CHAPTER 4: The Dinner She Was Not Given

Emma tried to step back from the sink, but Daniel saw the effort it cost her.
He moved beside her immediately.
"Sit down," he said softly.
"I'm fine."
"Emma."
That was all he had to say.
She let him guide her to the nearest chair at the end of the island. Her fingers were cold, pruned from the water. Her face was pale under the kitchen lights.
Daniel took the sponge from her hand and placed it on the counter.
Then he saw the fourth place setting near the trash bin.
A plate with food barely touched.
A napkin folded too neatly.
A glass of water still full.
"Did she eat?" he asked.
No one answered quickly enough.
Paige muttered, "She said she wasn't hungry."
Her ankles were swollen above the soft slippers she wore inside the house. A faint tremor moved through her shoulders each time she tried to take a deeper breath.
The doctor had told her to rest after dinner, feet elevated, no long standing, no stress she could avoid.
Daniel had been on the video call when the doctor said it. Evelyn had been in the room, smiling, promising to help.
That memory turned Daniel's anger cold.
Emma looked at the floor.
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Do not make her lie for you."