1- The crazy and the understanding
I heard the front door open while I was still in the kitchen, elbow-deep in dish soap and pretending I actually enjoyed cleaning.
Keys dropped into the ceramic bowl.
A low murmur of my husband’s voice.
And then—heels.
Soft, uncertain, very not mine.
I froze with a plate in my hand. No one told me we were expecting company. He usually texted—even when it was just the mailman asking for water.
I dried my hands slowly, buying myself a few seconds, before walking to the foyer.
And that’s when I saw her.
A woman.
Pretty in that fragile, break-if-I-blink way.
Huge eyes, trembling mouth, hair a mess like she’d been crying for hours.
And she was… attached.
To my husband.
Clinging to his arm like she’d drown without physical contact.
“Hey, Lara,” he said, like this was totally normal. Like I was the crazy one for being surprised. “This is Ava.”
Ava didn’t even look at me first.
She looked up at him, like she needed instructions on how to breathe.
Then her gaze drifted over to me, soft and scared.
“Oh,” I said. Casual. Light. Because I refuse to be the wife who goes full villain because a woman stepped into her house. “Hi.”
She gave me a tiny wave without letting go of him.
My eyes dropped to her grip on his sleeve. White knuckles. His arm pulled slightly toward her.
My stomach tightened, but I forced my face to stay neutral.
“Everything okay?” I asked, even though nothing about this screamed “okay.”
He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “Actually… yeah. I mean—no. Not really. It’s complicated.”
Of course it was.
Ava sniffled and leaned more into him, like she was afraid the air might knock her over.
Wonderful.
I folded my arms loosely, keeping my tone even. “So… what’s going on?”
“She’s staying with us,” he said.
Just like that.
No warning.
No discussion.
He dropped it like a grocery list.
“She needs help, Lara. Her fiancé—my best friend—he passed away last week. She’s not in a good place.”
Ava whimpered softly, and he instinctively reached to touch her arm.
I pretended my chest didn’t tighten at the gesture.
“Just for a few days,” he added quickly, finally looking at me like he realized I had feelings too. “She has no one else, and she’s… really fragile right now.”
I nodded slowly.
Because I’m not cruel.
Because grief is grief.
Because saying “no” felt like kicking a puppy.
But I also felt something sharp under my ribs—like I’d just been unwillingly cast as the villain in whatever drama he had brought home.
“I understand,” I said, keeping my voice calm even though my pulse was doing gymnastics. “I’m sorry for your loss, Ava.”
She looked at me with those giant eyes, lips trembling, and whispered, “Thank you,” before curling even closer into him.
I swallowed.
Okay.
Not ideal.
Not even close.
But I wasn’t going to be the bad guy.
Not yet.
“Right,” I said, forcing a smile. “Let me, uh… get the guest room ready.”
His relief was instant, and honestly? That stung more than Ava’s grip on him.
Like he’d expected me to explode.
Like I should have.
I turned away before either of them could see my expression fall apart.
God, this was going to be a nightmare.
And it was only day one.
