Formally weed into the family.


    The phrase made Hannah''s breath catch. Her hands sped together in herp. If she was weed back, she would finally have a home. Not the orphanage, not Lionel''s house, but her own true family.


    "Okay," she said, her voice clear and strong.


    For the first time in a long time, she finished a meal feeling warmth spread through her heart.


    That evening, Hannah ate out again before heading home. Lionel had arrived early and cooked dinner, waiting for her. When he heard the front door open, he hurried out of the kitchen and saw her standing in the entryway, a radiant smile on her face. She looked genuinely happy.


    "Did something good happen?" he couldn''t help but ask. "You look so happy."


    "I..." Hannah started to reply, but the sight of his face made the words die in her throat. The joy vanished, reced by a familiar irritation. She tossed her purse onto the sofa and copsed onto the cushions, saying nothing more.


    Lionel''s expression fell. He watched her mood sour in an instant, her desire to shut him out palpable. He knew she was still angry.


    "I made dinner," he said, forcing the words out past his own frustration. "All your favorites. It''s ready now."


    Hannah let out a sharpugh. "Lionel, I''ve told you before, I''m not eating with you. Do you really think cooking a few meals is going to move me?"


    He opened his mouth to argue, but her mocking gaze left him


    speechless. Finally, he managed,


    "We''re husband and wife


    perfectly format for a couple to ca together. Besides, I already cooked. What was the point of eating out?"


    Herughter grew louder. "Lionel, I''m not the one who''s angry here. Why are you?"


    "I cooked a meal, and you deliberately ate out just to spite me! How can I not be angry?" he shot back, his teeth clenched.


    Hannah just raised an eyebrow, a smirk ying on her lips, but said nothing. His own words seemed to hang in the air, and an uneasy feeling crept over him.


    She sighed, then stood up and walked over to him, her hands sped behind her back. "Lionel, you''re angry because I didn''te home for dinner a couple of times? After three years of marriage you''ve sat down to eat with me maybe a handful of times-and only in this past month. Remember that. Just a handful of times in three years."


    "You have no right to be angry with me," she continued, her voice dangerously soft. "Forget dinner, you were barely ever home. So tell me, what exactly are you so angry about?"


    “I...” He was utterly lost for words.


    Hannah let out a coldugh and poked him in the chest. "There, there. Don''t be angry. You go ahead and eat. I was in a good mood today, and I don''t want to argue. So don''t ruin it for me, understand?"


    The thought of her good mood being spoiled by another fight in this suffocating house was too much. She grabbed her purse again, ready to head to a hotel. It was only two more days until the divorce was final. Now that she had found her mother, she wasn''t going to let him ruin her newfound happiness.