Chapter 24 Wendy made me a nutritious breakfast . I was halfway through my meal when Yvonne came bounding in . " Mom , you're not going to work today , " she declared . " You have to stay home and play with me . " I looked at her while spooning my gruel . " From now on , I will be going back to work , " I said . " But we'll sign you up for some fun classes - you'll have teachers and classmates to keep you company . " Yvonne's face paled at the mention of classes . In an instant , she was pointing at me , her voice rising to a wail . " I don't want classes . You're mean . I hate you . I'm telling Grandma . " She turned and ran toward the door to find her grandmother . " Come back , " I commanded , my voice icy . " Go ahead - try telling on me . " Yvonne's face was still wet with crocodile tears . She turned to look at me , her eyes wide - almost like she was seeing me for the first time . And for just a second , I caught a flicker of fear . I set my bread down slowly , took a sip of lemon water , and fixed her with a cold stare . " Yvonne , I'm your mother . I brought you into this world . You will respect me . " But if you'd rather have a different mother , go ask your father . I won't stand in your way . " Yvonne wasn't stupid . She blinked , getting the message quickly . After a pause , she inched closer , clutching my arm . " Mom , I'm sorry , " she mumbled . " I won't talk back again . And I won't tattle to Grandma . I know you love me best . " I studied my daughter - so clever and perceptive . It hurt to remember how , in my previous life , she'd still been taking Tracy's side even when she was thirty years old . She'd said I deserved the pain , that I was my own worst enemy , dragging everyone down with my unhappiness . I was failing as a parent , and I didn't know how to fix it . All I wanted was to raise a child who might one day look at me with love - maybe even gratitude . Modern parenting advice kept telling us to take it easy on our kids . It encouraged us to offer support rather than impose limitations , to foster happiness instead of hardship, and to permit unrestrained development . But for those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s , caught between these new ideas and how we were raised , it became exhausting to know what was right . " Go play . I've got work soon . " Rubbing my temples , I nudged Yvonne toward her pony and went upstairs to change . The mirror reflected the marks Jared had left the night before - love bites scattered down my neck and back . Back then , I would've covered every one , too shy to let them show . But today , I didn't bother hiding a single one . Why should I ? A little passion between spouses was nothing to be ashamed of .. I deliberately chose a sleeveless V - neck sweater with beige trousers , tying my hair back loosely to proudly display last night's love marks . My rose earrings swung provocatively with every move . I was carrying files down the corporate hallway when I spotted Tracy walking with a group of executives toward a meeting . As we passed each other , I subtly tilted my head to the side . Tracy stopped dead in her tracks , her eyes locking onto the love bites on my neck . 1/1