Chapter 2

The next morning, I was woken by the sound of Ryan's voice, deliberately hushed.

He was standing out on the balcony, phone pressed to his ear. "Did it chip? Is it bad? The bracelet is not important. You're fine, and that's what matters. Don't cry. I'm on my way over right now."

His voice was laced with an unvarnished anxiety and tenderness he never used with me anymore.

I lay still in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Five minutes later, the bedroom door clicked open. Seeing my eyes open, Ryan paused for a fraction of a second before quickly walking over to the bed.

"Did I wake you?" He sat on the edge of the mattress, reaching out a hand to touch my face.

I tilted my head away from his hand and sat up. "Are you going out?"

His hand froze awkwardly midair before he smoothly withdrew it.

"Sabine tried on the bracelet this morning and accidentally knocked it against the sink. She's terrified she ruined it and won't stop crying," he explained, already stripping off his sleep shirt and pulling on a crisp button-down. "I need to go check on her. She lives alone, and I don't feel right leaving her like this."

I watched him knot his tie with practiced ease. "I'll skip breakfast. Make yourself something to eat."

"Ryan..."

"Yeah?" He didn't turn around, his eyes locked on the mirror as he adjusted his collar.

"I want to go look at that development in the south suburbs today."

His fingers stilled against his collar.

We had picked out that property six months ago. He had told me it would be our future home, promising that as soon as his 30th birthday passed, we would go put down the down payment.

He turned around, looking uncomfortable. "It can wait. Sabine is an emotional wreck right now. I need to go and calm her down first. Once things settle, I'll take you to look at a place in a much better neighborhood. The commute from the south suburbs isn't great anyway."

I looked back at him, my gaze entirely calm. "Okay."

He visibly relaxed, stepping forward to drop a kiss on my forehead. "I'll be back soon."

The front door clicked shut. The apartment plummeted back into silence.

I got up and walked into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, I found it packed to the brim with fresh ingredients. I pulled out two eggs and a carton of milk.

While the eggs sizzled in the pan, old memories flashed uncontrollably behind my eyes.

Back when we lived in that cramped, drafty rental, Ryan used to wake up half an hour before me every single day just to surprise me with different breakfasts.

Once, I had casually mentioned craving the beef patties from the west side of the city. He had unchained a Citi Bike and ridden through a torrential downpour for 30 minutes just to get them for me.

When he finally burst back through the door, he looked like a drowned rat, but the beef patties were still piping hot.

"No matter the weather, if you want it, I'll bring it back," he had said warmly.

And now? Even honoring his promise to look at our future home had become an inconvenience he could easily brush off.

I slid the fried eggs onto a plate. As I poured the milk, my hand slipped, sending a white splash across the counter. I grabbed a dishcloth to wipe it up, but my elbow caught a bottle sitting near the edge.

It was a bottle of seafood sauce. The dark brown liquid oozed across the marble, releasing a pungent fishy odor into the air. The moment the scent hit my nose, my stomach twisted violently.

I was severely allergic to seafood.

Ryan had bought that sauce just two days ago because Sabine had mentioned she was craving seafood pasta. He had completely forgotten that even the concentrated smell of seafood was enough to make me break out in hives.

I threw the dishcloth into the trash, shoving the plate of eggs and the entire bottle of sauce right in after it. Then, I walked back into the bedroom, dragged three large cardboard boxes out from under the bed, and began to pack.

The truth was, very little in this apartment actually belonged to me. Just a few everyday outfits, a handful of my academic books, and my laptop...

Everything else had been bought by Ryan. Those handbags and jewelry were expensive, but I didn't like them. He always dressed me according to Sabine's tastes.

"Pink looks incredible on Sabine. You should try it, too."

"Sabine said this perfume smells amazing, so I bought a bottle for you."

I gathered every single one of those items, packed them away, and stacked the boxes neatly in the very back corner of the walk-in closet.