“No. You need to leave my room.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
I turned so fast she backed into the hall.
“What was it supposed to be like? You marry him in secret, use my house, hide the bills in my name, and then I smile at your reception?”
She began crying again, but this time she did not look away.
“He said you knew it was over.”
The room became very still.
“What?”
“He said you had talked about separating. He said you were staying because you were afraid to disappoint everyone.”
I watched her face. I saw the trembling mouth, the red eyelids, the wedding dress crumpled at the waist. I searched for the little sister who used to crawl into my bed during thunderstorms and demand that I count with her until the thunder stopped.
Then I saw what mattered.
“You believed him,” I said.
Chelsea nodded once.
“You believed Daniel, who has known you for four years, over me?”
Her face folded.
“He said you would deny it because you didn’t want to be the one who ended things.”
I walked to the closet and pulled out the empty hangers one by one. They clicked together in my hand.
“Did you ask me?”
“No.”
“Did you call me?”
“No.”
“Did you send one message?”
Chelsea’s silence filled the room.
“You didn’t want the truth,” I said. “You wanted permission.”
She pressed both hands to her mouth.
I left her standing there and went downstairs.
Daniel was in the kitchen. He had taken off his wedding band. I noticed because he held it in his fist, hiding it badly.
“You lied to her,” I said.
His shoulders sagged.
“I told her what I thought was true.”
