“When were you planning to tell
me about daycare?”
I turned.
“About a decision concerning my own career?”
“We’re married, Madeline.”
“I know.”
“Then why did I have to find out in front of my parents?”
I looked at him for a long moment.
He seemed genuinely offended that I’d made a decision without telling him.
The irony was almost unbearable.
“That’s an interesting question,” I replied.
He frowned.
“What does that mean?”
I picked up my glass.
“You’ll understand soon.”
Then I returned to the dining room.
Everyone looked up.
I remained standing.
“I’d like to make a toast.”
Elon slowly sat down.
I looked at our parents.
Then at my husband.
“I originally planned something very different for tonight.”
Eve smiled.
“I was going to talk about how Elon and I met. About the barbecue and the burning hot dog.”
A few people laughed.
“I was going to talk about the night we got
lost on the way to the lake and ended up eating dinner at a gas station.”
Elon looked down.
“And I was going to talk about the day Sophie was born. How he held my hand through labor and cried when he finally met her.”
My voice softened.
“Those memories were real. They still matter to me.”
The room grew quiet.
Then I continued.
“But six days ago, I called my husband because I wanted to know when he’d be home for dinner.”
Elon’s face tightened.
“He thought he’d ended the call.”
His expression changed instantly.
I looked directly at him.
“But the phone was still connected, Elon.”
Nobody moved.
I continued.
“I heard you talking to a woman named Sierra.”
Eve slowly lowered her glass.
I felt my hand shaking, so I placed it against the table.
“You complained because I sent you three pictures of Sophie.”
Elon leaned
forward.
“Maddie, please.”
“No.”
My voice remained steady.
“You told her I was driving you crazy. You told her you couldn’t stand being around me.”
My father set down his fork.
“And then you told her you’d divorce me and marry her.”
The room went completely silent.
Alex turned toward his son.
“Is that true?”
Elon rubbed his face.
“She heard part of a private conversation.”
“I heard enough,” I answered.
“Things were taken out of context.”
I looked at him.
“Were you having an affair with her?”
