Chapter 2

After Ethan came home from the hospital, Miranda visited even more frequently.

Before, she came once a week. Now it was three times a week.

She used to at least bring something—fruit, milk—nothing expensive, but it was a gesture.

Now?

She showed up empty-handed. The moment she walked in, she'd open the fridge, grab a couple of drinks, a handful of snacks, and stuff them into the big canvas bag she brought.

When she left, the bag would be bulging.

Once, I'd bought a new dress for Emma and left it on the sofa before I could put it away. Miranda picked it up, looked it over twice, and stuffed it straight into her bag.

"Emma will outgrow this dress in two months anyway. I'll take it back for my neighbor's daughter. No point wasting it."

I opened my mouth to object, but Ethan said softly, "It's just one dress. Don't make a fuss."

I swallowed my words.

That night after Emma fell asleep, I mentioned it to Ethan.

"Miranda's coming over way too often now. Every time she comes, she takes things from our house. This isn't a supermarket."

Ethan sighed.

"My sister practically raised me from childhood.

She dropped out of middle school to work and put me through college.

She sacrificed a lot for this family. Now that I'm doing well, she takes a few things—don't be so petty about it."

I looked at him and said nothing more.

For the sake of family harmony, I endured it.

Until one afternoon, I was hanging laundry on the balcony when I heard Miranda whispering with Ethan again.

"Ethan, how much money do you actually have on hand right now?"

"Miranda, why are you asking?"

"Who else should I ask? Leo's old enough now. He needs to start preschool. You know that experimental kindergarten—you can't get in without connections. Just the bribes alone will cost tens of thousands."

Ethan said nothing.

Miranda continued, "And I ride my bicycle to pick up Leo every day.

The kindergarten is so far from home. When it's windy or rainy, the kid suffers.

I want to buy a car. Nothing fancy—just a ten-thousand-dollar commuter car."

"Miranda, I can't come up with that kind of money. Most of the accident compensation went to medical treatment."

Miranda lowered her voice.

"You don't have money, but your wife does. Her family's better off than ours. Her parents even paid the down payment when you got married. You two are husband and wife—one unit. What's wrong with using some of her money? She's not a stranger."

I deliberately coughed—loud enough to carry into the bedroom but not too loud.

Miranda immediately went silent.

After a few seconds, she came out of the bedroom and walked toward the balcony. She saw me standing by the drying rack.

I stared at her.

She rolled her eyes, said nothing, turned around, grabbed her canvas bag, and left.

That night after Emma fell asleep, I sat on the edge of the bed and asked Ethan.

"What did Miranda say to you this afternoon? Something about connections and buying a car—where exactly are you planning to get that money?"

Ethan rubbed his hands together. It took him a long time to speak.

"Her husband's been losing money in business lately. She's tight on cash, so she wanted to borrow some from me."

"Borrow? What she's asking for isn't a small amount. Tens of thousands for kindergarten bribes, ten thousand for a car—you call that borrowing?"

"She was just talking..."

"She said you should spend my money. Was that 'just talking' too?"

Ethan fell silent.

I looked at him.

"Ethan, our daughter will start preschool soon too. And then elementary school, middle school—everything costs money. We need to save for our child."

He still said nothing. He turned over and faced away from me.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking for a long time.

Miranda's appetite was growing bigger and bigger. From taking snacks and dresses to asking for tens of thousands.

What exactly did she want?

From that day on, I started paying attention to Miranda's every move.