My daughter Zoey Meyer made a wish in German over her birthday candles: “I hope Lucia can be my mom this Christmas.” My husband Liam Meyer laughed and ruffled her hair: “You’ll get your wish soon enough.” I, Eloise Griffin, stood frozen in place as the cake slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor. Liam looked concerned: “What’s wrong?” I shook my head repeatedly, forcing a smile: “I just lost my grip.” Only I knew that I’d panicked because I understood the German, and that’s why I dropped the cake. ***** Liam seemed to have forgotten that I grew up in Germany and only returned to the States for college. Back then, when he learned about my German upbringing, he studied German just to get closer to me. Even Zoey’s German was something I taught her bit by bit. Now, Liam was wiping up the mess on the floor with a towel. Then he cut another slice of cake and held it up to feed me. He said: “It’s okay, I’ll feed you.” This time, I didn’t take it. Instead, I stepped back. I said: “I don’t want any now.” Zoey stuffed a big bite of cake in her mouth and pouted: “I’m still here, you know! You two are being so sweet it’s making me sick!” Zoey just turned seven this Christmas, still had baby fat on her cheeks, and looked just like Liam with the same delicate, beautiful features. Right in front of Zoey, Liam pulled me into his arms and raised an eyebrow: “Being good to my wife is just what I do. Sweet daughter, you’d better get used to it.” Zoey put her cake down on the table and ran over to snuggle into my arms. She said: “No way, it’s my birthday today, so Mommy belongs to me.” Zoey hugged me tight, but I didn’t smile and pat her head like I usually would. Sensing something was off, Zoey looked up with a pitiful expression: “Mommy, why aren’t you hugging me back? Are you going to team up with Daddy to pick on me now?” Liam chuckled. I looked at Zoey and said flatly: “I’m wondering if my daughter and husband, who seem to love me so much, have found someone else they like better on the outside.” Zoey froze instantly: “Mommy, what are you talking about?” Liam’s smile disappeared immediately. When he looked up, his eyes were full of tender affection as he took my hand and caressed it. He said: “Of course, Zoey and I both love you most. Why would you think otherwise?” I quietly pulled my hand away. Even now, they still wanted to lie to me. They’d clearly forgotten that what I hated most was deception. When I married Liam, I told him that if I ever discovered he was hiding anything from me, I would leave him forever. And he had sworn in front of everyone that he would be faithful to me for life. If he really had betrayed me, I would choose to return to Germany and never see him again. But now I didn’t know how long he’d been cheating, and even my beloved daughter was taking the side of his other woman! Five years of guidance and devotion had turned to nothing in an instant. I thought I would break down crying, that I’d fight and scream at them. Surprisingly, I felt calm—so calm that I could think about what to do next. I roughly pushed Zoey away from me: “I’m tired. You two eat without me.”
When I pulled Zoey away, her eyes were filled with disbelief. I had no intention of comforting her and simply listened quietly as she began crying behind me. Liam gently consoled Zoey: “Don’t cry, Mommy might not be feeling well. I’ll go check on her. Zoey, you need to be good, okay?” Liam gently consoled Zoey: “Don’t cry, Mommy might not be feeling well. I’ll go check on her. Zoey, you need to be good, okay?” Zoey sniffled and softly responded. Just as I was about to close the bedroom door, Liam forced his way in. I saw a message suddenly pop up on his phone: [Do you want to come over to my place tonight?] Liam didn’t notice anything, frowning with concern as he approached me: “Eloise, what’s wrong?” I lowered my eyes, avoiding his gaze, and spoke flatly: “I saw the message that popped up on your phone.” With that, I snatched his phone, unlocked it, and placed it in front of him: “Go ahead and reply. Don’t keep her waiting – you still need to go comfort her.” A flash of panic crossed Liam’s face, but he immediately tossed the phone aside and assured me: “Right now, the most important thing to me is making you happy. Other people? I don’t know them.” As he spoke, his lips slowly moved closer to mine, desire flickering in his eyes: “Eloise…” I was trapped in his embrace, unable to move. He smiled slightly, leaning close to my ear and whispering: “I knew it – you can’t bear to push me away.” He buried his head in my neck, and just then, there was sudden banging on the door. Zoey called out: “Daddy, Mommy, I don’t feel well.” Liam immediately snapped back to reality, hurriedly opening the door with urgency in his voice: “Zoey, what’s wrong?” Zoey clutched her stomach, curled up and crouching on the ground, speaking in German: “Daddy, I’m pretending to have a stomachache on purpose because I want us to leave early. You promised to take me to see Ms. Rose today.” She didn’t lower her voice, and tears were about to spill from her eyes. This was the first time I’d seen Zoey display such remarkable acting skills. If I couldn’t understand German, I probably would have panicked. Liam immediately caught on, saying anxiously: “Don’t be scared, I’ll take you to the hospital.” He picked up Zoey and turned to me: “You stay home and wait for us to come back.” Zoey nestled in Liam’s arms, crying as she looked at me: “Mommy.” I walked over to her, gently stroking her cheek with a tender voice: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll be home waiting for you.” Zoey’s eyes instantly brightened, and she softly hummed in response before being carried out by Liam. After a while, I looked through the window and saw a lively Zoey being led by an equally spirited Liam, walking down the street hand in hand. Zoey didn’t look sick at all. I withdrew my gaze, biting my lip hard to keep the tears from falling. Deep down, I knew they wouldn’t be coming back tonight. Forcing myself to stay rational, I contacted the visa department and began processing the paperwork for traveling to Germany. Since I’d made multiple trips before, the visa office responded quickly. As long as I brought all the required documents for processing, I could leave this place in about two weeks. After confirming everything, I closed my laptop and looked up at myself in the mirror. I consoled myself: “Just two more weeks until I can go home. I should be happy.” I consoled myself: “Just two more weeks until I can go home. I should be happy.”
By the next morning, I still hadn’t seen them come home. The only message on my phone was from Liam: [Eloise, Zoey’s stomach is still hurting badly. The doctor recommended she stay for observation. We’ll come home tomorrow.] He also sent me a photo of him and Zoey sitting on hospital chairs. In the photo, there were still traces of cream around Zoey’s mouth. I distinctly remembered her mouth being clean when they left. She wasn’t even trying to make her act convincing. I didn’t reply and left to handle the visa procedures. As I was leaving, the bracelet on my wrist caught my attention. This was from my latest favorite brand. When this bracelet was released in Germany, it was only available in limited quantities at physical stores, and you had to wait in line to buy it. When Liam found out, he specifically flew to Germany and waited in line for eight hours to get it for me. Back then, I truly felt like I was the happiest woman in the world. Now… I shook my head, took off the bracelet, and threw it in the trash. When I finished at the visa office, I happened to run into Zoey and Liam passing by. The three of us locked eyes instantly, and Liam and Zoey froze in place. Liam asked, “Eloise, what are you doing here?” I tucked away the documents in my hand and replied calmly, “I came to handle some paperwork. I’m going to Germany on a business trip.” A flash of panic crossed Liam’s eyes, but he still tried to stay composed as he asked, “But isn’t your German not that good?” I raised my eyebrows and smiled as I lied, “That’s exactly why I need you to teach me.” He visibly relaxed and quickly jogged over to take my hand, “Perfect, let’s go home together then.” Zoey, carrying a bag, took my other hand with a bright smile, “That’s wonderful! I know a little German too, I want to teach Mommy as well!” They smiled happily, holding my hands on either side. But I couldn’t smile. The chill in my heart kept spreading. This place was far from our home, and even farther from the hospital near our house. The only possibility was that this Lucia they mentioned lived nearby. The perfume scent on both of them was overwhelming. I couldn’t stand it and couldn’t help coughing a few times. Liam immediately asked nervously what was wrong. I took out a mask from my bag and put it on, saying calmly, “The perfume smell on you two is irritating my nose.” I have rhinitis, and they never use perfume at home to avoid triggering it. Instantly, both their faces turned panicked. Liam hurriedly explained, “It might be the scent from the family of the patient in the bed next to Zoey’s room.” Zoey immediately let go of my hand and ran to Liam’s side, “Since I’m making Mommy uncomfortable, I’ll stay away from her.” She was still young after all, and couldn’t quite hide the smile on her face. I didn’t understand why she disliked me so much, always seeming so happy whenever she had a chance to get away from me. I didn’t coax her like I usually would, just gave a soft acknowledgment. Zoey froze for a moment. In my peripheral vision, Liam and Zoey exchanged a glance, their eyes full of confusion. After we got home, Zoey pulled out a Hermès bag from behind her and held it in front of me, her eyes sparkling, “Mommy, look! Daddy and I spent so long picking out this style!” It used to be like this before too. Whenever Liam sensed I was unhappy, he’d always find ways to cheer me up. This time, his method was giving me a bag I’d been wanting for a long time. They both looked at me with the same nervous anticipation. I sighed softly, took the bag, and smiled, “I really like it.” Maybe I was just overthinking everything. Liam’s eyes immediately lit up, “I’m glad you like it. So what do you want for lunch?” Zoey chimed in from the side, “I want steak today!” Liam scooped up Zoey and came over to me, “Well, we need to ask if Mommy wants that too. Eloise, do you want steak?” I hugged the bag and nodded with a smile, “Whatever Zoey likes, I’ll eat.” “That’s awesome, thank you Mommy!” Zoey grabbed Liam’s hand and ran toward the kitchen, “Daddy, hurry up and cook!” Watching their retreating figures, the gloom in my heart lifted slightly. I sat back down on the sofa and opened my laptop to handle some work. Soon, a friend request popped up on my phone. The profile picture was a cute little animal, and I accepted it almost without hesitation. The person immediately sent a message: [So, how do you like the bag I picked out?] I immediately understood that this was Lucia—the woman they’d been talking about—deliberately adding me to provoke me. In that moment, I wanted to slap myself. I had actually softened toward them just now, even entertaining the thought of staying and continuing to live with them. They had deceived me after all, just with an extra layer of disguise. I didn’t respond, but Lucia didn’t seem to mind and sent another photo. It was a real-time photo of her and Liam drinking from the same glass. Through the reflection in the glass, I recognized that Zoey had taken this photo. Zoey said, “Lucia, you and my daddy are perfect together!” Lucia sent a message asking: [How do you like it? Don’t we look great as a couple?] [Of course, this isn’t all—there are plenty more photos like this.] I slammed my phone face-down on the table and began dry heaving uncontrollably. I felt utterly disgusted. I gripped the table and retched into the trash can repeatedly. Soon, hurried footsteps approached, and Liam anxiously came up behind me, gently patting my back. He asked, “Eloise, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me.” After dry heaving for a while without bringing anything up, I stood up shakily. I said, “Maybe it was something too greasy I ate this morning.” Zoey brought me a glass of water: “Mommy, drink some water.” I glanced up at the glass, but the image from that photo flashed through my mind again. I violently pushed the glass away and rushed to the trash can, vomiting violently once more. Zoey’s dress got splashed and soaked. She pouted pitifully and cried out loudly, “Mommy, I hate you. You always make me comfort you, not like Lucia who spoils me. You’re not even half as good as her!” She cried louder and louder. She was just a child after all, completely unaware of what she shouldn’t say when her emotions spiraled out of control. Liam’s expression changed instantly: “Zoey!” “What did you say? Who’s Lucia?” I grabbed Zoey’s hand and asked softly. She sobbed, and I crouched down, quietly looking at her. Looking at this Zoey—the child I had carried for ten months and fought to bring into this world—I suddenly felt she was so foreign to me. When she was ten months old, I discovered she loved drawing and spent half my Christmas bonus creating a dedicated art studio for her at home. She loved bedtime stories, and no matter how exhausted I was during the day, I would find new stories to tell her every night—a tradition I’d never broken. She had stomach problems since childhood, so I spent countless hours researching recipes to create customized meals for her. I had always thought my parenting was successful, which was why Zoey knew to comfort me when I was upset. I asked, “So in your heart, have I been forcing you all along?” Liam quickly interrupted: “No, Zoey’s just talking nonsense. Lucia is just a character she encountered during a kindergarten performance. Zoey, explain to Mommy properly.” But Zoey had completely broken down emotionally and couldn’t hear anything. She shook off my hand and shouted, “Everything I said is true—I do hate Mommy. Daddy, didn’t you promise me you’d get me a new mommy after my birthday? I don’t want to wait anymore.” Liam immediately covered her mouth: “Don’t talk nonsense.” He scooped up Zoey and hurried toward the bedroom. He said, “Zoey’s probably just tired.” I slowly stood up and grabbed the corner of Liam’s shirt: “Since Zoey wants a new mommy, let’s make it happen.” Liam froze, clearly panicked: “Eloise, don’t say that. I really can’t bear the pain of losing you. Let me take her to her room first—wait for me.” With that, Liam rushed into the room with Zoey, keeping his hand over her mouth the entire way to prevent her from saying anything more. I collapsed onto the floor beside the couch, completely drained. My earlier determination to fight with him to the bitter end quietly faded away. I even thought that maybe I should use this opportunity to divorce Liam and return to Germany. But I worried that Liam would never let me leave. Lost in my chaotic thoughts, I didn’t notice when Liam had sat down beside me. He gently took my hand: “Eloise, don’t be angry anymore. You know Zoey’s only five—she’s probably heard some things she shouldn’t have lately, which is why she said such hurtful things. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely educate her properly after she wakes up.” “So…” Liam suddenly gripped my hand tightly: “You were just speaking out of anger just now, right?” His eyes revealed an almost obsessive possessiveness. I got goosebumps immediately. I knew clearly that if I truly insisted on leaving, he would never let me go. Even though deep down, both he and Zoey preferred Lucia. I took a deep breath, nodded slightly, and forced a smile: “Yes, I was just too angry.” Liam visibly relaxed. Over the next few days, Liam became extremely sensitive, staying by my side almost constantly. Zoey seemed sullen, but whatever Liam had said to her, she would force a smile whenever she was around me. I maintained my composure, pretending not to notice her insincerity. Before, they used to go out frequently. Now, even when working, Liam tried to stay by my side as much as possible. I often heard his phone ring, and Zoey’s eyes would light up accordingly. That must have been Lucia’s special ringtone. But each time, Liam would just glance at it and hang up directly, making sure to explain to me: “It’s harassment calls from a competitor company, not anyone else.” But with him acting this way, I could never find an opportunity to pack my bags and leave. There was only one week left until my planned departure date.
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