Chapter 500 The Dinner

Martha’s POV

Delia arrived late, already talking as she walked in, her coat half off and her perfume filling the hall. Noah held the door open for her. Elliot came in behind them, and something about the room immediately shifted. He took my hand in greeting and held it longer than a guest should.

“Martha,” Elliot said. “You look well.”

“Sit. Food is ready,” I replied.

David liked Elliot. He liked Noah too. David liked a full table and men who did not raise their voices. I put the roast down and took my seat where I could see everyone.

We ate while David talked about the garden wall. Julian answered whenever he was asked something. Noah talked about a car he was thinking of buying. Delia laughed at something Elliot said, even though it was not funny. Her hand rested on the tablecloth close to his. They were not touching, but their hands were close enough that the slightest movement from either of them would make their fingers meet. Noah did not notice because he was busy telling David about engines.

Whenever Elliot spoke to Delia, he leaned toward her. At first, Delia moved back slightly, as though she suddenly remembered she was sitting in her mother’s house. But then she leaned toward him again, and there was nothing innocent about the way she did it. It was the movement of a woman who already knew exactly what she wanted.

Katia’s fork paused. She did not look at me. Instead, she looked at Julian. He met her eyes, and they exchanged a single look before both returning to their plates. They had seen it too. My wrists suddenly felt cold.

“More potatoes, Delia?” I asked.

“Please, Mother,” Delia replied.

I served her first. I always did. Katia did not ask me for any. Julian simply passed her the dish without a word. She thanked him, not me.

David asked Katia and Julian about their trip. Julian said the island had been quiet. Katia spoke directly to her father and told him how Clara had grabbed her collar the moment she walked through the door. David laughed and said the child knew her mother. I added that Clara screamed whenever someone put her down, but Katia still did not look at me.

Elliot asked if the house had been empty while they were away. Julian told him it had not been. Celeste had been there, and so had Gail. Elliot nodded as though the answer was somehow useful to him. Delia touched her necklace, and his eyes followed the movement of her hand.

I stood so suddenly that my chair scraped against the floor.

“Delia. Help me with the dessert,” I said.

She smiled at Noah before following me into the kitchen. I shut the door behind us.

“Stop,” I told her.

Delia frowned. “Stop what?”

“Whatever you are doing with that man. I saw your hand. I saw your face. He is your husband’s father.”

She gave a short laugh. “You are imagining things.”

“I raised you, Delia. I know when you are lying. If something has already started between you and Elliot, end it. If it has not, do not let it start. You will lose Noah. You will lose the life you have.”

“You do not know what you are talking about,” Delia said.

“I know what you look like when you want a man you should not have,” I told her. “I saw it at my table. Katia saw it too. She will not save you from this. She does not save you from anything. She barely speaks to me, so do not expect her to cover for you.”

Delia’s jaw tightened. “Katia does not matter in this kitchen. This is your house. I am your daughter.”

“Then listen to me,” I said. “End it.”

“There is nothing to end,” she insisted.

“There is something between you. I see it in the way you look at each other and the way you lean toward each other. Elliot is old enough to know he should be careful around his son’s wife, and he is not being careful with you.”

She picked up the cake plate. Her hands were steady, but the look in her eyes was not.

“If your father asks me about this,” I warned her, “I will not lie for you.”

“Dad will not ask,” Delia replied. “Dad likes Elliot. He likes Noah. Leave it alone, Mother.”

She walked out of the kitchen.

Back at the table, Delia smiled at Noah and passed him a slice of cake. He thanked her, and I knew he meant it. Elliot watched Delia’s mouth. Katia watched Elliot but said nothing to me. Julian watched his wife. Meanwhile, David seemed unaware of everything happening around him and simply asked if anyone wanted coffee.

“I do,” I said, because my hands needed something to hold.

Noah talked about work. Elliot agreed with something he said twice, but the third time Noah spoke, Elliot was looking at Delia instead. She touched her glass. He touched his. To a stranger, those little gestures would have meant nothing. But I was her mother, and I had already seen enough to know they meant something.

When they were leaving, Katia thanked David. Then she gave me a small nod.

“Martha,” she said.

“Katia,” I replied.

Elliot kissed my cheek, but I did not move or return the affection. Delia did not look back at me. Noah thanked me for dinner and held the door open for his wife like a good man who had no idea what was happening behind his back.

David started clearing the plates. “Nice evening,” he said.

I stood in my own hallway with the good plates still sitting on the table. I had warned the daughter I had always favored, but she had ignored me and walked out with her husband and the man I had just warned her about. Katia had seen what was happening, but I knew she would not help me. She never had. She had her father. She had her husband. She had never needed my warnings, and she certainly was not going to help me save her sister from one.