Chapter 2

When the doorbell rang, I was still wiping down the stove.

Julian came in dragging Sienna's three suitcases, her expedition jacket draped over his arm.

When Sienna saw the table full of food, she let out a dramatic squeal. "Nora, I officially declare you a five-star chef! I've been eating cold sandwiches and salad every day. I swear, if I see one more piece of lettuce, I'll throw up."

Julian laughed. "I knew you'd be starving."

He set down her luggage and added casually, "Nora doesn't have much ambition anyway. Cooking and washing dishes is about all she can do. She's nothing like you."

Sienna laughed out loud.

I stood where I was, my fingers slowly tightening around my apron.

"You're the one who told me to quit my job."

The laughter in the living room stopped for half a beat.

Julian frowned. "So? When I told you to quit, did I tell you to let yourself fall apart at home? Besides, look at you. How long would you even last at work right now?"

I opened my mouth, and for some reason I couldn't argue.

Since getting pregnant, I really had felt worse every day. But that didn't give him the right to treat what I'd given up as proof that I was born ordinary.

Sienna came over and took my hand, her voice soft. "Nora, Julian's just worried about you. A woman doesn't have to have a career. Taking good care of a home is amazing too."

She sounded sincere. But that sincerity stung worse than mockery.

At dinner, Sienna took out her tablet to show Julian the project proposal she'd just finished. The two of them went from overseas markets to fundraising plans, more and more absorbed.

I had been watching this scene for seven years.

In college, they were the two brightest stars on campus.

After graduation, they were on the covers of business magazines together.

I used to think that as long as Julian held my hand and took me home at the end of the day, it didn't matter where I stood.

But marriage gave me the title of wife. It never gave me a ticket into his world.

When Sienna got to the financing structure, I couldn't help speaking up. "Regulations in this industry changed recently. The banks have tightened up on approvals."

Julian didn't even look up. "You've been out of work for two months. Your information's out of date. Sienna and I can handle this."

Sienna glanced at me and smiled warmly. "Nora, you don't have to be in such a rush to prove yourself. There's nothing wrong with being a housewife."

Only then did Julian look up. "She's always like this. She's afraid of falling behind us, so she forces herself to listen to all of it. She really doesn't need to." He ladled me a bowl of soup and sprinkled a handful of chopped parsley on top. "Everyone has different abilities. Taking care of the baby is the biggest help you can give me."

I never ate parsley.

Seven years, and he still hadn't remembered.

I looked at the little green flecks in the bowl, and my stomach started churning again.

I didn't say anything more. I just glanced at my phone: Wednesday morning, prenatal checkup.

At the last one, he'd had to take Sienna to the airport at the last minute. He promised he'd come with me next time.