I’ll watch the house. Like a hired guard. Like someone they needed, not someone they wanted.
Evan avoided my eyes.
Sophie didn’t even look my way.
Within minutes, they bundled up the decorations, the cake, the gifts, and left for the restaurant—leaving me standing alone in the silent house with chopped vegetables on the counter.
At 2:17 p.m., my phone buzzed.
It was from Sophie.
“Mom, remember to heat up the leftover portion in the fridge. Don’t let it go to waste.”
The “leftover portion.” Of Leo’s birthday meal.
My grandson’s birthday… from which I was excluded.
I stared at the message for a long time. My hands started trembling, but my mind suddenly, strangely, became clear.
I typed just one word: “OK.”
Then I closed the fridge, wiped the counter, and walked to my room.
