Chapter 5 - VANESSA'S OWN HISTORY
Vanessa’s parents divorced when she was eight.
Her father remarried quickly.
Her stepmother, Diane, filled the house with photographs from the new marriage.
Vanessa’s mother disappeared from walls.
Holiday traditions changed.
Old ornaments vanished.
Vanessa hated it.
She told Andrew that story early in their relationship.
“I know what it feels like to be replaced.”
Andrew loved her more for understanding.
But Vanessa learned the wrong lesson from her childhood.
Not:
Do not erase what came before.
Instead:
Never be the person who comes second.
She spent years telling herself she would never enter a relationship where another woman—living or dead—had more emotional power.
Then she fell in love with Andrew.
And met Laura everywhere.
In Emily’s face.
In family photographs.
In stories.
In the blue Christmas ornaments.
In the way Andrew sometimes said:
“Laura used to…”
At first Vanessa tolerated it.
Then resented it.
Then began reducing it.
A picture moved from hallway to bedroom.
A holiday recipe skipped.
May you like
A memorial donation forgotten.
Each act small enough to deny.
