Chapter 3

3: 3

On the day of Georgina Weiss's eightieth birthday, my mother went after all.

She'd heard I was moving out and hadn't slept all night, then came the next day holding the longevity handkerchief she'd embroidered herself, ready to talk me out of it.

"Let's get the birthday dinner over with first. The old lady is fond of you. You can't upset her because of me."

I meant to leave the gift at the door and go, but Damian stopped me in the hotel lobby.

He pushed a cup of warm water into my hand and pulled my shawl tighter around me.

"Bad stomach and still nothing in it? I had the kitchen set aside shrimp and egg custard for you. Don't fight me today. Once the dinner's over, we'll go home and talk this through."

Before I could pull my hand back, Winona came running out of the banquet hall.

"Damian, my mom can't find a seat. The server says the head table's full."

Damian barely hesitated. He let go of me and went in.

The head table had kept a seat for my mother, the place card reading "the bride's mother."

By the time we walked in, that card had been shoved under an empty plate.

Annette sat beside Georgina, smiling as she put food on her plate.

The server led my mother to a small table by the service door and explained in a low voice,

"Mr. Weiss said you smell of medicated ointment. There are a lot of elderly people at the head table, and he was worried someone might be uncomfortable."

My mother instinctively hid the cloth bag behind her.

There was no ointment inside, only the longevity handkerchief she'd stayed up several nights to embroider.

I walked over to Damian.

"Switch the seats back."

He was adjusting the height of Annette's chair. At my words, he only glanced at me.

"What does it matter where she sits? Your mom doesn't know anyone. She wouldn't have anything to say at the head table anyway. It's Grandma's birthday today. Don't make everyone laugh over a chair."

"Then why does Aunt Annette have to sit there?"

"She knows Grandma."

As if afraid I'd really lose my temper, he took a chestnut pastry off the plate and held it to my lips.

"Your favorite. I had the kitchen save it just for you. Have a bite. Stop looking so grim."

I didn't open my mouth.

Winona sneezed beside him.

Damian immediately took the coat he'd just draped over me and put it on her shoulders instead.

"I told you to wear more. Why don't you ever listen?"

Winona pulled the coat, still warm from me, around herself and asked softly, "Millicent won't mind, will she?"

Damian looked back at me, an easy, familiar smile at his lips.

"She's not that petty."

My mother handed the handkerchief to the server, said she felt a little dizzy, and wanted to go home first.

When I caught up with her at the hotel's back entrance, she was standing in the cold wind, waiting for the bus.

Her graying hair had blown loose, and her hand still pressed tightly against the emptied cloth bag.

"Mom, let me take you home."

She shook her head.

"Go back inside. Don't make things hard for Damian."

"Whether things are hard for him has nothing to do with me anymore."

My mother froze.

Footsteps came from behind. Damian had followed us out, and he pushed a hand warmer into my arms.

"I know you're upset. When we go home tonight, you can yell at me all you want, all right? Grandma's about to cut the cake. Go back in first and smooth things over."

I put the hand warmer back into his arms.

"My mother is not your 'smoothing things over.'"

"Then what do you want? To throw Winona's mom out in front of everyone?"

His patience ran out fast.

"Millicent Swanson, you were never this unreasonable before."

"You don't have to throw her out."

I steadied my mother and walked her down the steps, one at a time.

"I'm the one who's leaving."

Back at my mother's place, I took the key to the marital home's safe out of my bag.

My mother saw it, and her face changed.

"Millicent, don't do anything rash."

"I'm not being rash."

Early the next morning, I went back and took the marriage certificate.

Damian sent more than a dozen messages. The last one was still an order.

【Grandma was so upset by you she didn't eat any cake. Come back and apologize, and we'll put this behind us.】

I turned off my phone.