Then I saw someone move outside the kitchen window. It was her.

Melissa was standing outside, laughing with the phone pressed to her ear.

What the heck? I thought.

I put Emily back in the crib.

“I’ll be right back, baby,” I smiled and placed her favorite soft toy beside her. I didn’t want her to watch us argue.

Then, I stormed to the backdoor and threw it open.

“Melissa!” I shouted.

She jumped, nearly dropping the phone. “Oh, Alicia. You’re awake.”

“Why was my daughter crying while you’re out here on the phone?” I demanded. “And why do you have my phone?”

Melissa took a deep breath.

“I was talking to Peter,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He called your phone, so I answered it. I didn’t want to wake you, so I brought it outside.”

“You unplugged the baby monitor too, didn’t you?” I snapped. “That’s why I didn’t hear her crying.”

Melissa sighed, as if I were the one being unreasonable.

“Yes, I unplugged it. You needed your rest, and I thought if she cried, it might wake you. But she wasn’t crying when I stepped outside.”

I knew she wasn’t going to accept her mistake.

“How long have you been on the phone?” I demanded.

Melissa glanced at the screen. “Thirty-seven minutes,” she said as if it were nothing.

Thirty-seven minutes. Wow.

“You left her alone for thirty-seven minutes? Do you know what you’ve done? She was crying when I picked her up.”

“She wasn’t crying the whole time,” Melissa retorted, her tone defensive now. “And crying doesn’t hurt babies. Honestly, Alicia, you’re overreacting. You should be grateful I’m here at all.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Grateful? You were supposed to be helping me, Melissa. Instead, you ignored my daughter and took my phone—”

“Well, Peter wanted to check in on you,” she interrupted. “And I was doing you a favor by letting you sleep!”

“That wasn’t a favor,” I shot back. “You stole my phone, unplugged the monitor, and left Emily in there. If I hadn’t woken up, who knows how long you would’ve been on the phone!”

Melissa folded her arms. “You’re being dramatic, Alicia. Calm down.”

“I’m not,” I said. “You know what, Melissa? You need to leave. Now.”

Melissa’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me. Go. I don’t trust you to look after Emily.”

“You can’t be serious. After everything I’ve done for you—”

“Leave,” I repeated, cutting her off. “And don’t come back unless Peter is home.”

Melissa muttered something under her breath as she grabbed her purse and stormed out.

Back inside, I went to Emily’s room and picked her up. She was still playing with the toy.

“Mommy’s back, my love,” I said as I held her close.

Her soft breaths against my chest were the only thing keeping me grounded while my mind replayed the scene over and over.

Had I overreacted? I thought.