Chapter 3 - The Blue House Without DaddyJonathan took the drawing carefully.
He didn't trust his hands not to shake.
"What's this?"
Hazel looked delighted.
"The blue house."
Evelyn moved toward her.
"Hazel, sweetheart—"
Jonathan lifted one hand.
"Don't."
Hazel pointed at the picture.
"That's Mommy. That's me. That's Aunt Scarlett."
Jonathan looked at the empty space beside them.
"Where am I?"
The little girl's smile faded.
"I don't know."
His throat tightened.
"Did you go to this house?"
Hazel nodded.
"With Mommy and Aunt Scarlett."
"When?"
"Saturday."
Jonathan turned toward Evelyn.
"Which Saturday?"
She closed her eyes.
Scarlett answered quietly.
"Three weeks ago."
Jonathan stared at her.
"You took my daughter to look at a house."
"It wasn't like that."
He looked at Evelyn.
"Stop saying that."
Hazel sensed the tension.
"Mommy said maybe we'd have two houses."
Jonathan's eyes moved back to his daughter.
"Two?"
"Yours and Mommy's."
He felt Evelyn's secret future unfolding through a seven-year-old's vocabulary.
"Did Mommy say why?"
Hazel shrugged.
"Grown-up reasons."
"Did Aunt Scarlett live at the blue house?"
"Not yet."
Scarlett shut her eyes.
Jonathan almost couldn't believe the efficiency with which Hazel was dismantling their lies.
"Not yet?"
Hazel nodded.
"Aunt Scarlett said my room could be upstairs."
Evelyn stepped forward.
"That's enough."
Jonathan turned.
"No."
"You're questioning a child."
"I'm listening to my daughter tell me about a life you planned without telling me."
"I wasn't planning anything final."
Scarlett looked at Evelyn.
Jonathan noticed.
Again.
That tiny reaction.
"You told Scarlett it was final."
Evelyn went still.
Scarlett looked miserable.
"Jonathan—"
"Did she?"
Scarlett didn't answer.
Jonathan pointed toward the hallway.
"Scarlett, don't leave yet."
Evelyn stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because every time one of you speaks, I find out the other one got a different version."
Hazel hugged her drawing.
Jonathan crouched.
"Sweetheart, go watch your movie."
"But—"
"We'll talk later."
"Am I still going to the blue house?"
Evelyn covered her mouth.
Jonathan forced his voice to stay gentle.
"I don't know."
Hazel looked confused.
"Mommy said after my birthday."
Jonathan felt cold.
Hazel's eighth birthday was six weeks away.
He stood.
"Go upstairs, baby."
She finally left.
The second her door closed, Jonathan turned.
"After her birthday?"
Evelyn sat on the bed.
"I was going to tell you."
"When?"
"I don't know."
"Before or after Hazel packed?"
"Jonathan."
"Before or after she chose a bedroom?"
Tears filled Evelyn's eyes.
"I didn't know how."
"You seemed to know how to take her house shopping."
"It was a rental."
"That's your defense?"
"No."
Scarlett leaned against the wardrobe.
Jonathan looked at her.
"Whose rental?"
"Mine."
He frowned.
"You rented it?"
"I put down a deposit."
"Why?"
Scarlett looked at Evelyn.
Jonathan snapped:
"Look at me."
She did.
"Because Evelyn said she was leaving."
Jonathan's eyes moved toward his wife.
"You told her you were leaving me."
"Yes."
"When?"
"March."
Scarlett interrupted.
"February."
Evelyn glared.
Jonathan gave a bitter laugh.
"Of course."
Scarlett rubbed her forehead.
"She told me she wanted to wait until after Hazel's birthday."
"Why?"
"So Hazel wouldn't associate her birthday with the separation."
Jonathan stared.
That was almost thoughtful.
Almost.
Except Hazel had already been shown the replacement home.
"Did you plan to move in together?"
Scarlett answered:
"I thought so."
Evelyn looked at her.
Jonathan caught the wording.
"You thought so."
Scarlett's expression changed.
"Yes."
Jonathan turned to Evelyn.
"You didn't?"
"I didn't know."
Scarlett laughed once.
The sound surprised everyone.
"You didn't know?"
"Scarlett, don't."
"You've been telling me for months—"
"I said I was trying."
"You said we'd be together."
Jonathan stared between them.
For the first time, the secret alliance between the women showed a crack.
Scarlett looked at him.
"She told me she was done with the marriage."
Evelyn stood.
"I was."
Scarlett continued.
"She told me you barely spoke."
"We didn't."
"She said you'd already agreed the marriage was over."
Jonathan's head snapped toward Evelyn.
"What?"
Evelyn went pale.
Scarlett realized what she'd revealed.
Jonathan stepped closer.
"You told Scarlett I knew?"
"I didn't say that."
"She just did."
Scarlett shook her head.
"You told me you and Jonathan had talked about separating."
Evelyn stared at her.
"I said we had problems."
"No."
Scarlett's eyes hardened.
"You said he knew."
Jonathan felt the betrayal split into a new shape.
Scarlett had still chosen to continue once she knew the truth.
But perhaps Evelyn had built the affair on lies even Scarlett didn't understand.
"When did you find out I didn't know?" Jonathan asked.
Scarlett didn't answer.
"When?"
"April."
Jonathan nodded slowly.
"So after April, no misunderstanding."
"No."
"You knew I thought I had a normal marriage."
"Yes."
"And you kept coming into my house."
Scarlett looked ashamed.
"Yes."
"Using the key I gave you?"
Her face changed.
Jonathan froze.
The house key.
Three years earlier, he and Evelyn had taken Hazel to Disney World.
Scarlett had fed their dog and collected mail.
Jonathan had given her a spare key.
He had never asked for it back.
"Do you still have my key?"
Scarlett reached into her purse.
She placed a small brass key on the dresser.
Jonathan stared at it.
His trust had literally been opening the door for them.
Scarlett whispered:
"I'm sorry."
Jonathan looked at her.
"How many times did you use that key when I wasn't home?"
Scarlett didn't answer.
Then Evelyn said quietly:
"More than five."
Jonathan slowly turned.
And in that moment, he understood Hazel's word.
Again.
May you like
The closet was only where Scarlett happened to be caught.
The real hiding place had been his trust.
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