With that, he spun on his heel and disappeared into the bedroom.
Hastily, Amy shoved the bag with her grandchildren’s clothes underneath the sink. She was shutting the cupboard and trying to ignore the racing of her heart when Eric emerged, a thin steam following behind him. He looked put together in a custom-made suit with his salt-and-pepper hair slicked back and a determined gleam in his eyes. With one last dismissive look over his shoulder at her, he pulled the door shut behind him.
Amy was chopping up vegetables when he stormed in a short while later, his face flush with anger. “The elevator is being fixed. Why am I surrounded by incompetent idiots?”
Amy pressed her lips together and didn’t say anything.
She knew nothing was going to calm him down anyway.
Whenever he was on a rampage, it was better for her to nod along and let him get it all off of his chest or risk being fodder. After years of experimenting, she’d finally got the message. Now, as she moved around the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards, Eric muttered in the background. He was tugging on his tie and rifling through the kitchen when he came across the drawer where she hid the bag full of clothes.
Scowling, he took the bag and threw it into the trash can. “They don’t need any more clothes. Buy them something useful, for heaven’s sake.”
After running a hand over his face, Eric took his phone out and left again.
For a long time, Amy stood there, staring at the trash can in disbelief. With shaking hands, she pulled it out from under the sink, got down on her hands and knees, and rifled through it. She didn’t realize she was crying until her shoulders began to shake. Gingerly, she rose back up to her feet and stumbled into the guest bathroom. Bright fluorescent lights nearly blinded her as she took the clothes out and filled the sink up with water.
In the kitchen, she took her phone out and called her daughter.
Sylvie answered on the fifth ring, sounding harried and out of breath. “Hey, Mom. I can’t talk for long. I’m about to step into a meeting. Is everything okay?”
Amy cradled the phone between her neck and shoulder. “It’s fine. I just wanted to check in. How’s Stan? And how are the girls?”
“Stan is on a business trip,” Sylvie replied, conversation rising and falling around her. “The girls are fine. I haven’t seen them in a while, actually. We should all plan something soon.”
Amy’s heart swelled with joy and happiness, making it feel like it was twice its size. “I’d love that. I could take you all out to dinner. There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk about—"
Sylvie was rarely the first one to suggest they make plans.
Amy was afraid that if she waited too long, her daughter would be too busy.
Again.
Sylvie’s voice sounded far away; then, it came back on clearer than before. “Mom, I’m sorry. Can we talk about this later? I’ve got another phone call. Love you.”
Amy gripped the phone tighter and ignored the low thrumming in her ears. “Sure, I can make plans for dinner—”
Before Amy could finish the rest of her sentence, the line went dead.
With a sigh, Amy cut the chicken into thin strips and tossed it into a pan, pausing to drizzle some olive oil, paprika, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. After covering the pan, she scrolled through her contacts and paused at Lucas’s number.
He picked up on the second ring, yelling at someone in the background. “Hey, Mom. Is everything okay?”
Amy sniffed, the words lodged in her throat. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Are you and Susan free for dinner tonight?”
Lucas said something else in the background. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m pulling an all-nighter. The DA is burying me with paperwork, and we really need to prep for this case.”
Disappointment settled, hard and heavy, in the pit of Amy’s stomach. “What about Judy? I miss my granddaughter.”
“She’s traveling with a few friends, but Susan and I can set something up when she’s back.”
Amy swallowed back the disappointment.
It wasn’t that her kids didn’t care, but she’d raised them to have their own lives. To be independent and hardworking and to put their families first.
She knew she shouldn’t be upset she was on the outskirts, especially when she knew the kids had no idea what her marriage was really like. Still, as she came up with an excuse to end the call with Lucas after hearing Eric in the background, Amy suddenly realized she was well and completely alone.
If she ended up collapsing into a heap on the floor, how long would it be before anyone found her?
