I’m Not Your Second Choice

When I opened the door, Terrance and Claude were standing there, with Stephanie between them, holding a piece of cake.

"What took you so long? You left Stephanie standing out here forever." Terrance strode over and slammed into my shoulder.

I staggered back a couple of steps, catching myself against the shoe cabinet before I fell.

He didn't bring up the divorce. He probably hadn't seen the papers yet.

Claude led Stephanie inside and tossed the cake onto the table like he was doing me a favor.

"Stephanie felt bad that no one was with you on your anniversary, so she brought cake to celebrate with you. Hurry up and eat it."

The cake had clearly been dropped. It was cracked all over, with bits of grit and a few strands of hair stuck to it. It was disgusting to look at.

They wouldn't even touch it themselves, but they expected me to eat it. It was almost funny.

I was about to refuse when Terrance's cold voice cut in.

"Vivian, are you really going back home?"

So he had noticed the suitcase I had left by the bedroom door. For a split second, there was a hint of panic on his face.

Claude stepped forward and kicked the suitcase over. As if he had seen right through everything, he sneered, "Mom, you're getting better and better at putting on a show. Running away from home just to get Dad's attention? Fine, if you wanna play games, I'll go along with it."

Claude crouched down and yanked the zipper open, dumping everything out.

The things I had just packed spilled across the floor in a mess, including the gift Terrance had given me when we first got married.

It was a small teddy bear holding a ring box. It meant something to me, so I wanted to take it as a keepsake.

When Claude saw it, his eyes lit up, as if he had found proof of something. He picked up the bear and laughed.

"Dad, look! She's even taking the bear you gave her. Isn't this just for show so you'll comfort her?"

Terrance immediately gave me a look like he had expected this all along.

A sharp sense of humiliation crept up my chest. My hands curled into fists, trembling. I tried to speak, but Stephanie rushed in and cut me off.

"This ring is so pretty. It would look amazing on your hand. Are you not wearing it because you don't like it?"

Inside the little box the bear was holding was a large diamond ring. It stood for everything love was supposed to be. It was worth a fortune, limited edition. Back then, Terrance had spent over half a year getting it for me.

It was the best gift I had ever received, and I could never bring myself to wear it.

Terrance used to treasure it, too, never letting a speck of dust touch it.

But now, he pulled the ring out without a second thought and slid it onto Stephanie's finger.

"Vivian doesn't wear it anyway. If you like it, it's yours."