Chapter 4 - A House Divided by Loyalty
Rochelle didn't deny what she'd said.
Instead, she walked to the kitchen counter and began wiping a surface that was already clean.
"Do you know how it feels," she asked Daniel, "to move into a house where everything has somebody else's history?"
Daniel stayed near the table.
"We talked about this before we got married."
"We talked about making a new family."
"And we did."
Rochelle turned sharply.
"No, Daniel. You and Mia had a family. Kayla and I were invited into it."
Daniel thought about Kayla's timid first months in the house.
There had been times Rochelle felt overlooked. He knew that.
He also knew he'd sometimes avoided difficult conversations because he didn't want his wife to feel unwelcome.
But none of that justified what she had done.
"I should have listened when you felt uncomfortable," he said. "And I should have listened when Mia felt pushed aside."
Rochelle gave a bitter smile.
"So both of us are wrong now?"
"I'm saying the girls shouldn't be paying for problems between us."
"Kayla deserves a proper bedroom."
"She has one."
"A tiny one!"
"Then we discuss how to improve it. We don't take Mia's room while she's at school."
Rochelle threw the cleaning cloth onto the counter.
"You're choosing your daughter over mine."
Daniel's expression changed.
"I'm refusing to choose between them."
"That's easy for you to say."
"No, Rochelle. What's easy is letting Mia give something up because she hates disappointing people."
Rochelle looked away.
He knew the words had landed.
But he also knew she wasn't ready to accept them.
That afternoon, Rochelle went upstairs and pulled a suitcase from her closet.
Mia heard the wheels scrape across the floor.
Then she heard Rochelle call Kayla.
"Get your things. We're going to Aunt Simone's."
Kayla appeared in the hallway.
"Are we going for the weekend?"
Rochelle kept packing.
"I don't know, baby."
"Why?"
"Because your stepfather has made it clear whose feelings matter in this house."
Kayla stood very still.
Across the hallway, Mia's door opened.
She had heard everything.
Rochelle saw her.
"I hope you're happy," she said.
Mia's face drained of color.
"Don't," Daniel said from behind them.
He had come upstairs when he heard the suitcase.
Rochelle turned toward him.
"What? She wanted her room. She got it."
"Do not put the responsibility for our marriage on Mia."
Rochelle's eyes flashed.
"You think I'm the only one who has made mistakes?"
"No."
Daniel took a breath.
"I should have noticed what was happening. I should have stopped dismissing Mia. And I should have talked to you sooner about why you felt Kayla didn't belong."
For a moment, Rochelle appeared ready to listen.
Then she glanced at Mia.
"But this still isn't fair to my daughter."
Kayla suddenly spoke.
"Mom, I don't want Mia's room."
Rochelle stared at her.
"Kayla—"
"I liked my old room."
"You complained it was small."
"Because my books don't fit on the shelf!"
Her voice shook.
"I didn't mean I wanted Mia to sleep in the basement."
Silence settled over the hallway.
Rochelle looked at the teddy bear tucked beneath Kayla's arm.
Then she looked away.
"Go finish packing," she said.
Kayla didn't move.
"Please, Mom."
"Kayla."
Daniel stepped forward.
"She gets to say how she feels."
Rochelle closed the suitcase.
"Fine. If Mia moves back into that bedroom permanently, Kayla and I will stay with Simone until you figure out whether you want this marriage."
Daniel looked at Mia.
She was standing barefoot in the doorway, her hands clenched at her sides.
He saw the familiar expression on her face.
The one that meant she was preparing to surrender before anyone could accuse her of being selfish.
"Dad," she whispered, "I can just—"
"No."
Daniel's answer was immediate.
Mia blinked.
He moved closer.
"You are not moving into that basement to save my marriage."
Rochelle stared at him.
"Then I guess you've made your decision."
Daniel shook his head.
"You made an ultimatum. I'm making a boundary."
Rochelle took the suitcase and walked toward the stairs.
Kayla stayed behind.
Her eyes followed her mother, then moved to Mia.
"Are you the reason my mom is leaving?" Mia asked softly.
Kayla shook her head.
"No."
But she didn't look convinced.
A moment later, she whispered, "Mia, am I the reason your family is falling apart?"
Mia looked at her stepsister's frightened face.
May you like
And suddenly, the argument wasn't about which girl deserved the bigger bedroom.
It was about whether either of them could belong without hurting the other.
