Chapter 3

The next morning I came downstairs to find Jarvis already on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.

"You're up?"

He lifted a hand and waved us over as we came near, the two of us together.

"Why didn't you answer my messages last night? I thought you'd sleep in the master bedroom."

My voice stayed even.

"I figured you'd end up staying over there."

"It's been a long time since I put Tammy to bed. I promised her last night I would."

"Besides, there are things in the master bedroom that aren't mine."

Jarvis pressed his lips together.

After a moment, he reached out to take my hand.

"I'll have the housekeeper clear all of it out. There's nothing between me and Hilda. She just came by and stayed over a few times before."

"Last night there was an accident. The apartment's been empty for a while, and the wiring shorted out."

"Victoria, can you understand that?"

I smiled.

"Of course."

Then I pulled my hand free, turned, and went into the kitchen to boil water and cook the noodles.

He always had that endless supply of excuses. It had been like this before too.

One night he'd eat dinner and stay over at Hilda's. The next day I'd take Tammy alone to the amusement park he'd stood us up on, and by the time we got back in the evening, Hilda's things and both of her sons' things would already be in the master bedroom.

The moment I made a fuss, it was either the apartment's old wiring making it temporarily unlivable, or a burst pipe that made it unsafe.

If I didn't understand, then I was petty, keeping score, with no compassion.

Twenty minutes later, three bowls of noodle soup went on the table.

Tammy washed her hands and climbed up to the table first, sitting in the seat beside mine. Jarvis sat across from me.

The three of us ate in silence. From the outside, it looked like harmony.

When we finished, and the housekeeper had taken Tammy upstairs to brush her teeth, Jarvis reached over and pulled me into his arms again.

He rested his chin on my shoulder.

I went stiff.

The scent of body wash was strong on him. He must have just gotten back and rinsed off quickly.

"Victoria."

"This is nice, isn't it? Stop fighting me from now on, okay?"

"Let's just live as a family. You and our daughter are the only two people in my heart."

I listened, lowered my eyes, and said nothing.

Was that the truth?

I didn't dare believe it anymore. Money was more solid than that.

"Tammy loves to dance."

"I want to buy her a big penthouse downtown, somewhere she can rest between practices later on. Put the deed in Tammy's name."

Jarvis didn't refuse. I knew he was in a good enough mood that he wouldn't.

So I went upstairs, took out the purchase contract I'd prepared earlier from the drawer, and handed it to him to sign.

Once he'd signed, he added,

"Then I won't go into the office today. I'll go with you and Tammy to see the new place in a bit."

I was still working out how to say no.

Just then the phone rang.

It was Hilda. She was at the door with both of her sons.

"Jarvis, I was going to just use the fingerprint lock, but then I thought about Victoria. Could you come open the door for me?"

Jarvis let go of me and went straight over.

The second the door opened, both her boys changed their shoes like they'd done it a hundred times and ran upstairs to the master bedroom to play computer games.

As the older one passed me, he shot me a nasty look.

"I know who you are. You're the bad woman who stole my dad and made my mom cry."

"You're just like that slow turtle daughter of yours. You're both annoying!"

"Andrew!"

Hilda scolded him quickly, all for show.

"You can't say things like that!"

"Victoria, Andrew's little, he doesn't understand. Don't be angry."

"So little he doesn't even know who his own father is?"

"Victoria!"

Jarvis cut me off with a frown.

But Hilda's face had already gone ugly.

Her ex-husband was scum. Back then she'd been swept off her feet by the man's sweet talk and married him, and who could have guessed he'd show his true colors soon after. He wouldn't hold down a job, and he had affairs all over town.

She couldn't take it anymore and asked for a divorce. Then she reconnected with Jarvis at a class reunion.

A first love turned old friend. At the time, Jarvis and I hadn't even been married a year.

"Don't you dare bully my mom! You bad woman, drop dead, drop dead."

Seeing his own mother's eyes go red from what I'd said, seven-year-old Andrew swung his fists at me, furious.

He didn't come up to my shoulder, but he hit hard. One punch landed and the flesh of my arm ached with a dull throb.

Tammy, just finished brushing her teeth and coming down, saw the whole thing. She ran to me crying and shoved at Andrew.

"Don't hit my mommy. You can't hit my mommy."

But she was too small. Andrew whipped a hand back and shoved her hard, sending her flying a good three feet before she hit the floor.

"Tammy!"

"Slow turtle, ugly face, get out of the way!"

The younger one copied him, circling Tammy, clapping his hands, calling her ugly, ugly, over and over.

And Jarvis stood off to the side, unmoved again. He even looked away to comfort Hilda.

I watched it all, cold, and the anger surged up. Never mind whether those fists would land on my face or my chest, I grabbed one boy in front and one behind, a hand on each.

Crack!

Two crisp slaps landed.

Hilda threw herself at me, crying.

"Andrew! Ronnie Simmons!"

"Victoria! By what right do you lay a hand on my sons? They're just children. Whatever they say or do, it's all to stand up for me. If you've got something to say, why can't you just say it nicely!"

And Jarvis.

Just now, when my daughter and I were being hit and shoved, he'd stood there and done nothing.

Now his face was full of disapproval as he stepped up to block me.

"Victoria! You've gone too far. Whatever's going on, you don't hit children."

"Apologize!"

"By what right?"

I bent down and lifted Tammy into my arms.

"Jarvis, in what capacity are you demanding I apologize? As my husband? As Tammy's father?"

"Or as Hilda's first love, her friend? Or maybe as her children's 'daddy.'"

Jarvis froze. He hadn't expected me to ask it like that.

I looked at him and nodded, as if it all made sense now.

"So it's the last one, then."

"No wonder you couldn't see her two boys hitting and cursing at me, but the moment I hit back for myself and my daughter, you saw it all crystal clear."

When I finished, Jarvis's expression turned deeply complicated.

"You're upset?"

Seeing that I wouldn't speak.

He sighed and softened his tone.

"I just think what you said went too far. Hilda's soft-tempered, easily pushed around. That's why she suffered so much under that animal. It's her wound. It's understandable she doesn't want her two boys to claim that man as their real father."

"As for what they call me, I'll have Hilda teach them to change it back later. Apologize first."

In the tug of it, his thumb pressed into the big bruise on my arm, and I sucked in a sharp breath at the pain.

Jarvis stopped and let go.

He followed my gaze, then pressed his lips together.

Seeing it, he said nothing more.

"Take Tammy upstairs first. Have the housekeeper put some ointment on it."

"I'll handle all of this."

"Jarvis..."

Hilda wasn't having it, of course.

"Me, Andrew, Ronnie, they..."

Jarvis turned back to soothe her.

"Hilda, I'll make it up to you."

The compensation he spoke of was a promise to build Andrew and Ronnie a gym, one just for them to practice soccer.