My Mother Faked Her Death To Protect My Husband’s Mistress Chapter 03
The House She Left Behind
“I don’t blame you,” I say softly.
Elliot’s body slowly relaxes behind me.
He wraps his arms around me and rests his chin in the curve of my neck.
As he breathes, I smell something faint on him.
Sandalwood.
The incense Mom used to love when she was alive.
My stomach twists hard.
I shove him away, rush into the bathroom, and dry heave over the sink.
Elliot follows me in, panicked.
He pats my back and pours me a glass of warm water.
“What’s wrong? Did something upset your stomach?”
I take the glass and rinse my mouth.
In the mirror, my face looks ghostly pale.
“Maybe my illness is acting up again,” I say, closing my eyes.
Elliot goes quiet.
For one second, something like irritation crosses his face.
It is small.
Almost hidden.
Then his voice turns gentle again.
“I’ll take you to your follow-up tomorrow.”
The next morning, when I wake up, the space beside me is already empty.
Elliot is in the closet, tying his tie.
When he sees me sit up, he comes over and kisses my forehead.
“June, something urgent came up at the branch office. I asked the driver to take you to the hospital, okay?”
His voice is full of regret.
I look at the perfect crease in his cuff.
“Okay.”
He seems surprised that I agree so easily.
Then he smiles.
“I’ll be back for dinner.”
The door closes behind him.
I sit still for a while.
Then I get out of bed and change.
I do not go to the hospital.
I ask the driver to take me to Mom’s old apartment.
Since Mom “died,” the place has been empty.
Elliot always says going there will hurt me too much, so he never lets me come.
I enter the passcode.
The door opens.
The living room is not dusty like I expect.
It is spotless, clean in a way an empty apartment should not be.
There is even a pair of pink fuzzy slippers by the door.
Claire’s size.
I walk inside.
A faint sound comes from the kitchen.
I stop outside the sliding door.
Claire is standing at the counter, wearing the floral apron Mom loved most.
She is humming while she cuts fruit.
When she hears me, she turns.
For a second, surprise flashes across her face.
Then she smiles at me, soft and harmless.
“June, what are you doing here?”
She sets down the knife and wipes her hands on the apron before walking toward me.
“Elliot said you haven’t been feeling well lately. He told me not to bother you.”
I look at her pretty, harmless face.
“Why are you here?”
Claire sighs.
Her eyes turn sad at once.
“After your mom passed, I was worried the place would collect dust, so I come by sometimes to clean.”
She steps closer.
“Don’t be sad, June. Your mom cared about me so much when she was alive. This is the least I can do.”
She reaches for my hand.
I avoid her touch.
My eyes fall to her wrist.
There is a jade bracelet there, smooth and green, shining softly under the kitchen light.
Mom’s jade bracelet.
The family heirloom she promised me for my wedding.
Claire follows my gaze.
She lowers her eyes and touches the bracelet, suddenly shy.
“Oh, this.”
She gives me an embarrassed smile.
“Elliot gave it to me a few days ago.”
She looks at me with clear, sincere eyes.
“He said your mom wanted me to have it, so I could keep something of hers with me.”
Then she asks softly, “You don’t mind, do you?”
I stare at the bracelet.
It feels like someone has carved a piece out of my chest.
Elliot gave it to her.
No.
This apartment is not empty.
It is a safe house Mom and Elliot prepared for Claire.
They have handed her everything that should have been mine: Mom’s love, Mom’s things, and even my husband.
Just then, the front door opens again.
Elliot walks in fast.
The moment he sees me standing outside the kitchen, his face goes pale.
“June, why are you here?”
He reaches me in a few steps.
Without thinking, he moves in front of Claire.
Shielding her from me.
That one small motion stabs straight into my eyes.
“Weren’t you going to the branch office?” I ask.
Elliot’s throat moves.
“I came back to get a file.”
“You came here for a file?”
My voice is calm.
Behind him, Claire speaks timidly.
“Elliot, don’t blame June. She just misses her mom.”
Elliot turns to look at her.
The look in his eyes is quick, hidden, and full of comfort.
When he looks back at me, there is less patience in his face.
“June, stop this. Come home with me.”
He reaches for my arm.
I step back and avoid his hand.
“Elliot,” I say, looking at the bracelet on Claire’s wrist.
“What gives you the right to give that to her?”