Chapter 2
I blinked. My hands trembled as I held the serving spoon. “I—I’ll change the soup,” I said softly, already reaching for the bowl. Bradley slammed his spoon down. “Come on, Joyce. If you’re still mad at me because of what I said earlier, this isn’t the right way to take it out. Trying to poison me with that taste? You didn’t even make an effort. That’s your only job.” Only job. That phrase stayed in the air, louder than his voice. To them, that’s all it was. Cooking. Cleaning. Washing. Being their shadow. It didn’t matter that I was the first to rise in this house and the last to sleep. It didn’t matter that I raised our son when Bradley worked late or went on “business trips.” I was a housewife, and for them, that meant I wasn’t really contributing. I wasn’t building an empire. I wasn’t earning figures. I was just a woman who washed clothes and waited for orders. I used to think being here was fulfilling. That staying behind to raise a family and tend to a home was noble. But what did I really raise? A son too busy to visit. A husband who looked at me like I was a liability. A father who never saw me beyond the girl who didn’t measure up to Maine. And maybe that was the real sin—I let it happen. I chose this life. I allowed myself to disappear in it. Tears welled up, blurring the sight of the table. My voice cracked as I whispered, “I’ll make a new batch.” The door suddenly swung open. Click. High heels. A familiar voice. “Oh! Sorry, did I interrupt something?” Maine. Of course. Even the sound of her walking in felt expensive. She wore success like a perfume. Confident. Composed. A woman people admired. The daughter my father always wished he had. “I just came by to drop off some business files,” she said, flashing that smile of hers. “So we can settle things.” My father stood immediately, like he was summoned. “No, not really. We’re just having dinner.” Maine’s eyes darted toward the table. “Oh, great. Then, can I eat some? I’m sure it’s amazing. After all, my cousin Joyce cooked it.” Bradley scoffed. “It’s not, actually. Tastes like nothing. Not a great idea, really.” He pushed the bowl away with a dramatic grimace. “How about we all just go out? Let’s eat somewhere decent. My treat.” I looked down at my hands. They were still stained with onion from chopping. They reeked of oil. “Oh, sure,” Maine said brightly. “That sounds fun.” Father nodded in agreement. “I’ve been craving that grilled seafood place.” Then Maine turned to me. “Joyce, you’re coming, right?” I lifted my head, just as Bradley answered for me. “Oh, she’s busy,” he said with a wave of his hand. “She’s got house things to do. She can eat this one, so it won’t go to waste, right? And she’s not into these things anyway. We’re going to talk about business stuff—nothing she’d be interested in.” Nothing I’d be interested in. As if I didn’t want to leave this house even once. As if I didn’t want to eat something warm and served to me instead of cold leftovers. Maine hesitated, but then smiled again. “Okay then. I’ll just bring you some food from the restaurant, cousin. Something nice, alright?” They left in laughter. They didn’t even say goodbye. I stood there. Alone in a dining room that smelled of disappointment and burnt soup. I sat down and tasted the very same bowl Bradley spat in. It was bland. Too much water, too little salt. I messed up. But not because I wanted to hurt him. I just… I just couldn’t taste anything anymore. I looked around the house I spent twenty-five years serving. The walls I repainted myself. The furniture I cleaned. The floors I mopped on my knees. The clothes I ironed. The birthdays I planned. The Christmases I decorated. And yet I wasn’t a wife. I wasn’t a partner. I was their help. Their convenience. And that realization hurt more than anything. I forced myself to finish the soup. I cleaned the table. I washed the dishes. I wiped the counter. I folded the napkins like I always did. Then I went upstairs and sat on the edge of the bed we used to share, the one that now felt too wide, too cold. I pressed my hand to my chest and whispered, “I chose this.” I let them shape me into what they wanted. I let myself disappear. But maybe—just maybe—I didn’t have to stay this way. Maybe I could still find pieces of who I used to be. Before I became invisible. And as the sound of their laughter echoed from the driveway, I finally allowed myself to cry—loud and unashamed—for the woman I once was, and the woman I might still be.