Fake
I went back home and took a shower. I didn’t feel like seeing anyone in the house, and I decided I wasn’t even going to have dinner. I just wanted to sleep in.
So when the maid came to tell me that dinner was ready, I told her I wasn’t feeling well.
"I'm just staying in," I said, turning off the lights, hoping that would be the end of it.
But then there was a knock on my door.
I dragged myself to open it, already preparing for a lecture. And there she was my mother-in-law.
Great. But to my surprise, she wasn’t angry. She looked… concerned.
“How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said quickly.
“You told the maid you weren’t feeling well.”
“Yeah, I’m just not great company tonight. I went out today… had a few drinks. I didn’t think I should be joining you all for dinner.”
She nodded and smiled kindly. “Alright. I’ll just ask her to bring food to your room.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to do that. It’s okay.”
“Sarah,” she said, her voice soft, but firm. “I don’t want you going to bed on an empty stomach. This is your family. This is your house. Okay? So I’ll have her bring you something.”
I nodded. And a few minutes later, the maid returned with a tray. I ate the food, barely tasting it, and went to bed.
The days that followed blurred into weeks. Nothing exciting happened. Nothing worth writing home about.
Bella still hadn’t come to the house. My mother-in-law would be the one to go visit her. Sometimes, she’d ask me to come along. Sometimes, she wouldn’t.
I got the feeling… she knew. She understood what was going on.
I hadn’t seen Bella in a whole month. Until that night.
The first Sunday of the month. My second family dinner at the Cincinnati's. The one day when everyone had to show up and pretend we were still one big happy family.
I dreaded it.
I hadn’t seen Bella or Cullen again. He was back to his schedule, coming home late, if at all. If he did come back, it was when I was asleep. And he’d be gone before I even woke up.
Sometimes I wondered if he even came home at all.
I didn’t ask. I didn’t care. I had stopped caring.
Just like my mother-in-law had said, I was supposed to be finding my passion. And I tried. I really did.
Maybe eventually I’d find it. I had time. All the time in the world.
After all, it wasn’t like I could just get pregnant and have a baby to occupy my days the way Bella did. My husband didn’t want me like that. He wasn’t interested in me like that.
So I got ready early, way before Cullen could come back—hoping he wouldn’t find me in the room. And luckily, he didn’t.
I locked myself in the library until I knew it was time for dinner. When I finally emerged, I found everyone already seated at the dining table. Of course, they were sitting in the exact same arrangement as the last family dinner.
Cullen was still seated next to Bella.
When Bella saw me, I was shocked by her reaction. I expected her to act like nothing had happened like she hadn’t lied to me, like everything was normal.
But instead, she brightened, calling my name. Then she practically stumbled out of her chair and ran toward me, wrapping me in a tight hug.
“I missed you so much, Sarah,” she said, holding on like she actually meant it.
I could feel every pair of eyes at that table watching us. And to me, it felt like she was staging a scene. One where I’d push her away, and then I’d look like the heartless one. The bad guy.
So I did what I had to do.
I forced a smile, pasted it on my face like makeup, and played along with whatever fantasy she was living in.
“Yeah,” I said sweetly. “ and to think you live just down the street.”
“I know,” she said with a giggle. “I tried to tell Mom to bring you around, but she said you’ve been letting her down.”
She pouted, that fake-cute little expression she always used and I hated it.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ve just been… busy,” I replied.
“It’s okay! Don’t worry. But I really, really missed you.”
I nodded, pretending to care.
“So what’s been keeping you away?”
“Oh, Cesar,” she said, rolling her eyes like she was a tired but proud mother. “His teeth were growing in, and he had such high fevers. He was vomiting, and had this awful diarrhoea.... it was just a mess. But thank God that part’s over now. It was a handful.”
I gave her another smile, but inside, I was numb.
This wasn’t a reunion. It was a performance.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said, my tone dripping with sugar-coated sarcasm. “It’s almost like you didn’t have my phone number.”
“I should have called,” Bella replied quickly. “But to tell you the truth, it was… I couldn’t sleep. I was a mess. You should’ve seen me. The only time I got to relax was when Mom would come to the house and take him for a while, but even then I was worried.”
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral.
“Children are a handful. Don’t worry,” she added, her voice soft but lined with something else. “Your time will come, and you’ll see.”
I don’t know why, but the way she said that made something tighten in my chest. What she really meant was: You’ll never have a baby. You’ll never know what it’s like. So don’t judge me.
Whatever. We were still playing the role of fake people having a fake reconciliation. So I asked, casually,
“Isn’t Cesar like two years old? Shouldn’t all his teeth have already grown in?”
“Oh no,” she replied, as if I had no clue. “His back teeth are still coming in. You never really know when they’ll stop. These ones were just terrible.”
She sighed dramatically, then waved it off.
“Anyway, I don’t want to talk about my son's teeth all night. I’m just glad all that is over. Come on, let’s not keep everyone waiting, let’s have dinner.”
“Okay,” I murmured and followed her as she made her way back to the dining table.
She rounded it effortlessly, sliding into the seat between her husband and her brother-in-law as if she belonged there as if it had always been her place.
I walked over and sat quietly next to my mother-in-law.
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