Chapter 3No Room For A Third

The next morning, my mother mentioned she craved soup from a famous diner down the street. I went downstairs to pick it up.

While I was waiting in line, my phone rang. It was Derek.

"How's your mom feeling today?" He sounded warm and familiar, as if nothing unpleasant had happened yesterday.

"She's fine," I replied coolly.

"I have a meeting at noon, but I'll pick you two up at the hotel tonight for dinner. A new place opened nearby with light, healthy dishes. Perfect for her."

I looked at the long line in front of me and thought it over. "Sure. What time?"

"Let's say six-thirty. I'll drive straight over after work."

After hanging up, I brought the soup back to the hotel.

At five in the afternoon, I helped my mother change her clothes. She looked in the mirror, smoothing down her hair nervously. "Nora, Derek is so busy with work. It feels wrong to make him drive all the way here."

"It's fine. He offered."

I sat on the sofa, watching the clock on the wall.

Six o'clock.

Six-thirty.

Seven o'clock.

Derek didn't show up. He didn't call, either.

My mother sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her hands together anxiously. "Maybe he's stuck in traffic? Why don't you call him?"

I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

No answer. I tried three times in a row. Every call went straight to voicemail.

My mother's face paled slightly. "Nora, let's forget about going out. I'm not really hungry anyway. We can just order room service."

Seeing the cautious, timid look in her eyes made my heart ache. "Wait for me a moment."

I walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Opening Instagram, I tapped on Giselle's profile.

She had posted an update just one minute ago.

The photo showed a ginger cat hiding under a bed, and a man's long-fingered hand holding a toy wand to lure it out. On his wrist was the Cartier watch I had bought him for his birthday.

The caption read: The little rascal ran under the bed and refused to come out. Thank goodness my superhero came to save the day! [Heart]

I stared at the picture.

The background was the master bedroom of our apartment. The twenty-five-hundred-dollar silk sheets were crumpled into a mess, marked by several obvious claw snags.

Those were the sheets Derek had promised we would save for our wedding night.

I shoved the bathroom door open. "Mom, put your coat on. We're going to that restaurant."

"Is Derek here?"

"He's not coming. Something came up at work," I lied without batting an eye.

After dinner, I brought my mother back to the hotel. It was already nine in the evening.

Standing in the hotel lobby, I dialed Derek's phone again.

This time, he picked up almost instantly.

"Hey, Nora." He was breathing somewhat heavily.

"Where are you?"

"Still working overtime at the office. I was in a back-to-back meeting and couldn't check my phone. I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to your mom another day."

His tone was seamless, devoid of any flaw.

I took a deep breath. "Derek, how do you plan on getting the cat claw marks out of our master bed?"

The line went dead quiet.

Several seconds passed before he finally spoke, his voice laced with the irritation of being caught. "You're stalking Giselle's posts?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "She posted it for the whole world to see. You call that stalking? So, this was your 'meeting'?"

He let out an annoyed noise. "Nora, can you be reasonable for once?"

"I was literally on my way to pick you up when Giselle called. The neighbor's cat climbed through her balcony window. She's deathly afraid of cats. She was crying hysterically on the phone. Was I supposed to just leave her like that?"

I gripped my phone tightly, my fingernails digging into my palm. "She's afraid of a cat, so you went into our master bedroom to play with it on our bed? Derek, I bought those sheets! We agreed to use them when we got married!"

"It's just a set of sheets!" His voice spiked. "The cat was stuck under the bed, so I had to lure it out! It got a little messy, we can just wash it! Do you really have to make a huge scene over a pair of bedsheets?"

I stood by the revolving doors, watching the endless stream of headlights outside. Suddenly, all the energy drained out of me.

"Derek."

My voice was so steady it surprised even me.

"Do you remember my mom's follow-up checkup today? The doctor said her blood markers looked abnormal."

He paused on the other end. "You... you didn't tell me that..."

"Right. I didn't."

"Because when I called you, you didn't answer."

I paused for a beat.

"You were busy saving Giselle."

"All because she was scared of a cat."

Derek's breathing hitched. "Nora, I didn't know... Is your mom okay?"

"She's not dead yet."

I didn't want to hear another word. "I'm stopping by the apartment tomorrow at noon to pick up some things. And I'm throwing those sheets in the trash."

"Don't you dare!" His tone turned cold. "Nora, don't push it. I told you I'd wash them."

"They're filthy."

I dropped those two words and hung up immediately.

Back in the room, my mother was already asleep. I sat by her bed, watching her pale face.

Three years ago, when Derek bought that apartment, he could only afford a partial down payment. Forty thousand dollars of that money came from my mother selling her old home back in her hometown.

Back then, Derek held my mother's hand and swore up and down.

Auntie, the guest bedroom has the best sunlight. I'm keeping it for you. You can move in with us later, and I'll take care of you forever.

Now, that sunny bedroom door was covered in Giselle's cartoon stickers.