For months, Daniel had been calling more often, asking about my plans.
He’d encouraged me to travel, suggested Moira might appreciate a permanent companion, and offered to help me sort through old belongings.
I’d believed he was worried about me living alone.
Now I understood that he’d been imagining what my house would look like without me.
“How long have you been planning this?” I asked.
“Since Brittany got pregnant.”
“Seven months?”
He gave a small nod.
Seven months of conversations about my future that I hadn’t known were really about his.
Brittany stood.
“You told me your mother wanted to live with Moira.”
“I thought she might.”
“You said she was excited about giving us the house!”
“I was trying to make things easier.”
“For whom?” she demanded.
Daniel looked exhausted.
“I wanted Olivia to have a nice home.”
Brittany gestured around the room.
“So you lied to both of us?”
