Chapter 2

I blink, thinking I’ve read it wrong.

I pick up the journal and take it to the living room, reading that line again.

“I wish Mom would just disappear.

“She’s so scary when she yells at Dad; she chased him away.”

I collapse on the couch, numb, feeling an overwhelming, dull ache settle in.

The study light flips off as Dan emerges, grinning. The moment he sees me, his usual icy expression returns.

He doesn’t say a word, just picks up his car keys from the coffee table.

As he walks past, I catch a whiff of his cologne—Vanilla Musk.

It’s the same scent I picked out for him in college when we started dating. Back then, he was a tech geek, always in black-framed glasses and a white T-shirt, hopelessly oblivious to style.

I remember teasing him, “A little cologne goes a long way with girls.”

He promised he’d keep it because I liked it.

And he’s used it ever since.

The familiar scent stirs memories of who he was, of our better times, and of the family I desperately want to keep whole for Tyler’s sake.

The pain my son caused me rushes back, and without thinking, I stand up and grab Dan’s arm.

“Dan, please, can we talk?”

Tears silently slip down my face as I stand behind him.

He jerks his arm away.

I notice his phone screen: he’s on a call.

Who is he talking to this late at night, wearing cologne?

“Dan, are you coming down? I’ve been craving BBQ all week!” A girl’s voice comes through, laughing flirtatiously.

That soft, sweet tone brings back all the reasons we’re in this fight.

I turn to leave, but Dan grabs my arm again.

With a smirk, he says, “Beg me, and I’ll stay with you and Tyler tonight.”

Dan has always reveled in the moment I give in, that satisfaction of seeing me break, especially now that some young girl is competing for his attention.

The way he stays—like he’s doing us a favor.