Ellen was lounging on the couch when the doorbell rang. She got up with a smile, her heart already fluttering with anticipation. She knew exactly what was waiting for her on the other side of the door. As she opened it, her grin widened at the sight of two delivery men standing outside, standing beside a huge package.
"Good afternoon, ma’am," one of them greeted her, tipping his cap slightly.
"Good afternoon," Ellen replied warmly, stepping aside to let them in. "Come on in."
The delivery men struggled slightly as they maneuvered the large package through the doorway. Ellen watched with a mixture of excitement and satisfaction as they carefully brought it into the living room, setting it down with a heavy thud. The package was enormous, taking up a significant portion of the floor space.
"Right here is perfect," Ellen said, her voice brimming with excitement as she pointed to a spot in the center of the living room.
The delivery men exchanged a glance before getting to work, unwrapping the package with practiced efficiency. Ellen’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, her breath catching as the cardboard and protective layers were peeled away to reveal what was inside.
Ellen gasped softly, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as she took in the sight before her. It was a massive photo frame, at least two meters wide and over a meter tall, dominating the space around it. The photograph inside was a stunning capture of her wedding day with Mason.
"Wow," Ellen breathed out, her eyes shining as she stepped closer to the frame. "It’s beautiful."
The delivery men, done with placing it on the wall, stood back and admired their work. "It’s a lovely photo," one of them commented politely, though Ellen was too mesmerized to respond. She simply nodded, her gaze fixed on the image.
"Thank you both so much," she finally said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. She reached into her purse, pulling out a generous tip and handing it to the men with a smile. "Here, for all your help."
Their eyes widened slightly at the amount, and they exchanged grateful smiles. "Thank you, ma’am," one of them said, tipping his cap again. "If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call."
Ellen nodded, still distracted by the image as they made their way out. Once the door clicked shut behind them, she stood in the middle of her living room, her eyes glued to the enormous frame hanging on the wall.
"Look at you," Ellen murmured softly to herself, tilting her head slightly as she admired the photo. "Beautiful."
She let out a contented sigh, stepping back to take in the full effect of the frame in its new spot. It was impossible to ignore, impossible to look away from. And that was exactly what she wanted. The memory of seeing Mason’s photos in Aubrey’s apartment, the way he had smiled so freely in them, had been gnawing at her ever since. Ellen had felt a surge of determination, a strong desire to make her presence felt, to make sure that Mason’s life—their life together—was just as visible.
She couldn’t lose to Aubrey, not in this.
And so, Ellen had gone online and found the largest photo frame she could, determined to make a statement. She wanted it to be the first thing anyone noticed when they walked into their home, especially Aubrey. She’d even decided that the living room could use more photos. Ellen glanced around, realizing that the walls were rather bare.
As evening approached, Ellen positioned herself near the front door, a wide smile on her face. She could hardly wait to see Mason’s reaction. When she heard his car pull up outside, her heart skipped a beat. The door opened, and Mason stepped inside, his expression weary from a long day at work.
"Welcome home!" Ellen greeted him with an enthusiastic smile, practically bouncing on her feet.
Mason paused in the doorway. "Hey," he replied.
But as he took a few more steps inside, his eyes drifted over to the living room wall, and he froze. The smile on Ellen’s face widened as she watched him take in the sight of the massive photo frame dominating the space.
"What the hell is that?" Mason asked as he stared at the oversized frame.
"Our wedding photo," Ellen answered calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Mason blinked, clearly taken aback. "Yes, I can see that," he said, emphasizing the word "see" as his gaze flicked back to the enormous frame. "Did you select the wrong size?"
Ellen shook her head, her expression unbothered. "No, I picked it out perfectly. In fact, I wish they had something even bigger."
Mason turned to look at her, his brows furrowed in disbelief. "Why don’t you just hire a painter to cover the entire wall?"
Ellen’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, and she nodded eagerly. "That’s a great idea, Mason! Why didn’t I think of that?"
Mason’s jaw dropped slightly, stunned by her reaction. "Don’t you dare," he said, his tone a mix of exhaustion and exasperation.
"Why not?" Ellen asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. "It was your idea."
Mason let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair as if trying to process this entire conversation. "Ellen, why did you do this?"
Ellen shrugged, her expression as nonchalant as ever. "No special reason," she said with a small smile. "I just thought the house could use a bit of brightening up. There weren’t many photos around, and I wanted to fix that."
Mason remained silent, his eyes still lingering on the massive wedding photo that now dominated their living room wall. "So," Ellen began, her tone light and almost playful, "where’s your family photo? We should put that up too, don’t you think?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she noticed a subtle shift in Mason’s demeanor. His face, which had been a mix of fatigue and mild irritation, suddenly darkened. "I don’t have any," Mason answered coldly, making Ellen flinch slightly.
Before Ellen could respond, Mason turned on his heel. Without another word, he walked away, leaving Ellen standing there, her mouth slightly open, as she watched him go.