Chapter 2

"You're the one who can't tell the difference," I said, ending the call and returning to the interview.

It was a modest administrative position at a small firm. It was nothing prestigious, but the salary would cover rent and groceries.

The interview went well, and I could start the following Monday.

That evening, when I returned to my apartment, Rick and Zoe were waiting outside my door.

His face was thunderous, and hers glowed with smugness.

"You've really decided to play this for real?" he snarled, blocking my path.

"There's nothing left to play." I tried to move past him to unlock the door.

He seized my wrist, gripping hard enough to bruise. "Come home with me right now, and we'll pretend none of this happened."

"Let go of me!" I barked.

"Don't push your luck!" he yelled back.

Zoe started to fan the flame. "She is just trying to get your attention, Rick. Don't fall for it."

Rick began dragging me toward the stairwell.

"Let go, or I'll scream!" I warned.

He shrugged it off. "Go ahead. Let's see who will interfere in a husband-and-wife matter."

The neighbors cracked their doors and peeped out. Catching sight of his furious expression, they quickly pulled back.

My other hand flew up and cracked across his face. The slap echoed through the hallway.

Rick froze, clutching his cheek and staring at me in disbelief. "You hit me?"

Fury blazing in his eyes, he raised his hand to strike back, but at the last second, he lowered it and clenched his jaw.

"You're really outdone yourself!" he hissed through gritted teeth, releasing me. "Don't regret this!"

He took Zoe's hand and led her to leave. Only when they disappeared from the stairwell did I notice my hands trembling—not from fear but from raw anger.

Inside the bare apartment, I locked the door and slid down to the floor. There were no traces of Rick here, yet the space still felt suffocating, haunted by the shadows of his games.

The next afternoon, the bank notified me that our joint account had been frozen. It held all our savings, almost entirely earned by Rick.

I had anticipated the move, so I didn't panic. My mother had left me a modest sum that would carry me until my first paycheck.

On Wednesday, while I was settling into my new job, a woman in flashy clothes burst into the office and started screaming, "Eleanor Marsh, you shameless home-wrecker! How dare you seduce my husband?"

I froze, and all my colleagues looked over. My supervisor stepped forward. "Ma'am, I believe you have the wrong person."

"No, it's definitely her!" The woman thrust forward a photo of me with a man.

That guy was just a college acquaintance whom I had lost contact with since graduation. I didn't know where she got that photo.

"Look! This woman ruined my family!" she barked. "My husband wants to leave me because of her!"

She sobbed theatrically, turning the office into chaos. I couldn't get a word in edgewise, figuring instantly this was Rick's trick to ruin my reputation and leave me isolated.

My supervisor called me in, his face gloomy. "I believe you, but the company can't afford the drama. Take a few days off."

It was a polite dismissal. Almost at the same time, my phone rang.

Rick's smug voice came through. "See? As I said, you'd regret it."

"You're despicable!" I snapped.

"Learned from the best," he chuckled. "One last chance. Come back begging, and I might forgive you."

"Dream on!" I hung up.

There was no way I'd beg him.

I walked through the rain for hours, soaked to the bone, before finally returning to the apartment building.