Part 1Her Mondays Are for Her Brother-In-Law

My wife, Sienna Fairchild, has one ironclad rule. Every Monday, she has dinner with her brother-in-law.

During that time, she turns off her phone and blocks every message. Nothing, no matter how urgent, takes priority over their little family gathering.

Then one day, our daughter falls down the stairs at preschool and breaks her arm. I call Sienna over a dozen times, but not a single one goes through. With no other option, I call her brother-in-law instead.

"Abby got hurt at school. Can you have Sienna come to the hospital?"

The other end goes quiet.

Just when I think the call has been dropped, Sienna's voice comes through.

"My whole day belongs to them. Don't bother me unless it's actually important."

The line goes dead. I stand frozen, staring at my daughter crying on the hospital bed.

She looks up at me with red, tear-filled eyes. "Daddy, does Mommy not want me anymore?"

I choke back the lump in my throat as exhaustion washes over me. Maybe it's time to find my daughter a new mother.

* * *

Joel's POV

By the time we got back from the hospital, it was already late.

The lights were on, and the front door was unlocked.

My wife, Sienna Fairchild, was already home. A few plates of half-eaten food were sitting on the dining table.

The second our daughter, Abby Whitman, saw her, her eyes welled up with tears.

She yanked free of my hand and threw herself into Sienna's arms, sobbing out every bit of her hurt.

"Mommy, my arm hurts so much. Why didn't you come see me?"

Sienna's gaze landed on the bandaged right arm, and her brow furrowed.

Instead of showing any concern, the first thing out of her mouth was blame.

"Abby, were you messing around again? How did you manage to do this to yourself?"

The accusation came out of nowhere, and the look in Abby's eyes went blank.

Anger flared in my chest, and when I finally spoke, my voice came out rough. "I called you. Why didn't you pick up? Our daughter fell down the stairs, and you couldn't even come to the hospital?"

Sienna pressed her lips into a thin line. "I already told you, I was at dinner with Kent tonight. She's not just my responsibility…"

"Would you even care if she died?"

"Joel Whitman, stop making a scene." Sienna's expression hardened, her voice rising.

I stared her down, eyes burning.

Abby had fallen from the second-floor staircase. She was lucky she didn't hit her head, and that all she got was a broken arm.

Ever since Sienna's older sister passed away, she'd taken everything on for Kent Palmer and his son Jamie.

When Jamie ran a fever, she rushed over to take care of him.

When he needed rides to school, she drove him herself.

When there was a parent-teacher conference, she was the one who showed up.

Sienna always gave the same excuse. "Abby's lucky. She has a whole family. But Jamie's different. His mom's gone, so I'm his mother now."

But I was the one who married her. We had a daughter too, yet she always came second.

A gentle tug at my shirt brought me back. I looked down and found Abby gripping my sleeve tight. She'd done this ever since she was little, every time she was scared or upset.

A lump rose in my throat. I opened my mouth, the word "divorce" sitting right on the tip of my tongue. Before I could get it out, someone knocked at the door.

Sienna opened it and froze when she saw who was standing there. It was Kent, with Jamie beside him.

Kent had a smile plastered on his face. "Sorry to bother you this late. I noticed you left your lipstick in my car. This is yours, right, Sienna?"

His eyes drifted to Abby, and surprise flickered across his face. "What happened to Abby? Was she being naughty again?

"Abby, you've gotta stop giving your mom so much trouble, kiddo. Be a good girl, okay?"

He kept going without waiting for an answer, then turned to me with that condescending tone of his. "Joel, don't take this the wrong way, but if you can't handle watching your own kid, maybe hire a nanny or—"

Something inside me snapped. I pointed at the door, hand shaking. "Get out!"

The whole room fell silent. The smile on Kent's face froze, and Jamie burst into tears beside him.

Sienna was the first to react. She slapped me across the face.

"Who told you you could talk to him like that?"

Abby was crying too, her eyes red and swollen. A flash of irritation crossed Sienna's face, and she grabbed Kent's hand.

"Let's go."

The door slammed shut behind them. Abby curled into my arms, reaching up with her left hand to touch the spot where Sienna had hit me.

"Daddy, does Mommy not like me?"

I didn't know how to answer that.