The furtive texting had been strange earlier, but she didn’t really think he was having an affair; he couldn’t even cheat in cards without confessing his guilt. But something wasn’t right, and hadn’t been right for a while.

Sadie gently pushed the front door open, trying to be quiet. Lincoln went to bed at eight, and the last thing she wanted was to cause a scene by waking him. And yet, she pursed her lips, she’d had no trouble leaving him with his dad and grandma earlier.

God, how could she have just flown out of here like that? Her heart suddenly ached for her little guy. She wanted to rest her head on his curls and just let the world slip away. She loved him so much. The first floor was dark and still, the only light coming from the pendants that hung over the kitchen island. A piece of notebook paper, embossed with the name of her former design firm, was sitting out.

Sadie,

I’ve gone to stay at the bed-and-breakfast as I no longer feel welcome in your home. I also don’t believe my doctor would want me to be in such a stressful environment. It isn’t good for my blood pressure.

Have you considered anger management or perhaps counseling of some sort?

Annette

“Good lord,” Sadie crumpled the note and threw it in the recycling bin. Looks like she wouldn’t be winning daughter-in-law of the year. Leave it to Annette to insert herself in an argument that in no way involved her. Did she leave a nasty note for Ethan too? Doubtful.

Her own mother would have never done anything like this. No, even when Sadie herself did something upsetting as a child, like the time she’d glued various pieces of her mother’s costume jewelry to a dress while playing “fashion designer.” Melissa would simply sigh, “I’m disappointed in you. Now please go to your room and contemplate what you’ve done.”

Yep. That was as emotional and angry as her mother would get. But somehow that wasn’t comforting right now.

She turned up the dimmer light and gasped.

An empty macaroni-and-cheese box sat on the countertop beside a forgotten carton of milk. The sink was full of dirty dishes. How the heck had Ethan trashed the entire kitchen preparing such a simple meal? And who did he think was going to clean this all up? Some sort of house elf? She dumped the warm milk down the sink, tossed the carton into the recycling bin, and soaked the dirty dishes in the sink.

The house elf wouldn’t be back on the job until morning.

Sadie crept up the stairs. Lincoln’s bedroom door was closed, so quietly as she could, she nudged it open to peek inside. Her toddler was sound asleep, his mouth slightly ajar and his favorite stuffed animal, a velvet rabbit, tucked under his arm.

Lincoln’s bedroom had been her favorite to decorate. She’d gone with a travel theme of sorts. The walls were a calming shade of blue and she’d hung framed whimsical prints of various cities on one wall: London, Paris, New York. Lincoln had shelves overflowing with books and a giant beanbag chair to snuggle up in. It was a cozy and happy space. It was also gender neutral, meaning they could use the nursery for the next baby and move Lincoln to the guest room.