Chapter 3

"You went out drinking?"

"I called you so many times—why didn't you answer?"

I pulled out my phone and saw he had indeed called repeatedly. The restaurant must have been too loud for me to hear.

I told him the truth. His expression softened slightly, though he still looked annoyed. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting?"

"Get in here and make me something to eat. I'm starving."

I was a little surprised.

In the past, whenever he went out with Chloe, he'd tell me to wait up, but they'd always end up eating out.

I'd wait until late, my carefully made dinner getting cold, then reheated, then cold again.

Eating that cold food alone, my heart would grow colder too.

But when I complained, he'd get annoyed: "Why are you even waiting? I'm not a kid—I can feed myself."

Snapping back to the present, I smiled: "You're not a kid, Leo. If you're hungry, fend for yourself."

"If I have to fend for myself, what good are you?" Leo scoffed.

But maybe he was in a good mood from his afternoon, because he let it go. "Fine, since you've been drinking, I won't make you cook a whole meal."

"Just make some of that soothing porridge."

"Chloe's stomach is acting up again. The medicine isn't helping, and I remember that porridge you used to make worked really well. Make some now."

That's when it hit me—why he'd actually come home.

He used to have a sensitive stomach, so I took a special class to learn how to make that soothing porridge. I even researched ways to improve the texture and flavor to make it more appetizing for him.

I learned it to take care of *him*, not to be some free cook making porridge for another woman.

I couldn't help but scoff: "I can't do that."

"If she's sick, she should see a doctor. What if something happens after she eats it? Who's going to take the blame then?"

I used to pack Leo's lunch every day, but then he started sharing it with Chloe.

One afternoon, Chloe felt sick—obviously from staying up too late—but Leo blamed me. He said my food wasn't clean and docked my bonus to compensate her, citing some work mistake.

Leo must have remembered that incident too, because he looked a little awkward.

He started to say something else, but I walked past him straight into the bedroom.

Leo followed right behind: "Anya, come on. Are you still mad about earlier with Chloe?"

"Just say what's bothering you. Why are you being so difficult?"

It was always the same. When he couldn't argue his way out, he'd accuse me of overreacting and refusing to communicate.

But I'd tried to talk to him seriously so many times, and every time he'd get mad, call me unreasonable, and shut down the conversation.

As he tried to follow me into the room, I locked the door.

That really set Leo off—he started banging on the door.

I ignored him, got ready for bed, and went to sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night thirsty. When I got up for water, I noticed my phone light up. I checked it and saw Chloe had sent me some messages.

[Anya, Leo's at my place right now. My stomach was acting up, so he came over to take care of me.]

There were a few photos attached.

The background was Chloe's apartment. Leo was in loungewear with an apron on, standing in her kitchen, looking totally focused.

That's when I realized Leo hadn't stayed home—he'd gone to take care of Chloe in the middle of the night.

I used to wait on him hand and foot, never letting him lift a finger in the kitchen, and now he was doing all that for another woman.

I almost laughed.

I knew Chloe sent those messages to get a rise out of me.

She'd done this kind of thing a million times before.

But it didn't matter anymore. In two days, I'd be out of their lives for good.

I turned off my phone and went back to sleep, dozing off right away.

The next morning, Leo was home. He was sitting on the couch with his tablet, looking worn out from pulling an all-nighter.

He used to look like this after staying up late chatting with Chloe, and I'd worry about him automatically—only for him to get mad and say I was starting fights.

I wasn't in the mood for his attitude, so I pretended not to notice. After getting ready, I gave him a half-hearted good morning.

He seemed distracted though, muttering to himself: "Why does the house feel... empty?"

I didn't say a word.

All the stuff I'd gotten rid of was things he'd never cared about anyway. He could feel something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

I ignored him and started to head out when Leo called after me.

"Anya, why is there a plane ticket charge on our joint account?"

That's when it clicked.

I was still logged into the home tablet, so he could see my recent purchases.

I paused, about to answer, when his phone rang. Leo checked the caller ID and his face lit up. He got up and went into the bedroom to take the call.

He completely forgot about confronting me.

I scoffed to myself—same old story.

A few minutes later, he hung up and came out of the bedroom, grabbing his jacket from the hook. He ordered me: "Chloe's parents are in town. I need to pick them up. Call the office and tell them we're taking the day off."

I smiled: "I'm not going to the office today. I'm leaving for my international secondment tomorrow—that ticket is for my flight."