Part 2The Christmas Eve He Left Me in the Cold

"Eileen, are you awake?"

I had just opened my eyes on a bench in the public lounge, and Daniel's messages had already piled up on my screen.

He said Claire had an emotional breakdown last night and kept blaming herself for being a burden. Buddy had gotten spooked too and thrown up once in the middle of the night. He ended by telling me not to ask about the room keys anymore and to wait until Claire stabilized before we talked.

Not a single word asking where I had slept.

I charged my phone to thirty percent before replying. "I never made it into a heated room last night."

Daniel took a long time to respond. "I know."

"Do you know where I was?"

"Eileen, are you really going to argue with me about this? Claire just went through a divorce. She's extremely sensitive about relationships. If you keep pressing, she'll only feel like she's been abandoned again."

"So what should I do?"

"Try to understand her. At least don't force me to explain right now."

A few minutes later, he added, "When we get back, I'll buy you that red velvet cake you love."

I stared at the screen and didn't reply.

Shortly after, Daniel posted a video in the Walker family group chat. In the footage, Claire sat on the edge of the bed with Buddy lying at her feet. Daniel crouched beside them, wiping the dog's ears with a towel.

He wrote, "Finally got them through Christmas Eve safe and sound."

Helen was the first to reply. "Daniel has always been responsible, even as a child."

The relatives joined in. Claire had just gone through a divorce, they said, and it mattered to have someone caring beside her. Daniel was so attentive even to her dog; no wonder she couldn't do without him.

Someone finally asked, "What about Eileen? Why isn't she staying with Daniel?"

The chat went quiet for a few seconds. Daniel didn't answer. Instead, he sent me a private warning. "Don't drag our problems into the family group chat."

"They asked why I'm not staying with my husband."

"You can tell them I'm looking after Claire."

"Why can't I tell them you're my husband?"

The call came through immediately. Daniel's voice was still gentle, like he was reasoning with someone being unreasonable. "Don't make this into something bigger than it is."

"I'm only asking you one thing. Why won't you even acknowledge that I'm your wife?"

"Claire just went through a divorce. She can't handle another emotional blow."

"She thinks you still belong to her, so you can't publicly acknowledge me?"

"That's not what I mean. I just need you to help me this one time."

Five years earlier, the first time he brought me to meet Helen, he had said the same thing. "My mother has a heart condition. Keep her company for a while. Do it for me."

After that, taking her to appointments, handling the bills, and picking up her prescriptions all became my responsibility. Once, I had a fever of 102. I called Daniel three times. All I got back was one text. "Take a cab to the ER. I need to go with Claire to her therapy session."

That night, I sat alone in the ER with the back of my hand swollen around the IV needle. Two months later, when Claire called to say she couldn't sleep, Daniel drove two hours in the middle of the night to take her to a clinic in another city. He came home at three in the morning and still remembered to buy her a heating pad.

I asked him why he hadn't come back when I had a fever. His answer came without hesitation. "You were still able to get yourself to the hospital."

For five years, that had been his logic. Anyone who could cook for herself didn't need anyone waiting on her. Anyone who could carry her own luggage didn't need anyone to meet her. Anyone who could manage her own emotions wasn't worth comforting.

A restaurant worker brought me a hot meal. "Mr. Walker ordered this for you."

I lifted the lid. Inside was a bland bowl of oatmeal and two dinner rolls. My phone buzzed at the same time. Daniel's first words were, "Eileen, where are the car keys?"

"With me."

"Hold onto them. I'll drive once the highway reopens. It's not that I don't care about you. I just can't get away right now."

"I'll hold onto them."

He didn't ask whether I had slept. He didn't ask if my hands and feet were still shaking. Before hanging up, he only added, "Don't make a scene when we get back. Claire needs quiet."

I pushed the breakfast aside and called Aunt Linda.

She asked whether I had decided to return to Princeton. I said yes. She warned me that the house had been empty for a long time, that it was sparsely furnished and missing basic household supplies. I only said, "As long as it has a bed and heat, that's enough."

"And Daniel?"

"He's staying at North Ridge."

Aunt Linda didn't try to convince me otherwise. She didn't press for details. "Come home, Eileen."

I bought a ticket for the first bus out after the highway reopened and left the SUV at the travel plaza. I assumed Daniel could not move it without the main key. Only later did I learn that he had hidden a spare all along and driven the SUV back to the apartment once the roads cleared.

After the payment went through, I unpinned my conversation with Daniel and turned off the screen.