Emily was returning from work. It had been an extremely stressful day, and she was utterly exhausted, longing to lie down and rest. She worked at a hospital and lived with her mother and younger sister in a three-bedroom apartment. Emily couldn’t even dream of buying her own place, as her entire salary went toward supporting their small family. Her mother’s pension was meager, and Lily was still studying at university, not yet working.
When Emily entered the apartment, she nearly bumped into her younger sister at the door. Lily was rushing out somewhere.
— I’ll be back late, don’t wait up! — her sister called out as she hurried off.
— Where are you going, Lily? — Emily managed to ask just before the door slammed shut.
Her mother emerged from the living room.
— Emily, you’re home already. Did you stop by the store? We’re out of sugar, and we need something to go with tea.
— Mom, why didn’t Lily go? She was home all day! — Emily said, exasperated.
Lily’s university had switched to remote learning, and for the past two months, students had been attending classes from home.
— Emily, why do you always get so worked up? Is it that hard to pop by the store? It’s right nearby! — her mother replied, growing agitated.
Emily had no choice but to turn around and head to the store. Rest was out of the question.
Back from the store, Emily noticed that nothing had been prepared for dinner. The sink was piled high with dirty dishes, and a heap of dry, unironed laundry sat on the ironing board.
Emily hated disorder and immediately got to work. An hour and a half later, a delicious dinner was ready, and the apartment was spotless.
She sat down to rest and chat with her mother.
— Mom, I’ll be home late tomorrow. I’m going to Sarah’s birthday party—you remember my old school friend?
— That flighty girl? Of course I remember. Why do you still hang out with her? What do you two even have in common? — her mother said, instantly souring the mood.
— Mom, why is she flighty? She’s a perfectly normal woman!
— Oh, I remember her twirling around with all the boys at your high school prom!
— What’s wrong with that? It was years ago! She’s married now, with a kid. Her husband loves her so much—he’s throwing this surprise party for her at a café!
— Loves her, huh! — her mother scoffed. — I bet he’s just as much of a flirt as she is.
Emily didn’t pursue the topic further, realizing she wouldn’t change her mother’s mind.
The next day, Emily was in high spirits, looking forward to a wonderful evening. For the occasion, she had bought a new dress and styled her hair. Her mood lifted even more at the thought that Sarah’s brother, James, would be at the party. She had liked him for a long time.
At exactly 6:00 p.m., all the friends gathered at the café. Sarah was thrilled, completely surprised by the celebration. Everyone was having a great time, and James was there, just as Emily had hoped.
They had just raised their first toast and started dinner when Emily’s phone rang. She saw it was Lily calling and stepped away from the table to answer quietly.
— Hey, I’m listening, Lily. What’s wrong?
— Emily, come home quick! Mom’s blood pressure spiked to 200 over 100. I don’t know what to do, please come! — Lily was nearly crying into the phone.
— Lily, call an ambulance. I’m on my way! — Emily said, reluctantly saying goodbye to the guests, apologizing to Sarah, and preparing to head home.
Sarah quickly took charge and asked her brother to drive Emily home and return afterward. James happily agreed, as he had liked Emily for a while but hadn’t found the chance to get closer to her. As he dropped her off at her apartment, James mustered the courage to ask for her phone number.
Emily entered the apartment to find everything calm. Her mother was lying in her room, watching TV, and Lily was in hers.
— Mom, Lily, what’s going on? Did the ambulance come? — Emily asked, worried.
— We didn’t end up calling them, — her mother replied, sounding quite lively. — I took a pill, and my blood pressure came down. Everything’s fine now.
— Oh, Emily, since you’re home, I’m going to step out for a bit, — Lily said, quickly getting ready to leave.
Emily felt a lump in her throat. Part of her was upset about the ruined evening, but she also felt guilty for being angry at her closest family, suspecting them of selfishness.
The evening took a brighter turn thanks to James. He called to check on Emily’s mother, and they ended up talking on the phone for nearly an hour and a half. At the end of the call, James suggested meeting up over the weekend to go somewhere together. Emily happily agreed.
On Saturday, Emily was hurrying to meet James. Lily picked up on her sister’s romantic mood and insisted on tagging along. Their mother enthusiastically supported Lily, practically begging Emily to take her sister with them… just in case.
Emily checked with James to see if he’d mind a trio. He didn’t object at all. He was so eager to see Emily that he was willing to accept any conditions, even an extra person.
James picked up Emily and Lily and, instead of a walk, invited them to a café. They all had a great time. James cracked jokes and shared funny stories. After the café, he drove the sisters back home. Lily rushed inside, but Emily lingered outside with James for a while. The evening ended with a kiss.
From that day on, Emily and James started dating. He often stopped by to see her, and they spent a lot of time together. Sometimes Lily joined them. Emily felt that James had bonded with her family and that her mother and Lily were happy for them and wished them well.
But after a while, Emily noticed that James seemed to be avoiding Lily. He stopped coming by the apartment as often, arranged dates farther from home, and asked to meet Emily alone. She tried to talk to him about it, but he brushed it off.
One evening, Emily was at home on her laptop, chatting with James on social media. Lily came into the room, spoke to her sister sweetly, and suggested they have tea together. Emily agreed and happily went to put the kettle on. After tea, she took a shower and went to bed early.
The next day, Emily couldn’t get through to James. His phone was on, but he wasn’t answering. She decided to check when he was last active on social media.
Opening their conversation from the previous night, Emily’s face fell. There were messages sent from her account, continuing their chat, that she hadn’t written.
Her last message had been, “Good night.” James had replied, “Good night, kitten! Love you!”
After that, Emily had gone to make tea. But the chat continued: “James, I hate it when you call me ‘kitten.’ You’re sweet, but you’re too sappy for me. I need a man with some edge. And I think I’ve found one. We’re not right for each other.”
Emily was trembling, realizing why James wasn’t answering her calls. She rushed to Lily’s room, but her sister wasn’t home. Emily tried talking to her mother about Lily’s stunt, but her mother dismissed it as a harmless prank, telling Emily to calm down and that she’d have plenty more guys like James. She even defended Lily, saying she was doing Emily a favor by getting rid of a “spineless” guy like James.
Emily called Sarah and told her everything, including that she couldn’t reach James. Sarah suggested they go to his workplace to sort things out, and they did.
James was surprised when his sister and Emily showed up at his workplace unexpectedly. He explained that he had accidentally left his phone at home and hadn’t checked his social media messages. After wishing each other good night in their chat, he had gone to bed.
Emily sighed with relief and told James the whole story. He advised her to have a serious talk with Lily, as her sister had been pulling various stunts behind her back lately. He didn’t elaborate but added that this was why he had been avoiding Lily and preferred not to visit Emily’s apartment.
Back home, Emily confronted Lily. Her sister denied everything and got offended, accusing Emily of attacking her and not trusting her. Their mother, as usual, took Lily’s side.
Soon after, James proposed to Emily, and they got married a short while later. Emily moved in with her husband, and they now live happily together. But at least once a week, she visits her mother and sister, bringing them groceries, listening to their complaints about her, tidying up the house, and hurrying back to her beloved.
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