Chapter Four: "Heart Like Glass"
Andra stopped expecting.
She stopped expecting Parker to show up when he said he would. Stopped expecting him to send money on time, or at all. Stopped expecting apologies that felt sincere. Instead, she moved with the silence that followed broken promises.
There were days Parker came by with Kingsley's favorite snacks and held him like the proud father he occasionally remembered to be. Andra would smile, watch them from the kitchen, and laugh when Parker cracked a joke. On those days, she played nice—too nice.
Even when he started bringing his new girlfriend around, Andra stayed composed.
Her name was Janine. She had soft hair, perfectly filed nails, and wore dresses that looked expensive even when they weren't. She introduced herself to Andra the first time with a sugary voice and a tilted smile.
"I've heard a lot about you," Janine had said.
Andra had raised her eyebrows slightly and nodded. "Hope it was all true."
They both laughed. The kind of laugh women exchanged when the truth didn't matter, only the performance did.
Janine, to her credit, didn't cross boundaries. She sat on the couch, cooed over Kingsley, and complimented Andra's cooking once when they stayed long enough for lunch. But there was a shine in her eyes—something sarcastic, something almost condescending.
Andra used it.
She figured out quickly that Janine wanted to be the "understanding one," the girlfriend who proved she could be cool with Parker's situation. So Andra began asking her for help.
"Janine, could you remind Parker to send that money for Kingsley's diapers?" she'd ask with a warm smile. "He always forgets when he's busy."
Janine would nod eagerly. "Of course. I'll talk to him."
Sometimes, the money came. Most times, it didn't. But Andra noticed Janine's reactions—how she'd squirm slightly when the reminder was met with silence or excuses. Andra was planting quiet discomfort, and she did it politely.
Meanwhile, her real work was elsewhere.
She'd started tutoring two students after class—one in math, another in English. The extra coins helped buy Kingsley juice boxes and a new toy train he couldn't stop squealing over. Eva connected her to a transcription job that paid little but gave her late-night income. Every day she was carving a way out of the hole.
Her parents noticed.
"You're glowing again," her mother said one evening, watching Andra rock Kingsley to sleep. "You're tired, but you're trying."
Andra smiled.
She wasn't just trying—she was surviving.
And every time Parker forgot, delayed, or failed to show up, the part of her that once waited for love, approval, or partnership shrank.
She didn't cry anymore when he left. She didn't get angry when he lied.
Her heart had become something else.
Not cold.
Not numb.
Just… untouchable.