spicy, enough to sting the nose.

Coming back to myself, I said coldly, “I’ve eaten. You can save that feast for Brittany.”

Sean didn’t catch the displeasure in my tone. Instead, he seemed to think I had been coaxed like before and quickly got to the point.

“Fine. Actually, I came to ask you something. Brit’s parents are coming over tomorrow to check whether I can take care of her and the baby. If I recall correctly, you’ve studied a lot of parenting books. I need you to help me come up with a plan on how to act like a good husband and father who can take care of a pregnant woman and a newborn. I need to make a good impression on her parents.”

Watching the eagerness on his face, I felt a wave of nausea.

Others might not know, but he did. The reason I had read all those books was that I, too, had once been pregnant and wanted to raise our child with him. However, after the miscarriage, it became something we never spoke of again.

Now, he was asking me to teach him how to be Brittany’s husband and a good father?

I shot back immediately, “Sean, I’m a lawyer, not your nanny. Ask someone else.”

Sean’s eyes widened in disbelief. He clearly hadn’t expected that the same dish that used to win me over so easily would suddenly stop working. His embarrassment then turned into anger, and just as he was about to lash out, his phone rang. It was a call from Brittany.

Whatever she said on the other end made him forget all about yelling at me. Without another word, he turned and hurried out of the private room. Faye and I, on the other hand, drank until well past midnight.

The next morning, after I sobered up, I went home to pack my things and move out. However, the moment I stepped into the yard and saw what was in front of me, I froze.