“I needed the money back, Natalie. Daycare was eating up most of my paycheck. Colin pays his share of the children’s expenses, but I still have rent, groceries, and everything else.”
I understood financial struggles.
I couldn’t understand why mine were being tied to her brother’s debt.
“Three weeks ago,” Heather said, “Seth came over and told me he had a solution.”
I waited.
“He said you’d decided to stay home after the wedding. That you wanted a break from the dental office.”
My mouth went dry.
“He offered to have you watch the kids for a year.”
I stared.
“And you would forgive his debt,” I said slowly.
Heather nodded.
For several seconds, I couldn’t respond.
Seth hadn’t merely offered my assistance to his sister.
He’d traded a year of my labor to settle his personal debt.
Heather scrolled through her messages.
“Here.”
She passed me her phone.
Seth’s first message read:
Nat’s serious about leaving the office after the wedding. She loves having the kids around. I think this could help both of us.
Heather had responded:
Are you sure she’d want all three every day? That’s a lot of work.
Seth replied:
She’s already planning to be home. I wouldn’t offer if we hadn’t talked about it.
Further down, Heather had written:
If Natalie handles daycare through next spring, are you saying we’re square on the truck money?
Seth answered:
Yeah. Call it even.
I reread his response three times.
Fifty hours every week.
Nearly a year of supervising three children, preparing meals, changing diapers, organizing naps, handling laundry, and managing school pickups.
No income, retirement contributions, or professional advancement.
All to spare Seth from repaying his sister.
I returned the phone.
“Did you know how much I make at the clinic?”
Heather hesitated.
“Not exactly.”
“Did you know I’d been there almost seven years?”
“Yes.”
“Then how did you think I could afford to quit?”
She pressed her lips together.
“Seth said you’d both planned for it.”
“With what money?”
She remained silent.
I leaned back.
“Six thousand four hundred dollars,” I said.
Heather looked miserable.
“I know how it sounds.”
“Do you?”
Her eyes filled.
“That’s not fair, Natalie. I honestly thought you wanted this.”
I faced her.
“Did you ever ask yourself why someone would give up a full-time job to watch three children for free?”
She started speaking, then stopped.
Her silence told me enough.
Heather desperately needed an affordable childcare solution. Seth had offered one at almost no cost to her, and she’d accepted it.
Eventually, she spoke.
“I should have talked to you myself.”
“Yes. You should have.”
She wiped her cheeks.
“I didn’t think Seth would lie about something like that.”
“Neither did I.”
For the first time, I felt something besides anger toward her.
We’d both believed Seth.
We’d both been deceived.
But Heather still had her employment. I would have lost mine if he’d succeeded.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” I said.
“What?”
“Why didn’t you mention any of this when we saw each other?”
Heather frowned.
“I tried.”
“When?”
“At Mom’s birthday dinner last month. I started asking you about work, remember?”
I recalled that evening.
Heather had asked whether I still enjoyed working at the clinic.
Before I could reply, Seth interrupted, explaining that wedding preparations had made work discussions stressful for me.
I’d thought he was being considerate.
“He told me later that I’d made you uncomfortable,” Heather said. “That you were upset I was questioning your decision to stay home.”
My chest tightened.
“He said that?”
She nodded.
“He told me you wanted him to handle the arrangements because you didn’t like being pressured.”
I sat motionless.
Then another memory surfaced.
After the same dinner, Seth had told me Heather believed I prioritized my career too much.
According to him, she couldn’t understand why a soon-to-be-married woman cared so deeply about earning a promotion.
His comments had hurt me.
Afterward, I’d avoided discussing my career with Heather.
Now she was insisting she’d never criticized me.
I looked at her.
“Did you ever tell Seth you thought I was too focused on my career?”
Heather shook her head.
“No.”
“Did you tell him you didn’t think I’d make a good wife because I worked so much?”
Her confusion turned to shock.
“Of course not.”
My stomach churned.
Heather stared at me.
“What exactly has my brother been telling you about me?”
I glanced at the wedding ring still inside its little box in my purse.
It had never reached my finger.
“I think,” I said slowly, “we need to compare a few things.”
## Chapter 6 — The Lies He Told Both of Us
Within twenty minutes, Heather and I understood the pattern.
For months, Seth had been supplying each of us with false impressions of the other.
When Heather asked about my career, he claimed I avoided discussing it.
When I wondered why Heather seemed distant, he insisted she disapproved of my work.
When she proposed contacting me about childcare, he told her direct conversations made me uncomfortable.
When I expressed a desire to become closer to Heather, Seth claimed she considered me unfriendly.
The deception had required surprisingly little effort.
He’d simply relied on us trusting his explanations.
I recalled a Sunday when I’d voluntarily watched Maddie and Ben for three hours while Heather attended a medical appointment.
Afterward, she’d thanked me and offered to buy lunch.
I’d declined.
Later, Seth told me she’d complained about my annoyed expression when the children arrived.
For weeks, I’d worried Heather thought I disliked caring for them.
When I explained this, she looked horrified.
“I said the opposite. I told Seth I didn’t know what I’d do without you helping sometimes.”
I pressed my forehead.
A single honest conversation could have prevented months of misunderstanding.
We’d just never spoken without Seth managing the information between us.
Heather examined her phone.
“I should have known something was wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
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