The next day, Jared left around dawn. I paid it no mind and focused on preparing my documents for leaving the country.
“When are you coming over, Vanessa?” My brother’s voice was a balm to my nerves.
“One more week,” I replied calmly.
After catching up with him for a bit, I ended the call.
Just as I turned around, I found Jared standing at the door. My heart stuttered, but I pretended not to notice him.
“Vanessa?” he called out solemnly.
I reached out to him. “Jared? Are you back?”
He hummed in acknowledgment and took my phone, frowning when he saw the name in my recent contacts.
“You were on a call with your brother?”
When my brother first left for Murica, he wanted to take me with him so I could be treated overseas.
Jared didn’t like that, and I stayed upon my husband’s insistence.
He had never approved of my contact with my brother.
I took a deep breath to gather my wits. “Mhmm. He called to ask how I was doing, and I told him not to worry about me.”
Jared accepted my response and then turned toward the door. “Come in.”
Regina walked in with a contemptuous look.
“Vanessa, I found you a caretaker. She’ll be taking care of you while I’m out, okay?”
We had another caretaker before, Jenny, but Jared fired her two days ago because he didn’t like her cooking.
She had been with us for two years, and he’d eaten her cooking for just as long. Yet, I didn’t voice my confusion.
Now, I understood—he had fired her for Regina’s sake.
Regina glanced at me and smiled smugly. “Don’t worry, Ma’am. I’m best at taking care of b… the visually impaired.”
