“Cameronisfamily,” her mother said as she unzipped the bag, revealing a metallic gold gown.
“No, he isn’t!” Evie screamed as she stomped over to where her mother stood. “Dammit, Mother!” She pointed to herchest. “Iam your daughter.” She pointed in the direction of the backyard. “Heis the son of a bitch who brought another woman to my bed!”
Constance let go of the garment bag, her hands falling to her sides. She slowly turned, her mouth twisted with grim annoyance.
“Thatis the reason behind your breakup?” her mother asked.
“Yes, Mother. He cheated on me. And I’m pretty certain it wasn’t the first time.”
“Evelina.” The condescension in her voice sent Evie’s blood from boiling to scalding. “I cannot believe you ended your engagement over some woman who probably meant nothing to him.”
Evie stepped back. She stared at her mother in disbelief.
“Do you hear yourself?” Evie asked. “Do you know what you sound like right now?”
“Like a reasonable adult? Like someone who understands that relationships are complicated and you do not throw away ten years over foolishness?”
“Foolishness!” Evie screeched. She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, foolishness. I’m the fool. I’m the biggest fool there is for not expecting this exact reaction from you. I should have known better.”
“Stop with the dramatics,” her mother said.
“You made the decision to put up with Dad’s infidelity, but there’s no way in hell I was going to sit back and let Cameron do the same thing to me.”
“Marriage is not the sunshine and roses it’s portrayed to be in the movies, Evelina. Sometimes you have to be willing to accept things that are unpleasant for the sake of thepartnership. You and Cameron had theperfectpartnership, working in the veterinary practice together. You could have helped him grow it into the biggest animal clinic in the city. You should have thought about what you were throwing away before you made such a hasty decision.”
She didn’t get it. Her mother truly thought it was better to put up with the kind of disrespect she’d dealt with all these years for the sake of what? A job? An image?
“There are certain compromises that I’m not willing to make,” Evie said. “Go ahead and toast to your forty-year ‘marriage.’ I refuse to be a part of this.”
“Evelina, you are behaving like a child. Grow up.”
Evie stared at the beautiful, intelligent, accomplished woman standing before her and all she could feel for her was pity.
She’d done what she could to please her, especially after the crushing blow of not following in her footsteps and becoming a cardiologist. But over the past few weeks, Evie had come to realize that a large part of the reason she’d continued to go back to Cameron was due to the guilt over not falling in line with her mother’s wants. It was like a penance. A sacrifice to win the love and respect she’d lost when she chose to become a vet.
Her penance was over. She would no longer sacrifice her happiness.
“I hope you eventually recognize that you deserve more than the marriage you have settled for all these years,” Evie said; then she turned and walked out of the dressing room, swiping at a tear that cascaded down her cheek. She fought the urge to turn around and beg her mother to use this opportunity, while surrounded by the colleagues and friends who’dknown about her father’s infidelity for years, to finally call him out on it. But Constance Williams would never. It wasn’t her way.
“Thank goodness you’re not like her,” Evie whispered.
And that was the painful, simple truth in all of this. She and her mother were two totally different people. Evie would never agree with the way Constance had chosen to handle her husband’s cheating, but it wasn’t her place to tell her mother how to live her life, in the same way it wasn’t her mother’s place to tell Evie how she should live hers.
Evie stopped at the base of the stairs and counted to ten before turning and climbing back up the steps. She took a deep breath just outside the door to the dressing room. When she reentered, her mother was standing in front of the mirror, the back of her gown flapping open.
Their gazes connected in the mirrored wall, but neither spoke as Evie crossed the length of the room and stepped up behind her.
“Will you at least admit that you were wrong in inviting Cameron to this party knowing that the two of us are no longer together?” Evie asked as she clasped the fabric-covered button at the base of her mother’s neck. “Just think of how it made Bryson feel to have my ex show up tonight.”
“In my defense, you did not tell me you were bringing a date.” Constance smoothed the soft metallic material over her hips and turned slightly to look at herself from the side. “However, as I reflect upon it, I can see that it was not the best idea.”
“No,” Evie said. She stepped around so that her mother faced her instead of the mirror. “I need you to say it. Say that it was wrong and hurtful and disrespectful.”
“Evelina—”
“If you want me to come out there and put on a show like we’re one big happy family, you will acknowledge what you did.”
“Weareone big happy family,” she said. “We areourkind of happy, which is just fine as far as I’m concerned.”
