Chapter 04
It was already late at night the next day when Anthony finally came home.
The living room lights were off.
When he walked in and saw Me sitting quietly on the couch, he paused for a Moment.
Then he smiled, walked over, and wrapped his arms around me.
“Why didn’t you turn on the lights?” he asked.
As he spoke, his breath brushed against My ear, and I could smell an overly sweet perfume on him.
He looked down at me and gave me a gentle pat on the back.
“Still Mad?” he asked.
He shook his head with a sigh, then explained offhandedly. “Kayla, she’s just a sister to me. Why blow things out of proportion?
“She just broke up, was feeling down, and cried all night. I just wanted to make sure she was okay, so I stuck around a bit.”
The cloying perfume hit me so hard that I couldn’t stand it anymore. I pushed him away and took a step back. Back then, I never would’ve pushed him away.
I would’ve just glared at him, whined a little, and scolded him in that cute voice, Making him hug me and coax Me until he finally apologized.
Then I’d soften up, cling to his shirt, and Make him swear there wouldn’t be a next
time.
But now, seeing his wrinkled shirt, smelling that cloying perfume, and listening to everything he said, I was just so tired.
My distant attitude finally hit a nerve. He stared at me for a few seconds, his expression darkening.
“Kayla?” he snapped, his voice cold. “Since when were you this petty? I never noticed before.”
He tossed his phone onto the coffee table, the screen showing a photo of Sarah’s leg wrapped up in bandages. “Sarah’s leg got hurt because you pushed her. I can’t believe I never saw how mean you could be.
“You just went off on her without even knowing the facts, called her a
homewrecker in front of everyone. Kayla,
you’re a woman too. Don’t you feel dirty spreading nasty rumors about another Woman?”
Anthony’s eyes were cold and cutting, his face twisted in rage. In three years of Marriage, I’d never seen him this furious.
I let out a weary sigh, watching him flip the script and act like I was the villain here.
“Maybe we should just get a divorce, then,” I said.
He paused, like it was some kind of joke to him, a sarcastic smirk flickering in his eyes as he scoffed. “Kayla, there’s a limit to how much nonsense I’ll put up with.
“Your family’s gone, Kayla. If you divorce Me, where else could you possibly go?”
I just nodded. “Whatever you say.
“Now that your first love’s back, I won’t be here to get in your way.”
Anthony frowned at me.
“Great,” I said, my expression blank as I looked at him. “You’ve already married the perfect wife your family wanted. Now let her try.
“I’m not sticking around for your Mess anymore.”
That night, I ended up sleeping in a hotel.
The curtains were half-drawn, and the light that came in was gray, like the whole world was wrapped in a thin layer of fog.
I lay in bed all night, unable to sleep. My Mind felt empty, but every time I closed My eyes, Anthony’s words, his look, and that line, “The Pearson family is gone. Where else can you go?” kept echoing in My head.
It was like someone was carving into my chest, leaving a sting behind.
Just lying there, staring at the ceiling, until the first gray light crept across the sky.
The phone on my nightstand stayed dark, never lighting up once.
Half-awake, I had this absurd thought. Maybe none of this ever happened. Maybe if I sleeped a little longer, I would wake up and realize these past two days were just a nightmare. Maybe he would still be next to Me, breathing softly, his arm around my waist.
But I was wide awake, so there was no ‘Maybe.’
Early the next morning, I went back home to pack my things.
The place was quiet. Anthony Must have already left. I stood in the living room, looking around at the home I’d lived in for three years. Every single thing here was Something I’d picked out myself, placed just where I wanted it.
I used to come and go here every day, thinking this was my home. But now, looking around, it was nothing more than Some furniture put together.
I walked into the walk-in closet and started packing my clothes into a suitcase. After three years, the things I wanted to take with Me couldn’t even fill a single suitcase.
Halfway through, I stopped and stared at the beige cashmere coat in my hands, the one he’d given me.
He gave it to me last winter, saying the color suited Me best. But later, I saw the same coat on Sarah’s social media. She was wearing it in a photo, with a caption longing for her past relationship.
After that, I wore it that one time and never touched it again.
Sometimes, I was so clueless that it was kind of pathetic.
It was not that Anthony was ever really Mean to me.
He was the type who, even if he cared about someone else, could always play the perfect husband on the outside.