Chapter 2

2.

Lillian didn't get home until after two in the afternoon.

She was humming a little tune, clearly in a fantastic mood.

Even though she realized I hadn't made lunch, she didn't snap at me like she usually did.

Instead, she asked if I was just feeling tired.

I didn't give her an answer.

Lillian didn't seem to care; she was too busy admiring her new hairstyle in the mirror.

Eventually, she remembered the flight and asked me again.

"Did you get my ticket yet?"

I was lying on the sofa, listening to the news, and I answered coldly. "No."

Lillian's eyebrows shot up.

She marched over and demanded to know why I hadn't done it.

"I told you about this early this morning!"

When I stayed silent, her lip curled in disgust.

She pulled out her own phone to check prices, but then started messaging our daughter to do it for her because she couldn't figure out the payment app.

She was frantic, pacing around like a panicked animal.

It made my blood run cold.

"Is seeing your lover really that important?" I asked.

Lillian, who had been focused on her phone, froze and looked back at me.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She was still playing dumb.

But I was done being a supporting character in her drama.

I picked up the camera and began scrolling through the photos right in front of her.

Before I could even get to the videos, she lunged forward and snatched it away.

"Why are you touching my stuff?" she screamed.

I let out a cold laugh.

"So you're admitting it?"

"Admitting what? Silas! Can you stop being so damn dramatic?"

Lillian hugged the camera to her chest, looking at me with pure annoyance.

I laughed again, harder this time.

"Lillian! Did you really spend every summer taking pictures of landscapes?"

"Of course I did. You've seen the photos I brought back."

It was true.

She did bring back beautiful scenery photos every year.

That was why I never suspected she was cheating.

I had even been happy that she had a hobby to keep her spirits up in her old age.

But it was all a lie. The landscapes were just a cover story.

We stared each other down until she finally gave a half-hearted, reluctant apology.

"Fine, I should have told you he was there. But we are completely innocent."

"We just happened to run into each other a few times abroad. We had dinner and took some photos. That's it."

"Even old classmates take photos when they meet. We've been friends for decades. What's the big deal?"

She started calling me narrow-minded and crazy.

If I were truly crazy, I would have dragged her out of that hair salon this morning.

I kept my face like stone.

"If everything is so innocent, why does it have to be July every single year?"

"I never said it had to be July!"

"Fine," I said. "Then postpone this trip until December. Go take some photos of the snow instead."

Lillian's face turned bright red with rage.

She slammed the TV remote down and turned off the news, screaming at me.

"Who do you think you are, telling me when I can go?"

"I'm nobody. I just think you're a liar."

Lillian was hyperventilating, her chest heaving with anger.

Finally, she stormed toward the door and threw one last insult over her shoulder.

"Think whatever the hell you want!"