Chapter 3: I Left Them Every Last Piece of My Love
With three days left, Claire's family welcome dinner began.
I worked from dawn until evening, cooking every dish and arranging flowers made with lace cut from my wedding dress.
There were still only four chairs at the table.
None of them was for me.
Mom handed me a plate of leftovers. “Eat in the kitchen. Seeing you will make Claire uncomfortable.”
“All right.”
I carried the plate into the kitchen. The food was already cold, while laughter poured through the door.
Dad raised his glass. “Welcome home, Claire. Starting today, our family is finally complete.”
Julian suddenly opened the kitchen door. “Stop eating. Come take a picture.”
I wiped my hands. “Where should I stand?”
“You're holding the camera.”
In the living room, Mom and Dad sat in the center, with Julian behind Mom. Nolan wore the suit meant for our wedding and stood on the other side with his arm linked through Claire's.
The lace on Claire's dress had come from my wedding gown.
Mom urged me, “Hurry. The food is getting cold.”
I raised the camera. “Everyone look this way.”
Nolan fixed Claire's hair. Julian rested a hand on her shoulder. Mom and Dad smiled at the same time.
I pressed the shutter.
I wasn't in their new family photograph.
Claire looked at the picture and asked softly, “Isn't Erin going to be in it?”
Julian took the camera from me. “After pushing you down the stairs, she still thinks she belongs in our family photo?”
I sent the photograph to Mom. “This one looks good.”
After the dinner ended, only two days remained.
I filled the freezer with thirty meals, labeling Dad's low-sodium food and Mom's stomach-friendly dishes separately. I dated every compartment in the pill organizer and placed spare keys and glasses in Dad's usual drawer.
All of Julian's shirts were ironed. I placed the duplicate childhood album in a gift box and left it outside his door.
Nolan's wedding cancellation fees were paid. I packed the ring and our seven-year journal and mailed them to his apartment.
Finally, I organized Claire's closet and copied the family's birthdays, eating habits, and medication schedules onto the back of her welcome letter.
On my last night, I made another pot of soup.
Mom took one sip and set down her spoon. “Claire doesn't like this flavor. You can't even remember what she eats?”
“I'll make another one.”
Julian glanced at the cut on my hand. “Apologize to Claire again tomorrow morning. Don't hide in your room and pretend to be hurt.”
“All right.”
Nolan came to collect the party invoices. He saw the empty closet in the guest room but only pulled the papers away.
“Don't think organizing Claire's party means I'll take you back.”
“I know.”
“And don't use our seven years together to keep clinging to me.”
I smiled at him. “I won't.”
At four in the morning, I placed my parents' letter of gratitude beneath the guest-room key and left Claire's welcome letter on the nightstand. Julian's gift was already outside his door, and Nolan's package had been mailed.
I disconnected my old number, deleted my last family photograph, and left with a single suitcase.
No one woke up to see me off.
At 7:50 a.m., I boarded my flight to London.
As the plane climbed above the clouds, my old phone connected to the onboard Wi-Fi. A new message from Julian appeared in the Walker family chat.
“Stop throwing a tantrum. Be home by eight and apologize to Claire.”
I turned off the phone.
The plane had already left New York.
