David was ashamed to admit that it had taken him that long to figure out that there was something wrong with his new wife. It had taken him too long to notice the signs, with it being almost two months into their marriage. But when he did start noticing things, he was left wondering if it was due to the trauma of his relationship with Adele or if there was actually something wrong with Louise.

After their honeymoon, they had decided to settle in a small town three hours outside of London. Louise had chosen the place, stating that she had always wanted to live there and so they moved. David didn't mind and Adam seemed set on not adding his opinion. The boy had actually seemed to grow quieter as the days progressed, but David accounted it as him not being happy with his mother's decision in getting remarried.

David was working on opening his own practice with Louise as his secretary, a family business. As the business was still under development, David, Louise, and Adam stayed at home together, spending the time getting to know each other. They had a lot of family bonding time when Adam wasn’t adjusting to his life at a new school.

That was when David started noticing that there was something wrong with Louise. It was a slow process, but David couldn’t get his mind off the signs.

1. Sang songs

David came home from a meeting with the city council on the opening of his own practice. Louise and Adam, who had already come back from school, were in the kitchen making dinner.

“I'm home!” David shouted as he took off his jacket and hung it on the rack.

He walked through the house towards the kitchen, a happy smile on his face. David faltered in his steps as he heard Louise humming a song. Suddenly, he was back living with Adele and coming home to her singing that song as she cooked. He could see her in the kitchen, wearing some variation of white as she chopped up various vegetables and added them to the pot.

“David?” Louise called, breaking the trance. David shook his head and walked into the kitchen, a forced smile on his face. There was no need for alarm.

“Hello everyone.” David said, kissing Louise on the lips and ruffling Adam's hair. The boy barely reacted. “What are we having for dinner?”

“Casserole, I'm not the best cook but I'm getting better I think.” Louise said as she turned back to the stove.

“What were you humming earlier?” David asked as he sat down next to Adam. The boy looked like he was focused on his homework.

David knew from experience that he was paying attention to the situation around him, while keeping himself at a distance. David found that strange as that was normally what children in abusive households did. Or children who weren’t in a comfortable situation. David wondered if he was the one that was making Adam uncomfortable.

“Huh? Oh, some song I heard while I was out today.” Louise smiled. David nodded and decided to drop it. In his experience, when things were pushed, they got worse or out of hand. He would rather not risk it, not with Adam in the picture.

“Let me go shower before we eat. I was so nervous that I kept sweating and now I smell.” David said as he stood up. Louise nodded and Adam continued to work in silence. As David walked to the master bedroom bathroom, he thought about the boy.

From what Louise had said about Adam, the boy was outgoing and was easy to get along with. But the boy was nothing like that. He sat quietly at all meals, hardly spoke when they did other activities and rarely watched tv or played.

David stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away his worries. If Louise wasn't worried, then he wouldn't be.

As he showered, he thought of that song again. That song that Adele kept singing.

*Flashback*

David walked into the bedroom, surprised to find Adele sitting on the bed, rocking back and forth. It was disconcerting.

“What are you doing?” David asked as he watched her uncomfortably.

“Singing. My parents used to love this song.” Adele opened her eyes and smiled. “Isn't it a lovely song?”

“I've never heard it before.” He answered, before going to change his clothes. He heard movement behind him and froze as hands landed on his shoulders.

Adele slowly pulled off his suit jacket, a clear attempt at trying to seduce him. David went with the flow, allowing her to manipulate him how she liked.

Soon, they were having sex on the bed. David was near climax when Adele started singing. It was definitely not the kind of song to sing during sex, but he was too close to tell her to stop.

She finished singing as they climaxed together, leaning against each other.

“Why would you sing that during sex?” David asked when he had gotten his bearings. “Do your parents mean that little to you?”

“They mean so much that I want us to remember that song. I want that song to have a different meaning for us.” Adele smiled, placing a hand on David's chest.

From then on, they few times that they would have sex, it was to the tune of that song. The song that Adele would sing when she was really happy.

David had ended up refusing to sleep with her if she kept up with that song. It took a few tries - and a lot of self-control during sex - before she got the message and stopped.

*End flashback*

After that, David had never heard that song ever again. Until a moment ago.

“David, dinner is ready.” Louise called from outside the bathroom door.

“Coming, give me minute.” David pushed his wet hair out of his face and reached for the body wash.

“Don't take too long.” Louise said.

2. Cooking

Louise, despite complaining that she wasn’t the best cook, was the only one to cook. When she would come back from fetching Adam from school and immediately start with the dinner preparations, despite only actually starting to cook two hours later.

David came home from work and found her in the kitchen, in the midst of one of her dinner preparations. Adam was sitting at the kitchen island, working on his homework – despite it being a Friday. David paused by the door, taking the time to admire the family that he always wanted.

Louise looked up and smiled at him but didn’t stop her cutting. David felt his smile falter as he watched her. It was exactly what Adele used to do.

“What are you making?” David asked in an effort to compose himself.

“Old family recipe.” Louise said, finally looking down at the chopping board. He walked over to her and placed a kiss on her lips before giving Adam a pat on the shoulder.

“Sounds promising, I can’t wait to taste it.” David said. “Let me go and wash up.”

*

David nearly spat out the food the minute he tasted it. It was exactly the same meal that Adele had prepared for him multiple times before, especially on their anniversary.

“Do you like it?” Louise asked, a bright smile on her face.

“Yes, it tastes amazing.” David said, a forced smile on his face. “What do you think Adam?”

“It tastes great mum.” Adam said also offering Louise a forced smiled.

“Thank you, boys.” Louise basked in the praise as she continued eating. The other people at the table uncomfortably tried to swallow the meal. Adam was clearly not interested in being there while David was struggling to understand how (and why) Louise would know a recipe from Adele’s childhood and be able to replicate it exactly the same way Adele made it.

David was saved from having to eat the food by his phone ringing. He barely managed to stop himself from flying out of the chair in his need to get away from the table.

“Louise, Adam, I have work to deal with so I can’t finish dinner with you.” David said before he tried hiding in his office.

“Should I bring a plate to you when you are done?” Louise asked, concern on her face.

“No, I’m fine. But thank you anyway.” David waved off her concern and retreated to his office.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” David said, pushing some of his files to the side. He was expecting Louise but was surprised when Adam walked in. “Adam, what can I do for you?”

Adam closed the door behind him and awkwardly stood in the middle of the room.

“Well, mum made dinner, but I didn’t like it, so I told her I was full. But now I’m hungry but I don’t want that food again.” Adam said after steeling his nerves. David wasn’t sure whether to laugh at or cry for the boy.

“Why don’t you and I go out for a bit then? Since it’s Friday and you don’t have school tomorrow, it should be fine.” David suggested, packing away his laptop into its bag.

“Where are we going?” Adam asked as David steered him out of the office.

“It’s surprise.” David grabbed their coats and shoes, making sure to shove his phone and car keys in his pocket.

“Where are you two off to?” Louise asked, nearly scaring the life out of the two males.

“Just a short drive around the area. Thought we could do that as a way of bonding.” David said. “We won’t be out long.”

David pushed Adam out of the door before Louise had time to ask if she could come along. He had a feeling that she would have been offended if they both had hated her food, especially if she had taken so much time to make it for them.

They ended up in an old diner that David had only known about because one of the councilmen had mentioned it to him in passing. It was child friendly, served food 24/7 and was known for its quick service. The best option for two hungry people.

“Want pizza or fish and chips?” David asked as he went through the menu.

“Pizza please. My favorite has always been pizza.” Adam said as he even pointed to the pizza he wanted. The waitress in front of them smiled.

“Cute kid.” She said.

“That he is.” David agreed. “Can we have two of those please.”

“Size?”

“Both small.” David answered. He was hungry but not that hungry and Adam would likely not finish his whole pizza by himself. David took out his laptop and placed it on the table before he started working. The pizza arrived soon after and the two od them enjoyed each other’s company and the good food. David also borrowed Adam his phone to play around with, just so that the boy wasn’t bored.

After they had been in the diner for nearly two hours, David decided that it was time for them to go home. He found that Adam had fallen asleep already. David held back a smile as he packed up their things and picked the boy up.

Louise wasn’t happy when they came back but David didn’t care. He had a nice time even though all he did was work and eat. He hoped to have more moments like that with Adam, since the boy was now his stepson.

3. Memories

One thing that stood out to David was Louise’s ability to know things that she had no business knowing and forgetting things that she should have known by heart. One of the more memorable instances of the former was when David was preparing for a meeting with other partners in the psychiatry departments.

“I don’t know which tie to wear.” David said as he rifled through his tie drawer.

“Let me help you.” Louise laughed, gently pushing him out of the way.

“Can you get me some socks, please?” He asked, turning to look for his favorite cuff links. He found them with his watch.

“Here you go.” Louise brought out a black and white spotted tie and matching black and white socks.

“Thank you.” David placed a kiss on her cheek before sitting and bending down to put on his socks.

“Well, you always said that matching socks and ties gave you confidence, something about knowing something that others didn’t.” Louise said making David stop what he was doing.

“How did you know that?”

“Huh?” Louise faltered for a bit.

“How did you know that I said that. It’s never come up in a conversation between us.” David sat up and looked at his wife.

“I heard it from Adele, she liked talking about the little things that you liked.” Louise explained. David looked at her for a moment before nodding and finishing with his shoes. He didn’t believe her, but she didn’t need to know that. One thing about Louise was that she was a terrible liar.

Though, for some reason, she had gotten infinitely better at it but there were still certain things that gave her away when she lied. Another thing was that David and lived with Adele for so long that it became easier for him to pick up on lies.

“Let me get going. Tell Adam that I’m sorry that I can’t drop him off.” David said as he tightened his tie.

“I will. Good luck.” Louise straightened his tie a bit before placing a kiss on his lips.

*

The incident of Louise not remembering things was when the three of them were sitting in the dining room, eating dinner.

“What do you like most about me David. Like when we first met, what caught your eye?” Louise asked.

“Umm… Besides the fact that you are beautiful.” David said before laughing a little. “I would say your directness.”

“My directness?” Louise looked confused.

“Yes, you told me things the way I needed to hear them.” David elaborated. “Like how you told me that if I engineered our meeting then I owed you money.”

“Money for what?”

“For the drink you bought me.” David was confused by the fact that she didn’t remember how they had first met. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I must have just filed it somewhere in my head and forgot.” Louise waved it off and reached for the bowl of steamed vegetables. She tried serving Adam, but he moved his plate away.

“Mum, we’re allergic to carrots.” He told her. Louise paused, the spoon held her hand hovering over her own plate.

“I forgot. I’m so used to making things for just the two of us and not buying carrots that I forgot to tell you not to buy them.” She laughed and placed the spoon down. “I’ll have to go through everything and remove anything with carrots from the fridge.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” David asked again. Both males were looking at her, worry and confusion on their faces.

“I think I might lie down for a bit.” Louise said, before standing up and leaving. David and Adam watched as she left.

“Mum’s never forgotten her allergies.” Adam said after a while.

“It’s okay, adults forget things sometimes.” David said. The look that Adam gave him said that he didn’t believe that that statement applied to the situation. “I’ll get some EpiPens and allergy medication and place them in the bathrooms. Just in case.”

Neither of them finished dinner that night, their minds occupied on other things. David couldn’t understand how Louise would forget such important things in her life. He filed the information away for another time, probably when he could ask Louise about it.

4. Adam

Louis had them develop a routine to get Adam out of the house for school before her and David left for work. For some reason, it bothered both David and Adam.

They hated routines. David because that was what he used to do with Adele, and it didn't even work. And Adam because that wasn't what he used to do with his mother. They both suffered but kept quiet as to keep Louise happy.

In the school mornings, David would go and wake Adam up before going to get himself ready. Louise would already have breakfast ready by then. When both males were fed and dressed, Louise would head to the office to open for the day while David took Adam to school. Then David would head to the office to start the day.

That gave David time to have a little chat with Adam, even if it was just him doing all the talking. But some days, not often though, Adam would actually hold the conversation.

“Come on Adam. You don't want to be late now.” Louise said as she placed his lunch bag in his bag. She handed him the bag before turning around to head to the bedroom. David observed the crestfallen look on the boy's face.

“Why don't we head out, Adam?” David placed a hand that he hoped was comforting on the boy's shoulder before steering him out of the house. As they got in the car, Louise exited the house, locking up on her way out before waving a goodbye to them and heading for her car.

“She's different.” Adam said after a bit. That got David's attention. Adam rarely initiated the conversation.

“Different how?” He pressed gently, not wanting the boy to clam up.

“Well, she used to make me kiss her goodbye and when I didn't do it like I meant it she'd make me do it again. Tell me to do it like I meant it, even when we were late.” Adam shuffled a bit in his seat and David looked at him through the mirror. He was looking out the window. “Even when my dad was still around, she'd do it. Tell us that her boys better show her that they loved her. She doesn’t even hug me anymore.”

“So, you miss that about her?” David asked. “The display of love?”

“I also miss being late for school with her. She'd wake me up and let me get myself ready but sometimes we'd still end up being late for school and we'd have to run.” Adam smiled, as sad as it was, it was one of the few smiles that David had seen on the boy's face. Real smiles, that is.

“Adam, can I ask?” David said after a pause. He waited until the boy looked at him through the mirror. “If you had the option, would you go and live with your dad instead?”

The conflicted look on the boy's face broke David's heart. No child should be forced into a situation where they had to choose between their parents and David knew that. He mentally scolded himself for having such poor judgement.

“No, I love my mum. And I like staying with you too, David. And dad has Lisa and the new baby, they're a little busy.” Adam finally answered.

“A new baby shouldn't be the reason that you don't stay with your father, Adam. But I understand what you mean. And I'm glad that you enjoy staying with me.” David offered a smile. “Tell you what, why don't we take a weekend for ourselves? Play soccer, fish, anything you want.”

“Without mum?” Adam asked. David didn't miss the hesitance in his voice.

“If you want.” David shrugged, though he would have rather spent time with just Adam.

“I'm sure she wouldn't mind if it was just us.” Adam said when he had thought about it. “She was okay when I left for France with dad and Lisa.”

“Great. How about, when you come back from school, you tell me what you want us to do, then I'll pick out a place where we can do all these things.” David said as they pulled up in front of the school.

“Sounds awesome.” Adam smiled, clearly excited and already thinking up activities. The car stopped and the boy happily hopped out. “Bye!”

“Bye Adam. See you after school.” David shouted, getting a wave from the boy. David waited until Adam was inside the school gates before he drove off to work. David was curious as to why Adam would have become more hesitant in spending time with his mother. Maybe the relationship was really become strained because of the marriage.

“You took a bit of time.” Louise said when he arrived. She helped him out of his jacket, hanging it on the rack near her desk.

“Yeah sorry, I just had a chat with Adam.” David explained, leaning against the side of her desk.

“I wish he would call you dad already.” Louise stood in between his legs, placing her hands on his thighs.

“I won't push him, maybe he'll call me by my name for the rest of my life, but it doesn't matter. He already has a dad who he sees often and who loves him.” David said as he placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them gently.

“I know.” She sighed.

“But I do have an idea that could get him to like me better.” David smiled, hoping that she would approve.

“Well, what is it?” Louise asked when David hadn't spoken. So, the man explained his two-day getaway with her son. David only stopped talking when Louise had a strange expression on her face.

“What's wrong? I thought you would like the idea of me getting to know him.” David asked.

“I do. It's just, the two of you leaving me alone…” She trailed off, leaving him to fill in the blanks. David held his tongue, not wanting to point out that was something that Adele would have once said. There were some battles that didn't need to be started.

“I don't think he's happy with me, Louise. This trip could be the trip that brings us together. Without you to be the mediator.” David said instead before kissing her lips. “Please, please, please, Louise.”

“Fine.” Louise said, laughing.

“Great, let's start work then.” David smiled.

5. Phone Calls

“Hurry David!” Adam called, running to the car with his bags. David had already helped him pack the night before, telling the boy that they would be leaving on the Friday after he came back from school.

“I’m coming.” David laughed before turning to Louise. She had an odd look on her face, one that didn’t look like it was sadness at them leaving. More like longing, as if she wanted to join them on their trip. David was confused by it. Louise had told him that she hated fishing with a passion and while soccer was something she didn’t mind playing, the trip was mainly about fishing.

“Hope you have fun.” Louise said, leaning up to kiss him.

“We will. I’ll call you when we get there.” David said. “In the meantime, you should get out of the house. I know you took some time off to go and run a few errands the other day but maybe try something you want. Meet up with your mates, maybe live a little.”

“I’ll see if Sophie is free.” Louise smiled.

“Good. Now I don’t want to keep Adam waiting.” David said, pulling away from her. Something flashed in her eyes, but it was gone before David could register what it was. He mentally shook his head and headed to the car. Once he was inside and Louise turned around and went into the house.

“She didn’t even say goodbye.” Adam said, sadness heavy in his tone. David kept quiet as he didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. Instead, he started the car and pulled out of the driveway. The location that he had told Louise he was going to was not the one that he had booked.

For some reason, he didn’t feel comfortable having her know exactly where they were going. It wasn’t like Louise would follow them or anything, he just felt better knowing that she didn’t know his exact location at every one of his waking moments. They went to work together and when he left the house he told her where he was going.

This was just going to be between him and Adam.

It took them four hours to get to where they were going. The whole time, Adam played a few car games with David, his favorite being I Spy. By the time they reached the camp site, it was already dark.

“Let’s quickly set up camp.” David said, getting out of the car.

“Is sleeping in a car comfortable?” Adam asked as they got the things out of the boot.

“For kids, yes. For adults, not so much.” David smiled. “We’ve got these long legs that just don’t fit any more.”

“That must suck.” Adam mused. David laughed.

The two of them worked quickly in setting up the tent. David would have brought two, but he thought it was safer if the two of them shared a tent. It was big enough for four people to share anyway. After the tent was set up, they moved on to setting up the campfire and heating the dinner that David had made for them.

“Let me give your mum a quick call, she must be worried about us.” David said before they went to sleep. It was nearly eleven at night, way past the time that David should have called.

“Okay. Tell her I miss her.” Adam said as he played with a stick by placing it in the fire and waiting for it to catch. Once it did, he would take it out and smother it with sand, before starting the process again. David would have expected the child to want to speak to her himself.

Instead of bringing it up, David went to where their tent was and took out his phone.

Louise picked up on the third ring.

“Are you guys okay?” She asked before David could even get a word in.

“Yes, sorry. It was so hard to find signal out here and the camp is a little far from where we parked the car. And we also go a little lost, I should have just used a GPS instead of my own knowledge.” David apologized. “Adam and I are perfectly fine.”

“Why did it take so long for you to call?” Louise said once she had calmed down.

“Besides getting lost? When we arrived, which took even longer because Adam forgot to go to the bathroom before we left, then we got hungry on the way, we started on the hike. There was no signal Louise. Thankfully, the camp site was built near a tower, though I don’t understand why they didn’t just make the car park nearer to it also.” David lied, voicing nonexistent complaints to pad his story. He had researched the area that he was supposed to be at, memorizing the little details about it in order to make his lie solid.

“I think I should be out there with you guys.” Louise said after a minute. “Yes, I’ll head out tomorrow morning and just camp with you.”

“Louise. We’re fine. And this is supposed to a boy’s night out, remember?” David could feel his heart racing. Why was she so adamant on knowing exactly what they were up to? “It was a hiccup in the first day, but we are both fine.”

“But –”

“Do you trust me?” David asked, feeling slightly guilty for using that line. “Do you trust me Louise?”

“I do.” She said, lightly sighing.

“Then don’t worry, your son is in safe hands. We’ll be back before you know it.” David said with a certain finality in his voice. He didn’t want her to come, not when this was a chance to figure out if maybe Adam thought that there was something definitively wrong with his mother. And it was also a chance for them to bond.

“Fine but call me tomorrow when you can. I don’t want to panic.” Louise said.

“I will, don’t worry.” David said as he ran a hand over the tent.

“Okay. I love you.”

David froze. For some unfathomable reason, it sounded as if it were Adele saying. David was stuck in the time when she would end every call like that, constantly reminding him that she loved him. That she’d always love him.

But Adele was gone, and Louise was the one who remained. Right?

“David, are you there?” Louise called, breaking him out of his downward spiral.

“Yes, sorry. I’m going to have to go. Adam is getting too close to the fire.” David said quickly. “I’ll call you tomorrow maybe in the afternoon or somewhere around there. Bye.”

“Bye.”

David hung up the phone before she had the chance to say it again. He walked over to Adam, who was running out of stick to burn.

“Let’s get to bed. We have an early morning tomorrow. Filled with fishing, soccer and a surprise.” David said as he pulled the boy to his feet.

“What’s the surprise?” Adam asked as he watched David put out the fire.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise it I told you.” David laughed. Once the fire was out, the two headed into the tent. David had gotten them a tent that was big enough for both of them to stand up inside. His parents were probably rolling in their graves at the amount of money spent on it, but David wanted to make sure that Adam had the best camping experience. Even if it was a little stilted by the luxury of the tent.

They both got changed into more comfortable clothes before settling into their sleeping bags.

“Good night, Adam.” David said before he turned off the light.

“Night David.” Adam replied, his voice already sounding sleepy.

David wished that he could fall asleep, but his mind was still on the phone call. On how Louise sounded so much like Adele. He chalked it off to the actual bad signal of the place and forced himself to go to sleep.

*

In the morning, David got up early and put milk over the fire so that they could have cereal. It was an odd thing to have but David used to do it with his father when he was young.

Then he went to wake Adam up.

“Rise and shine sleepy head. We’ve got a full day of fun ahead of us.” David said. Adam grumbled a bit but was up soon. David felt a little bad as he watched the sleepy boy stumble around for his things. He shouldn’t have let Adam go to sleep so late if he was going to wake him up early.

“Can you tell me the surprise now?” Adam asked as they ate breakfast.

“Not yet. First we have to go fishing.” David smiled. “Up that path is a stream that is known for having a lot of fish, especially this time of year.”

“Really? What kind of fish?” Adam leaned closer, clearly interested.

“Why don’t we go and find out?”

This prompted the boy to eat his food much faster, eager to get to the stream. Once they had washed and packed away the dishes and put out the fire, David led Adam to the stream. He wasn’t worried about anything happening to their stuff while they were gone as their most valuable things were either left at the house or were safely in the compartment under the backseat.

Their short walk was filled with Adam rattling off fun facts about fish or the other creatures that lived in the water. David was happy that the boy seemed so carefree, but it also cemented the fact that there was something wrong with Louise. What did it mean if Adam was more comfortable around David than he was around his own mother?

“Did you have a favorite fish when you were growing up?” Adam asked, after regaling David for ten minutes on why the mudskipper was both his favorite and least favorite fish.

“Salmon, though I think I only liked them because they tasted amazing when you smoked them.” David said thoughtfully. He was caught off guard when Adam laughed. In the months that David had known Adam, he had never once heard him laughing.

“If we catch salmon, are you going to smoke it?” Adam asked, looking up at David with hopeful eyes.

“Why don’t I cook it in many different ways? So, you can find out which kind of salmon you like best.” David suggested, noticing that they were nearing the stream.

“What other ways can you cook salmon?” Adam asked, also noticing the stream. David could see that he was more than excited to just run up to the water and start playing in it.

“Boil, smoke, grill and fry. There are probably a dozen other ways, but I only know how to do those four.” David counted on his fingers. Then he sighed and smiled, reaching out a hand to take Adam’s bag. “Why don’t you go play in the water, I’ll set up everything.”

Within a few seconds, Adam was already by the stream, taking off his shoes and socks. David shook his head but got to setting up the chairs, bait, and fishing rods. Adam had gotten bored at some point and drifted over to where David was, choosing to watch him with rapt attention.

It had been a while since David had last fished, but he remembered most of what he needed to as the time wore on. They had even managed to catch a few fish in that time.

“It’s almost afternoon, let me give your mum another call, just to let her know that we are alright.” David said as he looked at his watch. Adam simply nodded and continued to watch the fish that were too small to get their mouths around the hook.

David stood up and walked until he was far enough for Adam not to hear the conversation.

“I was expecting you to call earlier in the morning.” Louise said when she picked up the call.

“I did say somewhere in the afternoon.” David defended himself. “How are things with you? Adam is quite excited to be fishing for the first time.”

“I’m fine, a little bored but fine.” Louise said. She sounded a little annoyed or frustrated at something, but David didn’t want to ask.

“Did you ever try to talk to Sophie?” He asked instead.

“Yes, but she’s busy, so I’m on my own.”

“I kind of feel bad now. Wouldn’t have left you alone if I knew you’d be lonely and bored.” David said. He watched Adam stare intently at the water before excitedly looking around for him. When their eyes met, the boy pointed to the line that was jerking, indicating that they got another fish. “Listen, Louise, we just got another bite, so I’ll call you later.”

“Don’t wait too long David.”

“I won’t.” David made his way back to their fishing post.

“I love you.”

David stopped walking. The voice was Louise’s, but it sounded as if it were Adele saying those words.

“Say that again?” He asked slowly.

“I love you.” There was no mistaking it. David’s blood ran cold as he thought of his ex-wife. Most people would think of him as crazy or simply traumatized but David was sure that that was the way the Adele said it. If he didn’t know that she was dead then he would have thought that it was her, just a different voice. “David?”

“Hey, signal is cutting out again. I’ll give you a call later.” He said quickly, putting his phone in his pocket after ending the call. Then he went to help Adam, pushing the thought of both Adele and Louise to the back of his mind.

*

“And that’s how you clean a fish.” David said as he rinsed the newly gutted fish. “Now we move on to cooking it. We don’t have a grill, so we’ll boil, fry and smoke it.”

“What about roasting it over the fire? Can’t you do that?” Adam asked still watching as David cut one of the fish into small pieces.

“I tried that, but the fish would always come out burnt.” David said truthfully. “And trust me, once a fish is burnt, there’s no saving it.”

“I can imagine.” Adam grimaced.

“Adam, can I ask you something? And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” David looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye, watching his reaction.

“Sure?” Adam shrugged.

“What do you think is wrong with your mum?” David watched as the boy tensed a bit. “Remember, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”

Adam was silent for a few minutes, seemingly content in watching David chop up vegetables and prepare fish.

“I don’t know.” The boy answered. “She’s just been weird lately, it’s like… it’s like she doesn’t want me anymore. Or that she’s trying to make the family perfect for you.”

“Perfect for me?” David repeated. The boy looked like he was struggling for the right words.

“Everything is either about you or about you and her.” Adam finally said. “I really wanted to go to America for the vacation/honeymoon thing, but she…”

“Didn’t ask for your opinion.” David finished. For some reason, Louise was fixated on him just like… Just like Adele had been.

“Yeah.” Adam agreed, sighing with more weight than a child of eight should have.

“It’s okay, we’ll find a way to fix it.” David promised.

*

“Mum, mum!” Adam shouted as he ran to the house where Louise was standing. “We went fishing and we played soccer and then David made food for us and it was amazing.

“You cooked?” Louise asked David, blatantly ignoring Adam. David noticed the way the boy’s mood dropped immediately.

“Yeah, Adam’s favorite dish turns out to be a tie between smoked salmon and salmon stew.” David said, walking over to them. He let Louise hug him and placed a kiss on her lips.

“So why didn’t you call me back yesterday? Or today? I would have made something for you to eat.” Louise said as they walked into the house. David patted Adam on the back and gently nudged him up the stairs.

“No, we already ate on our way back. I kind of just want a shower and some sleep.” David smiled and also went up the stairs, leaving Louise behind.

1 Guests

“Louise, I have a few people from the council coming over tomorrow.” David said as he walked into the house. He found her in the kitchen, Adam nowhere to be found. “Where’s Adam?”

“Upstairs, wanted to have a lie down or something.” She waved her hand dismissively before kissing David. As much as he wanted to pull away, he endured it, not wanting to make her think that something was amiss. “What should I cook for them?”

“I think I’ll make something. Mr. Harold is bringing his wife so I hoped you could become friends with her. Just so that you have someone to talk to if you ever get bored.” David said before kissing her lips again.

“Okay, since you’re cooking.” Louise smiled.

“Could you head out to the store to get somethings? They are going to be arriving in the afternoon and maybe sitting by the pool side. I don’t want any last-minute preparations.” David said sheepishly. “I’ll handle dinner tonight.”

“No need for bribery but I’ll take it.” Louise kissed him once more before going to get her bag and keys.

“Let me just write down the list quickly.” David shouted. He pulled out a pen and tore off a page from the magnetic grocery list they had on the fridge. The list was short but required her to go passed a few stores. It would take her thirty minutes at least to get everything.

“List ready?” Louise asked as she stepped back into the kitchen.

“Yes. I should have just picked up some of these things on my way back home.” David said apologetically as she looked at the list.

“It’s okay. I was already home while you were out working. The least I could do is stop by a few shops.” She smiled. “And you’re also cooking.”

“Which I should probably get started on.” David said before turning around to get the ingredients out of the fridge. At the back of his mind, he wondered what Louise had been doing in the kitchen since nothing was on the counter.

“I’ll head out then, before the shops close.”

“Okay, I’ll tell Adam about the guests once I get something cooking.” David smiled at her, watching her leave him alone. He only left the kitchen once he was sure that she was gone. “Adam? It’s David, can I come in?”

“Yeah.” Came the sad response. David opened the door and went into the room. Adam was lying on his bed, face down with the lights off.

“Bad day?” David asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Adam rolled over until he was lying on his side and glaring at David. The latter could see that his eyes were red.

“No, it was actually a good day. A great day, but mum wasn’t interested in hearing it.” The boy explained. David pulled him into a hug.

“Why don’t you tell me all about it while we make dinner. I was thinking of roasted chicken.” David suggested.

“Can’t we have pizza?” Adam asked hopefully.

“I promised your mum I’d cook today, and we have guests coming over tomorrow, but we can try for pizza on Sunday?” David said apologetically. Adam looked thoughtful for a second before he nodded. “Let’s go downstairs then.”

*

“Come on in.” David said as he opened the door wider for their guests. “Just go right through there to the left and you’ll be in the kitchen. Passed that is the garden and pool.”

“This is a beautiful house, Dr Ferguson.” Mr. Harold said.

“Please, David.” David waved it off. “This is more of an informal gathering.”

“Then I should be call Mark. This is my wife Jean.”

Once pleasantries of the other couple and their kid were over, David let the ladies sit outside and talk while Adam played with one of the other couple’s kid. David was in the kitchen with Mark and the other man – Gerald – trying to put together a meal fit for the guests.

“You should add nuts to the roast beef, it really brings out the flavor.” Mark said.

“Just ask if anyone is allergic to nuts before we add them.” David said. He watched as the other man nodded and headed outside to talk to the ladies. A few minutes later, Mark came back in, nodding that David could add the nuts.

“And they all answered? Even the kids?” Gerald asked but he was already busy cutting up the nuts.

“All of them said that they were okay with it, David.” The other man laughed and went back to the salad. When dinner was ready, Ben – the other child – and Adam helped David set the table outside. The food went down nicely, with Adam cautiously watching his mother as she laughed and ate.

“Adam, why don’t you and Ben go and watch a film?” David suggested, noticing that the two were getting bored. The adults also planned on bringing out more wine. “I’ll bring up some desert for you later.”

“Okay, thanks David.” Adam said happily, before running back into the house with the other boy.

“We’ll help you clean up.” Jean said. Her and the other woman cleared the table with the help of Gerald. Soon the only people left at the table was David, Mark, and Louise. David noticed that Louise was looking a little off.

“Let me head to the loo before we open a new bottle.” Mark stretched. David nodded before turning to his wife.

“Are you okay?” He asked her.

“It’s hard to breathe.” Louise struggled to say.

“Why don’t you go and sit near the pool, get more fresh air. I’ll check if there is something in the medicine cupboard that can help you.” David offered. Louise took what looked like a painful breath before nodding. David walked into the house as Louise unsteadily walked to the pool.

“David? Can you please help Ben and I set up the player?” Adam asked as he and ben came back into the kitchen.

“Is there something wrong with Louise?” Jean asked. Just as David turned around, he heard a splash, knowing that it was Louise falling into the pool.

“Mum!” Adam tried to rush to the pool, but David grabbed him. He pushed the frantic boy into a confused Mark’s arms before running to the pool and diving in. When he came up with Louise, Gerald helped him pull her out of the pool.

“She’s not breathing, call 999.” David said as he started chest compressions and accompanying breathes.

“They’re on their way.” The other male said. David ignored him, focusing more on pumping her chest. When the ambulance arrived, they took one look at the scene and cleared the guests.

“Sir, we need you to stop and let us take over.” An EMT said to him. David reluctantly let them fuss over Louise. At some point, Adam broke away from wherever they had put him and came running. David pulled him into a hug, trying to shield him from the scene in front of him.

“Mummy!” Adam tried to go to her, but David simply held on tighter.

“It’s okay Adam, it’s okay.” David rocked the child until he was simply crying. They sat together until the police came and took away the body. One of the policemen, along with an EMT came over to talk to them.

“Your wife had a severe allergic reaction to something she ate.” The police started.

“Nuts.” Adam spoke up from where he was sitting on David’s lap. “She is allergic to nuts.”

“And she didn’t have an EpiPen?” The EMT asked the same moment that the police officer asked who gave her nuts.

“Mark, Gerald and I made the food. I didn’t know that she was allergic to nuts, but we did ask everyone before we started cooking. She said that she could eat them.” David explained. “Louise is always going on about how she was so healthy and had no allergies. Only recently did I find out that she couldn’t eat carrots, so we purged the house of carrots.”

“But didn’t get EpiPens?”

“She didn’t want them, saying that prevention was better than the cure or some bullshit like that.” David said angrily but he took a deep breath before letting it out. “But I still got them anyway.”

“And you didn’t think to use it on her?” The policeman asked.

“I did. She said that she was struggling to breathe, so I told her to wait while I went to go and get the EpiPen. Then for some reason she decided to walk to the pool instead of staying put.” David hugged Adam tighter, noticing the tears on his shoulder now that he was somewhat dry. “I should have had her come with me… maybe then… but she went… and when she fell in I could only think about getting her out of the pool.”

David took a shuddering breath trying to calm his nerves. He had Adam to think of.

“Thanks for the information, we’ll follow up with your mates.” The officer said, writing something down.

“I’m the reason, right?” David looked at them, seeing their figures slightly blurry as tears slipped down his face. “I’m the reason she’s dead, right?”

“From what you’ve told us, you’re not. You tried to save her, and that counts for something.” They put a hand on his shoulder and gave a gently squeeze before leaving with the EMT.

“I’m so sorry, Adam. So, so sorry.” David said as he held the boy. He knew that it was cruel, but he had had no choice, not if he wanted to free himself and Adam from whoever Louise had become. In the long run, they would be better off without Adele somehow parading as Louise.