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“It’s alright, Penny,” I say, trying to keep the heavy lump out of my throat. “I’m sure Chase is busy with his dad. He has baseball practice tonight. We’ll have dinner again when Chase is with me. It’ll be fun!”

Penny shrugs her shoulders.

“Why don’t you go practice your violin while we get dinner ready?” Scarlett asks her daughter.

“Fine,” Penny walks to her room, dragging her feet.

“I’m sorry.” Scarlett hugs me. “I tried to explain to her what a breakup is, but I don’t think she understands how emotional it is for you. Or Chase.”

“It’s fine.”

Penny doesn’t have a dad. How could she understand?

I hear the muffled sound of a violin getting tuned behind a closed door as I go to the counter where tomatoes and cucumbers sit on a cutting board. I grab the knife and start slicing a tomato.

“How are you?” Scarlett asks.

I’m not sure if she’s genuinely asking or if it’s her roundabout way of finding out if Ethan told me to move out. After all, I don’t know how much of our breakup he shares with his sister.

But I’m not going to lie to my friend for him.

“He wants me out of the house.” I chop down hard, the sound of the knife beating down to the tune of the violin.

“What?” Scarlett drops her wooden spoon and turns to face me. “But I thought you’d agreed to share?”

I nod. “He changed his mind. He wants Charlotte to move in with him.”

Scarlett shakes her head. “I’m going to kill him.”

A nervous laugh escapes me. I wish. I wish life were so fair that Ethan could suffer as bad as I do.

But it’s not!

He’s happy, I’m in pain.

He wins, I lose.

“I hope you know that I’m on your side.” Scarlett puts her hand on my shoulder. “You’ll always be my sister. There’s nothing he can do to stop that.”

I drop my head.

“If he marries her, you’ll have a new sister. And there’s nothing you can do about that.”

She huffs. “That’s not what I mean. I’m not talking about sisters-in-law. I’m talking about the family you choose. You’re the sister I never had. Period.”

I hug her tight, so she knows I feel the same way even if it’s hard for me to talk right now.

Scarlett leads me to a chair. “Sit. Talk to me.”

“I just can’t believe it. First, she stole my husband, now my home, then it will be my son. Chase will be spending half his time with her.”

“You’re Chase’s mom. You’ll always be his number one.”

But I shake my head because that’s not the point. Even if I’m still Chase’s favorite, she doesn’t deserve Chase. She doesn’t deserve any part of him. She doesn’t deserve to be his number two. It’s not fair!

“And you know what the worst part is?”

Scarlett rubs my back waiting for me to keep talking.