Days began to fold into each other, like rings inside an old tree.
I could smell Lily before I saw her. Her perfume lingered in the hallway like a rumor no one wanted to admit they’d heard. Her laughter slipped down the stairs in soft drips.
“Ryan, can you reach this?” she’d call from the kitchen.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
On the fridge, she left notes in neat, curvy letters: Don’t forget the creamer 🙂
I saw the way Ryan looked at Lily. A wife notices those small weather changes, even if she pretends not to. Moreover, they started shopping together.
“You have the baby, you stay. Lily is so kind, she’ll help,” said my MIL.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
I could feel she had put in enough effort to push my husband toward Lily. Well, she had never liked me. But frankly speaking, while recovering, it was especially hard seeing my husband’s eyes on Lily’s slim waist.
Every day, I cried into Jenny’s shoulder while she listened to me until late.
“Do you hear me? You have to do something about this — put them both in their place.”
“Oh, but how?”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
Jenna giggled. “Call Caleb. He’s a good friend… and a total charmer on top of it.”
“Oh no… I just can’t.”
“But… can you be second best?”
“Alright…”
That evening, I picked up the phone and called a number I’d kept hidden in my mind.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
“Caleb?”
