words wouldn’t budge.

Just like they wouldn’t leave Emily’s mind.

Because as much as my wife loved me, as much as she wanted to believe me, someone had planted doubt inside her.

And doubt, once it takes root, doesn’t just go away.

Was it possible that my car had been mistaken for someone else’s? Maybe it had been a part of someone else’s revenge plan?

I was so lost in thought that I almost didn’t hear the footsteps approaching.

But then…

“Don’t bother thanking me,” a voice said from behind me. “You’re welcome.”

I froze.

I knew that voice.

I turned around, my breath caught in my throat, and there she was.

Claire.

My sister.

She stood there, eating an ice cream like everything was right in the world. She was smug as hell.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, my voice dangerously low.

She shrugged.

“I wrote it. Duh.”

I blinked.

The words didn’t register at first.

“You… what?” I dropped the sponge I was using into the bucket.

Claire tilted her head, like I was the dumb one here.

“I wrote it.

You’re too chicken to deal with this baby, so I figured I’d help you out. If Emily thinks that you cheated, she’ll leave. Problem solved.”

The world tilted.

“You really think you helped me?” I hissed, stepping toward her.

She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on.

You’ve been freaking out about this kid for ages now. At Thanksgiving, you went on and on about how you weren’t ready. Don’t you remember?

We were at the bakery getting the last-minute pies. You were going on about how money was tight. About how stressed you were.

I just… made things easier for you.”

I was shaking.

“That was venting, Claire! It was normal stress! That didn’t mean I wanted out!

And… am I not supposed to talk to my sister about these things? I should have known better.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” she shot back. “You should’ve been clearer.”

I almost laughed out loud.

Except that nothing about this was funny.

“This isn’t like when you ‘helped me out’ in college,” I snapped, kicking the bucket. “This isn’t like when you told my ex-girlfriend that I was flirting with other girls just so I’d break up with her. She cried for days.

This is my wife. This is my child. And you…”

I pointed to the car.

“You just ruined my marriage.

You just burned my marriage to the ground, Claire! And for what? What did you get out of this?”

Claire actually had the audacity to look bored.

“You’re being dramatic.

Emily’s overreacting. It’s just a little lie.”

A little lie?

My breath was uneven. My hands trembled.

“You’re going to fix this.”

Claire scoffed.

“Oh, yeah?

And how do you suppose I do that?”

I gritted my teeth.

“Get in the car! You’re going to tell Emily the truth. Right now.”

When we got to Emily’s parents’ house, I was armed with a bouquet of flowers and a chocolate cake.

It had been her constant craving for the past week, and I hoped that it would make her smile.

She was hesitant to let me inside.

I could see it in her eyes. The uncertainty. The hurt.

It was all there.

“I just need you to listen, my love,” I begged. “Please.”

After a long pause, she opened the door.

Claire shuffled in behind me, suddenly not so smug anymore.

“What’s going on?” Emily asked, arms crossed.

“Tell her,” I turned to my sister. “Now.”

Claire hesitated, glancing at me like she wasn’t sure anymore if this was a good idea.

But I wasn’t letting her back out.

“Tell her.”

With a sigh, Claire admitted everything. And when she was finished, Emily turned to me and grabbed my waist.

My wife turned to Claire, her expression unreadable.

“You owe me an apology, Claire,” she said. “This was despicable behavior.

I can’t believe that you’d do something as horrible as this. If it was such a big deal, and you were genuinely worried about Henry, why didn’t you just come to me? You could have told me what he said and that you thought he wanted out.”

Claire shifted, clearly uncomfortable.

If I’m being honest, I could barely look at my sister.

Something had changed in me. She wasn’t the person that I loved a few hours ago. Now?

Now she was a horrible woman who had tried to end my marriage based on a conversation we had a long time ago.

A conversation that had been in passing. A conversation that had never gone any further than that moment.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Emily. And Henry, I was wrong.

I didn’t think it would go this far. I just thought that you two would be forced to have a conversation and that he would tell you the truth.”

“But that isn’t the truth,” Emily said. “It was just your assumption.”

Claire looked to Emily as though she would say something else.

Anything to make it seem as though forgiveness was in sight. But Emily didn’t say much else to her. And I could tell that she was done with Claire.

For a long time, maybe.

Or maybe even forever.

And honestly? So was I.

I couldn’t imagine Claire being around my child. I couldn’t imagine what she would be whispering to my child or how she’d treat that baby.

No, we were better off without her.

Over the next few weeks, Emily and I worked through everything.

It wasn’t easy breaking through the doubt that had crept in, but we came out stronger.

As for Claire?

Well, she’s on thin ice as far as family is concerned.

I made it clear that she’s not welcome around us unless she gets her act together.

In the end, I learned two things:

Never let anyone’s drama mess with your marriage.

Be careful who you vent to.

Because some people don’t want to help you. Some people just want to watch you burn.

What would you have done?

Source: amomama