The Dissipation of Love

A soundless laugh escaped me. The low hum of crickets outside the window cut through the silence in the room. Why did I bother hoping Jonathan would correct Amanda?

I drew in deep breaths to ease the pain in my heart.

At that moment, Charlotte spoke up to diffuse the tension. She lightly hit Amanda's arm as she chided half-heartedly, "Amanda, we talked about this. He's 'Mr. Shaw' to you."

"No, he's not! He's Daddy Jonny, and he's mine!" Amanda argued.

Jonathan lowered his gaze as he looked at Amanda with a gentle expression. He had never looked at me with such tenderness. My heart bled once more, and the pain became more unbearable with each breath I drew.

Even though I had expected such behavior from Jonathan, I couldn't help my heartache.

I watched mutely as he carried Amanda to the bed and opened the soup flask. He poured her some soup and said, "Be a good girl and have some soup, Amanda. It should help you feel better."

Jonathan and Charlotte stood on either side of Amanda as she obediently drank the soup. They looked like the perfect little family.

However, Amanda had only taken a sip when she suddenly acted up and knocked the soup over.

"Watch out!" Jonathan cried, shielding Charlotte and Amanda. The hot soup fell to the floor, but not before it splashed on my exposed calf and scalded it. My skin turned red where the hot soup made contact.

"It's spicy!" Amanda wailed, her sobs escalating into a full-blown tantrum.

Charlotte pulled the shrieking child into her arms and stared at me tearfully. "Tess, I know you don't like us very much, but how could you stoop so low as to hurt my daughter?"

Jonathan crossed the room to me and eyed me stormily. "Tessa Wendell, what did you put in that soup?"

I fixed them both with an icy look and said, "It's regular chicken soup. I didn't add any spice to it, save for some pepper to taste."

"Amanda's just a kid! Why would you put pepper in the soup?" Jonathan barked.

I knew he wouldn't listen, yet I deluded myself into believing he might side with me just this once. The skin on my calf was burning from the soup, but I willed myself not to cry. I would not shed a tear for someone like Jonathan.

"Clean up the mess and go home. Come back with a new batch of soup," Jonathan ordered. When I didn't move, he raised his voice. "Are you listening, Tessa?"

At that moment, the nurse entered the room and asked, "Which of you are Amanda Grossman's parents?"

"We are." Jonathan and Charlotte immediately stepped forward, the worry in their eyes intensifying.

"Amanda was diagnosed with mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Her fever's gone down, but it's best if we keep her on the drip for the next few days," the nurse informed.

Jonathan and Charlotte agreed, and the former offered to pay the bill. "Stay here with Amanda, Ms. Sanders. I'll take care of the fees."

Tears welled up in Charlotte's eyes as she stared at Jonathan gratefully. He patted her shoulder soothingly but shot me a dark look. "Tessa, if you apologize to Ms. Sanders and Amanda now, we can move past this."

His words stabbed through me like a dagger. The burning sensation on my calf was nothing compared to my heartbreak at that moment.

I stared at the man I had loved for the last six years. A bitter smile etched upon my bloodless face as I relented. "Fine. I'm sorry."

My eyes grew misty, but I refused to let my tears fall. Jonathan wasn't worth crying over. I wouldn't be sad over him.

Jonathan went still. He was about to grab my hand, but I avoided him. "I'd like to get my wound bandaged up if you don't mind."

I fanned the red patch on my calf and turned to leave the room. Once I was in the corridor, I leaned against the wall and heard Charlotte's sad voice coming from the other side of the door.