Marlene sank into a chair and admitted the truth. After her husband died, she was terrified of being left alone, and she believed that if Nathan had a family of his own, she would become a guest in his life. She had tried to push Lily and me away before the wedding, and the wine was her last desperate attempt. Nathan had told her months earlier that he would never choose between them, and she had not believed him. Now she looked at Lily with red eyes and said she was sorry, and this time she did not look away.

Nathan did not hand over the check that night. He kept paying the mortgage, but he told Marlene the gift would wait until she earned Lily’s trust. Lily forgave her slowly. A month later, Lily covered the stain with hand-stitched flowers, and Marlene was the one who sewed on the last pearl button. Every Sunday afterward, she sat at our table as family.