I head up the stairs, but there’s no chance of being able to sleep. I know Elliot claims he’s going to fix this, but I can’t figure out a way he could possibly do it.
Chapter 30
When I wake up the next morning, I get the surprise of my life: Elliot is cooking breakfast.
He’s scrambling some eggs in a frying pan. I didn’t know he was capable of such a thing. The other surprise is that Bobby is fully dressed and sitting at the kitchen table, eating the eggs. I feel like I’ve walked into an alternate dimension.
“Hi, honey.” Elliot lifts his spatula and waves at me. “I figured you might need to sleep in, so I got Bobby up and made breakfast.”
I get what he’s doing. He’s on his best behavior because he’s trying to get me to forgive him for what he did. Yeah, right.
“Well, thank you,” I say stiffly. I look over at the pan, where the eggs have turned slightly brown. But that’s okay. I think I might faint from shock if he cooked them perfectly.
“Also,” he adds, “I’m going to work from home today, so I’ll be around to watch Bobby when you go to your book club tonight.”
My book club. I forgot it was tonight, although I do have the date posted on the refrigerator. I even read the book for a change. But I can’t possibly go, given the circumstances.
Although…
I got an email yesterday about a meeting between the administration and the PTA leaders. The meeting is supposed to be tonight. That means Julie won’t be at the book club. Which means I’ll be there without her and have a chance to tell people my side of the story.
“Okay,” I say stiffly. “I appreciate that.”
He looks like he’s going to lean in to try to kiss me, but then he thinks better of it. Smart boy.
I do the drive-through drop off again with Bobby. I can’t even contemplate getting out of my car and standing by the entrance when Julie and Maria will be there. I can’t face either of them. So instead, I pull up beside the school, and say to Bobby, “Okay, time to get out.”
“How come you don’t walk me to the door anymore?” he asks.
The teacher facilitating the drop off is giving me a dirty look. “I think you’re old enough to do the drop off now.”
Bobby considers this for a moment. “How come Dad slept in the living room last night?”
Somebody leans into their horn behind me. For God’s sake…
“Bobby, we’ll talk about this later, okay?”
Thank God he accepts that and gets out of the damn car. I speed away before the person behind me can honk again.
As I drive back home, I tick off all the reasons to try to keep my family together right now. But the reason I keep coming back to is Bobby. When I was growing up, it was just me and my mother. I want something better for Bobby. A mother and father in the same house. If I throw Elliot out, I’m taking that away from him.
I’ve got to find a way to make this work.
Tonight after book club, I’m going to sit down with Elliot and we’re going to figure out what to do next. We’ve got a really big problem, but there’s got to be a way out. We just have to figure it out.
But as I pull into our driveway, I get the surprise of my life.
It’s Brianna.
On my street.
And she just came out of Maria’s house.
Chapter 31
For a moment, all I can do is stare.
What the hell is Brianna doing here? Did she come to see Elliot? That makes some sort of sense, but why was she at Maria’s house? That part doesn’t make sense at all.
She looks great too. Her blond hair is long and glossy, her legs look long and sleek in her skinny pants, and her face is glowing. She’s got a pregnancy glow. A pregnancy glow from my husband’s baby.
I can’t believe this is happening. How could my life fall apart so quickly?
It’s obvious she’s headed for our front door. Before she can make it, I kill the engine and scramble out of the SUV. I catch her before she makes it to the front door.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I hiss at her. Although the conviction in my words is hampered by the fact that I am slightly out of breath.
Brianna turns to me and gives me one of her beautifully fake smiles. “Sorry. I just need to speak to Elliot.”
She reaches out to press the doorbell, but I step in front of her before she can. “You can’t speak to him. You can’t see him ever again.”
She cocks her head to the side. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” I fold my arms across my chest, partially to hide the fact that they are trembling. “I want you off my property and out of our lives. Permanently. Elliot made a huge mistake, and he doesn’t want anything to do with you anymore.”
Her eyes take on a sympathetic look. “Oh. So he hasn’t talked to you about our plans yet?”
“What plans?”
She lets out a long sigh. “April, you couldn’t possibly think he was going to stay with you. We’re having a baby. He’s been wanting to have a baby for a long time.”
“We have a baby,” I spit at her. “Elliot and I have a child together. We have a family. We have a life together here.”
She nods. “Yes, and Bobby will still be a part of our lives—a bit. But you must know how unhappy Elliot has been with you. He can’t stand you. All you do is film your little YouTube show and spend his money.”
“That’s not true.”
“Are you completely oblivious?” She snorts. “Why do you think Elliot stays at work so late every night? To work? Nobody works that hard, honey.”
I grit my teeth. “He told me he regrets what happened with you. He told me it’s over.”
That sympathetic look again. “He’s just trying to find a way to break it to you. I’m sorry, April.”
My heart is racing in my chest. Could this possibly be true? Or is she just messing with my head? I don’t know what to believe anymore.
“Let me tell you this.” I poke her in the chest with my finger. “If Elliot tries to divorce me after what the two of you did, I will take him for every penny he has. I promise you that.”
I thought my words would shake Brianna, but it only seems to amuse her. “I don’t think so, April.”
The way she is looking at me is freaking me out. What does she know? Why is she smiling like that? She has no right to think she has the upper hand. I’m the one married to Elliot. She’s just a secretary who got herself knocked up.
Is she the one who has been texting me? Are she and Maria ganging up against me together? I can’t even wrap my head around it.
“Get off my property,” I say.
Brianna doesn’t move.
“Get off my property,” I say again.
“Listen, calm down, April…”
My voice grows several notches higher. “Get off my property. Right. Now. Or else I’m calling the cops on you!”
I take a step towards her, and this time she flinches. Good. She’s scared. She should be, because I will absolutely call the police on her and press charges. I’m in no mood to mess around.
“I’ll come back later,” Brianna says.
“Don’t bother.”
Brianna walks over to her car, gets inside, and drives away. After her car disappears, I look over at the house next to mine. Maria’s house. Why was Brianna at Maria’s house?