On Christmas Eve, my husband Julian called our daughter selfish just for buying a five-dollar box of strawberry cookies. "You're really something, aren't you?" "No one else in this family even likes strawberry. But sure, let her have whatever she wants." I took the cookies and put it in the cart. "It's just a box of cookies. If she wants them, we'll get them." Julian threw it back on the shelf. "No way. I'm not encouraging this kind of selfish behavior!" I stared at him in disbelief. The next second, Chloe’s son wanted a light-up drone. Julian didn't hesitate to pay for it on the spot. Chloe, my husband’s sister-in-law, had tears in her eyes. "Hunter is so lucky to have someone who cares about him. His father can rest in peace knowing this." A flash of triumph crossed her face. Watching the three of them walk ahead side by side, I felt a sharp pang of loneliness. I pulled Mia into my arms and quietly sent a text. "Dad, cancel Julian's CEO promotion!" ...... Mia sat in the car looking completely crushed, while I kept my head down the whole ride. Julian's voice was ice cold. "Lauren, your family's manipulative scheming really does run in the blood." "Mia's only five and she's already playing people for her own benefit. You've taught her well." The car stopped at a red light. Julian turned to look at me in the backseat. "Your dad kept me at the bottom of the company for ten years just to control me." "Ten years of reading his every mood" "But it's finally my turn now. I'm about to take over and run everything." Outside, the streets were strung with lights. Inside the car, it was dim and suffocating. I could barely make out Julian's expression. My dad made him start at entry-level so he'd understand the business from the ground up—so he could manage employees properly later. Back then, Julian had sworn up and down, hand on his heart, that he'd never let my father down. Now, ten years later, my dad was stepping down and preparing to hand the company over to Julian. My father's good intentions had become "manipulation" in his eyes. I stared at him. "A five-dollar box of cookies is manipulation?" Then I looked at the drone flashing rainbow colors in Hunter's hands. "You won't spend five bucks on your own daughter, but you'll drop a hundred fifty on someone else's kid without blinking." Julian looked like I'd struck a nerve. He glared at me. "Hunter lost his father. I'm his uncle. Taking care of him is what I'm supposed to do!" Chloe, sitting in the passenger seat, patted Julian's arm. "Why are you getting so worked up? You're scaring the kids." She turned to Mia with a sugary smile. "Sweetie, don't be upset. We can turn around right now and buy them." Julian gripped the steering wheel, refusing to budge. "I'm doing this for her own good. If she's this selfish at five, what's she going to be like when she grows up?" Hunter turned on the drone's music. Loud, obnoxious noise filled the entire car. The sound was giving me a headache. I reached over to turn it off. Hunter slapped my hand away and yelled. "Stop it! What are you doing?!" "Why are you trying to break my drone?!" Julian slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. "Lauren, are you doing this on purpose? Are you seriously this petty? Fighting with a kid!" Chloe's disgust was practically dripping from her eyes, though her face still wore that sticky-sweet smile. "It's fine, she didn't mean it. Don't blame her." Mia, who had witnessed everything, stepped up to defend me. "Mommy didn't even touch the drone." Julian's temper flared instantly. He pointed at me and started yelling. "Lauren, look at what you've turned our daughter into!" "Hunter saw the whole thing, and she's still lying!" Mia didn't back down. She leaned forward. "I'm not lying. Why are you accusing Mommy of something she didn't do?" Julian raised his hand to slap her. Mia's voice broke. "Why are you hitting me? I didn't do anything wrong......" I pulled Mia into my arms and shouted at Julian. "That's enough! Mia is your own daughter—how can you even raise your hand to her?!" Julian wouldn't let it go. "It doesn't matter who it is. If you do something wrong, there are consequences." The year Mia was born, Julian couldn't stop showing her off to the world. He did everything himself—feeding, changing diapers—and his phone was full of nothing but pictures of her. He used to watch her sleep and whisper, voice full of adoration: "I'll give my daughter anything she wants. She deserves the best things in this world." Now, over five dollars and a misunderstanding, he'd hit her right in front of me. Chloe raised an eyebrow at me. At some point, her hand had landed on Julian's thigh. I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Julian, you should just go live with them from now on!"
My eyes fell on Chloe's hand resting on his leg. "Julian, you're sleeping with your sister-in-law. Do you even think about your brother?" "You're both fucking disgusting. Sleeping with your dead brother's wife—you're a piece of shit!" Julian's face flushed red with anger. "Shut your fucking mouth. Leave Chloe out of this!" Chloe pulled her hand back, looking completely innocent. Julian suddenly let out a mocking laugh as he looked at me. "Oh right, you're so fucking moral. Where was all that decency when you were spreading your legs at eighteen?" That unbearable memory was dragged back, and dizziness hit me. In our third year together, Julian and I had decided to exchange secrets. Julian brushed his hair against my face, his eyes so sincere. "My biggest secret is that I'm terrified of losing you." "I know there's a huge gap between us. Your family looks down on me. But I'd do anything for you." He kissed the corner of my mouth, his long lashes sweeping across my face. "Babe, what's your secret?" I told him. When I was eighteen, someone followed me. He dragged me into the bushes and assaulted me. I reported it to the police and he was arrested. But a month later, I had no choice but to go to the hospital for an abortion. That incident became a shadow I could never shake off. But then I met him. He brought me back to life. Julian held me tight, tears streaming down his face. "It's all in the past. From now on, I'll protect you." He'd turned my darkest secret into a weapon. Chloe looked me up and down with amusement. "Wow, Lauren. You look so innocent. Had no idea you were into that kind of thing." Julian laughed bitterly. "Who knows how many guys you were fucking. Probably got knocked up by some random asshole and made up that whole 'assault' story." "What a joke. I believed you all these years." Every word drove deeper into my chest. Looking at the certainty on Julian's face, I felt nothing but regret. Love changes. It shifts. It disappears. Some secrets should just rot in your gut. Julian's phone rang. It was connected to the car's Bluetooth. "Honey, are you on your way back? Dinner's ready and we're waiting for you." It was his mother. Hunter shouted at the phone. "Grandma, Uncle Julian bought me a drone today, but Aunt Lauren almost broke it!" Martha's voice was dripping with false sympathy as she cooed at him. "Bad Auntie. Grandma will deal with her when you get home!" "Hunter, sweetie, Grandma made peanut butter cookies for you. Hurry back and eat them." Mia was allergic to peanuts. But every single year, Martha made peanut butter cookies because Hunter loved them. Every year, Mia could only sit there and watch them eat. This year, she'd just wanted to try a box of strawberry cookies, and her own father called her selfish. Chloe's voice turned sickeningly sweet. "Martha, you're so thoughtful. You always remember what Hunter likes." As she spoke, she glanced up at me. The necklace around her neck glinted in the light. That necklace was identical to the one I'd lost. Julian had it custom-made for me. I couldn't be mistaken. Mia asked timidly. "Grandma, are there any other kinds? I want some too." Martha's voice turned sharp. "No. You're so picky. What peanut allergy? I think you're just spoiled!" Julian piled on immediately. "That's what happens when her mother coddles her!" The road was getting emptier. Everyone else was home having dinner with their families. But I didn't want to go back to that house anymore.
All the hurt Mia had been holding in finally erupted. She couldn't stop crying. Julian looked at her irritably. "If you keep crying, I'm throwing you out of this car!" Mia sobbed so hard she could barely breathe. "Daddy, you're not being fair. Grandma's not being fair either......" I held Mia in my arms and wiped away her tears. Hunter snapped at her. "Can you stop crying already? It's so annoying!" Mia couldn't stop. Hunter turned to Julian and whined. "Uncle Julian, can't you make her shut up? I can't even hear my music anymore." Mia cried even harder. "Daddy doesn't love me anymore......" Julian's patience finally ran out. He pulled Mia out of the car and left her on the side of the road. "How many times do I have to tell you before you get it? Stand out here and think about what you did!" I got out to pull Mia back in. Julian immediately shut the door in my face. "You can stay out here and reflect too!" Chloe and Hunter watched us smugly from inside the car as it drove off. The night air was freezing. Mia was barely dressed for it and started shivering. "Mommy, I didn't do anything wrong. Why is Daddy treating me like this?" I took off my coat and wrapped it around her, then texted Julian. "It's cold out here. Mia's still getting over a cold. Come back right now." Five minutes later, Julian finally replied. "It's barely been any time. How could she have learned her lesson already? She needs to stay out there longer!" "Mia's only five! What are you trying to prove?!" "Exactly because she's young—that's when she needs to be disciplined." When I saw that message, my phone was down to ten percent battery. "Julian, my phone's about to die. Come back and pick up Mia!" Half an hour later, he responded. "If you want me to come get you, go apologize to Hunter." "Why should I?" "Because you upset Hunter!" Battery: eight percent. Martha tagged me in the family group chat. "Just apologize to the kid already!" Chloe posted several photos to the chat. Everyone eating dinner together—Julian, Chloe, Hunter, and Julian's parents. All five of them smiling around the table. Not a single person had come to look for us. Mia started coughing. "Mommy, I'm so cold......" Julian posted on social media. Family gathering. The pictures were the same ones Chloe had sent. Battery: six percent. Mia's coughing got worse and worse. I swallowed my pride and begged Julian. "Please, come get us. I'm really scared something's going to happen to Mia." Julian softened slightly. "Fine. Record an apology video and post it in the group chat." Standing there in the freezing wind, I said it word by word. "Hunter, I'm sorry for trying to touch your drone. Can you forgive me?" Chloe replied in the group chat immediately. "Oh, honey, it's fine. We're all family. No need to take it so seriously." She tagged Julian. "Go pick them up. They can still make it back for dinner." Battery: four percent. I waited for an hour. Julian never came. Battery: two percent. I used the last bit of charge to text my father. "Dad, I lost." "I'll do whatever you think is best from now on." My dad replied instantly. "Got it. I've already handled the situation with Julian." Battery: zero percent. My phone died completely. I took Mia's hand and started walking in the opposite direction. I didn't look back.
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