Henry’s whole world fell apart the moment he saw the words written on his automobile. I hope she was worth it. The strong, unambiguous message tore through the joy he had experienced seconds before, taunting him. He looked at his pregnant wife, Emily, but he saw uncertainty flicker in her eyes instead of faith. Despite his insistence that he had never cheated, the damage had already been done. But treachery was nothing compared to the truth. This was not created by a disgraced lover. Someone considerably closer to him was the one who attacked him.
Emily shuddered in his arms, crying into his chest and holding on to him as if he might vanish if she released him. Her words were sharp, but her voice was muted. “I apologize, Henry. I simply didn’t know what to think, even though I didn’t want to believe it.
Wishing he could undo the last twenty-four hours, he pressed his lips to the top of her head and hugged her closer. “It’s alright,” he muttered. “Emily, none of this is your fault.”
However, someone was at fault. Furthermore, she was directly in front of them.
Claire squirmed uneasily beneath Emily’s penetrating, tearful eyes. Henry could see it in her eyes, yet her arms were crossed and her face was unreadable. I’m sorry. Perhaps not completely. Perhaps not as she ought to. However, she was aware that she had gone too far.
Henry said in a stern voice, “Tell her.”
Claire let out a sigh as if she were doing him a favor, as if this were all a hassle. Finally, she came clean. She said that she wanted to drive Emily away, that she had written the note on his car, and that she believed she was assisting him. All due to a statement he made several months prior.
“I just had an idea.” Claire shifted her weight from one foot to the other and hesitated. “You frequently expressed fear about being a father. that you weren’t raised with the best example. I reasoned that it could be simpler if Emily departed.
Anger searing in his breast, Henry clinched his hands. “So you made the decision for me? You felt that a discussion was enough to ruin my marriage?
Emily’s expression changed from bewilderment to pain, and then to something that made Henry sick to his stomach.
“Henry, you really didn’t cheat?” She hardly raised her voice above a whisper.
“Never,” he replied right away. “Never and never. Emily, you are loved. I adore our child. I adore our life together. Like she did you, Claire took me by surprise with this.
Emily clutched her belly as the weight of it all fell on her. She was on the verge of leaving him. I nearly thought the worst. And all because his own sister, Claire, had attempted to sever their relationship.
Watching his life unravel in real time was the last thing Henry had anticipated after leaving the doctor’s office. It was the first time he and Emily had heard their baby’s heartbeat. It had been a magical moment. He was still holding hands as they walked to the parking lot.
And suddenly it appeared.
His vehicle. The driver’s side door was scribbled with four terrifying words.
I hope she was worth it.
Unable to comprehend what he was witnessing, he had halted.
“What on earth is that?” His lips nearly escaped the words.
Emily tensed up next to him, reflexively covering her stomach as if shielding their unborn child from whatever it was. He experienced the release of her fingers from his hold and the gap that formed between them.Then she said something.
“Have you…?”
She left the question unfinished. She was not required to.
Right there, in bold letters, for everyone to see, was the charge. Somewhere, someone believed he had done something awful. The person who had always trusted him, Emily, was suddenly caught between him and the incriminating evidence that was in front of her.
He moved toward her and begged, “It wasn’t me.” “I promise you, my darling, I don’t know who did this or why.”
Emily gave a shaky sigh. “I hadn’t written it.”
God, he was broken by that.
as he was aware of her true meaning. Who else did it if I didn’t? And why? Though uncertainty had begun to creep in, she wasn’t blaming him just yet. And skepticism spread like wildfire once it was established.
Henry stood in his driveway that evening, frantically cleaning the vile message. He ought to have been inside, commemorating their first parenting milestone. Rather, he was left out in the cold, attempting to repair the harm—damage to his marriage as much as to his car.
The ink would not move. The same way Emily couldn’t get it out of her head.
The footsteps then appeared.
There was a voice behind him that said, “Don’t bother thanking me.” “You’re welcome.”
He stopped. That voice was familiar to him.
His breath froze in his throat as he turned around. Claire. His sister. As if nothing had happened, she continued to consume an ice cream cone. As if she hadn’t recently destroyed his life.
His voice was dangerously low as he shouted, “What the hell are you talking about?”
Claire licked her ice cream and shrugged. “I penned it. Of course.
At first, the words didn’t register. “You—what?”
“I wrote it,” she repeated, grinning this time. “I thought I’d help you because you’re too scared to handle this baby. Emily will depart if she believes you cheated. The issue has been resolved.
The earth swayed under his feet.
He snarled and moved in her direction, asking, “You really think you helped me?”
She gave an eye roll. “Oh, hurry up. For months, you’ve been obsessing over this child. Do you recall Thanksgiving? You were under a lot of stress. I simply made your life easier.
He spat, “You ruined my marriage.” “And for what purpose? What did you gain from this experience?
In fact, Claire dared to appear disinterested. “You’re exaggerating. Emily is going overboard. It’s only a small untruth.
His hands shook. “This will be fixed by you.”
Claire laughed. “Oh, I see. And how do you think I accomplish that?
“You’re going to be honest with Emily. At this moment.
Henry brought a chocolate cake, Emily’s most recent yearning, and a bunch of flowers when they got to her parents’ house. He pleaded with her to listen, but she was hesitant to let him in. She finally consented.
Claire, suddenly less arrogant, slipped in behind him.
Henry looked at her. Inform her. Right now.
Claire paused. Under Henry’s intense gaze, however, she eventually came clean.
When she was done, Emily looked to Henry, tears welling up in her eyes. She grabbed his waist and reached for him.
Then, with an enigmatic expression, she turned to face Claire. “You should apologize to me.”
Muttering, “I didn’t think it would go this far,” Claire shifted uneasily.
Emily spoke firmly. “However, it did.”
Henry hardly gave his sister a glance. There was a change. She wasn’t the person he had always trusted. She was prepared to ruin his happiness based on presumptions.
He made up his mind.
Claire’s presence around their child would never be acceptable.
Henry and Emily worked through everything in the weeks that followed. They emerged stronger, but it wasn’t simple to undo the harm Claire had done.
What about Claire? Her position was precarious.
In addition, Henry had gained two new insights.
Never allow your marriage to be ruined by someone else’s drama.
Additionally, watch who you vent to.
because some individuals are unwilling to assist you.
Some folks are only interested in seeing you burn.