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On weekdays,I was up early for work, and on weekends,I was home with Tommy.There was never time for lazy mornings.
Ethan, on the other hand,was up early.He made breakfast for Tommy,took him to kindergarten,and then went grocery shopping.The smell of cooking finally roused me from sleep.
When I stumbled out of the bedroom with bedhead,Ethan jumped.“Why…why aren’t you at work?”
I yawned.“I told you yesterday. I quit.”
He eyed me suspiciously,spatula still in hand,as if trying to figure out if I was serious.
“You’re kidding,right?”he said,turning back to the stove.
For the next few days,I slept in,ate lunch,then holed up in the study playing games until sunset.
When Ethan picked Tommy up from kindergarten,I’d come out and play with him.
This blissful routine lasted only three days.On the third day,as I was heading to the study after lunch,Ethan slammed his chopsticks down.
“Sarah Miller,what the hell are you doing?”he glared at me.
I stayed calm.“I told you—I quit.I’m staying home to enjoy life.”
“Sarah,do you even hear yourself?”
“The mortgage is$5,000 a month,the car loan is$2,000,Tommy’s kindergarten is$1,500,his tutoring is$4,000 every six months, and that’s not even counting all the other household expenses.”
“That’s easily$10,000 a month.You just quit?What are we supposed to eat?Air?”He pointed at me,venting his frustration.
I raised an eyebrow, a smirk on my face.“Oh,so you do know how much it costs to run this house?”
“If you know that, then why do you keep giving our money to your sister?”
“Let’s count how many times you’ve secretly funneled money to her behind my back.”
I pretended to tally on my fingers.“Oops,I’ve run out of fingers.”
Ethan caught the sarcasm in my tone and gritted his teeth.“Sarah,it’s just$50,000.Is it really worth this?”
“She’s my sister, and she’s your sister too.She needed help with her car. What’s wrong with me, as her brother, stepping in to help?”
I laughed mockingly,clapping my hand.
“What a great brother you are—practically a second father!”
“When my friend asked me to invest in a startup,you said we didn’t have the money.But when your sister needed money for a house,you just handed her$300,000 without saying a word.”
“When my mom needed a stent for her heart condition,you said we were broke.But when your sister got married,you gave her$200,000 as her dowry.”
“And now,when our family’s pigpen collapsed in a storm,you gave that money to your sister as well!”
“Ethan,you’re so kind to your sister.Has she ever bought Tommy a single toy or snack?”
Ethan fell silent,staring fixedly at me.
His eyes turned red,and tears started to well up.
“Sarah,I never thought that after seven years of marriage,you’d keep a detailed record of every little thing!”
“Are you trying to settle scores with me now?”
“She’s my sister.How can I not help her?”
“Oh,you do help.You’re so devoted,you might as well sign the house over to her.”
“Ethan,if you care so much about your sister,why did you even get married?You could have stayed single,worked,and supported her family forever.”
Ethan pointed at me,stammering,then, in a rage, he swept the dishes off the table,stormed into the bedroom,and started packing.
I didn’t try to stop him.I’d been thinking about divorce for a while.
The only reason I’d held on was to prevent Tommy from growing up in a broken home.
Ethan dragged his suitcase past me without a glance and left.Good riddance—peace at last!
With a loud slam of the door,I let out a long sigh and began cleaning up the mess.
Once the house was tidy,I drove to the kindergarten,made an excuse to the teacher about a family emergency,and picked Tommy up.
Tommy was thrilled to see me.“Mommy,why are you picking me up?Where’s Daddy?”
I hugged him and kissed his cheek.“Daddy’s at Grandma’s.How about Mommy takes you to the amusement park today?”
Tommy froze for a moment,then cheered,waving his arms.“Yay!!!”
