Chapter 3 The Last Time I Waited for Him

On Wednesday morning, the washing machine finally gave out completely. The moment I pressed the start button, water began pouring out from underneath it. There was a sharp snap from the outlet, and the entire apartment lost power.

I went to unplug the machine, but my foot slipped.

I caught myself against the metal rack beside me, and its edge sliced open my palm. Blood quickly trickled down the creases of my hand.

The building maintenance electrician took one look and shook his head. "It's leaking electricity. Don't turn it on again. Cut the main power first."

…

Caleb rushed back twenty minutes later. He did not even take off his coat before making me sit down on the sofa.

When the disinfectant-soaked cotton touched my wound, I flinched, and he immediately gentled his movements. "If it hurts, tell me. Haven't I told you not to insist on handling everything yourself?"

Looking at his frown, I suddenly felt like laughing. "Weren't you always the one telling me to put up with things?"

His hands paused, but he wrapped the gauze around my palm even more carefully. "It's on me this time. We're not repairing the washing machine. Which one had you been looking at before? We'll buy a new one today."

For a moment, my nose stung so badly that I almost cried.

It was not as though Caleb had never treated me well.

When I had stomach pain, he had gone out in the middle of the night to buy me medicine. When my mother underwent surgery, he had taken three days off work to stay with her at the hospital.

Those things had all been real.

That was precisely why I could not understand how someone who knew exactly how to care for me could still choose, every time a real decision had to be made, to treat me like someone who could always make do with less.

My phone rang just then. I glanced over and saw Yasmine's name on the screen.

Caleb looked at me before answering.

He didn't put the call on speaker, but her panicked voice still carried across the room. "The dryer keeps showing an error code. The repairman is here, and he says he needs to remove the back panel. I'm home alone, and there are tools all over the place…"

He instinctively stood up.

I lowered my eyes to the bandage around my palm. "My old washing machine just leaked electricity. Her new dryer is only showing an error code."

"I know. The power's already off, so you're not in danger now." Caleb's hand had already reached for his car keys. "The point isn't the machine. There's a strange man taking things apart in her home, and she's alone. It's not safe for her."

…

On the other end of the call, Yasmine quickly backed down. "You should stay with Nikki. I'm fine. I'll leave the door open, and I'll wait as long as the repairman needs."

That only made Caleb more restless.

"Don't leave the door open. I'll come over."

I looked up at him. "You just told me not to keep putting up with things."

With his brows drawn tightly together, Caleb came back and crouched in front of me, resting a hand on my knee. "Nikki, you have me here at home. She has no one over there."

The living room fell silent for two seconds. I said nothing.

His voice softened again. "I'll just go over and check on her. Half an hour at most. I'll come with you to buy the new washing machine tonight. You can choose whichever one you want, okay?"

I did not move.

Caleb opened the second drawer of the coffee table and placed the anti-inflammatory medication where I could easily reach it. "Don't get your hand wet. I'll bring you tacos for dinner tonight, without any hot sauce."

…

Twenty minutes after the door closed behind him, he sent me a link to a washing machine. 'This brand has good electrical leakage protection. I checked with customer service. Give me the go-ahead, and I'll place the order.'

Another message followed immediately afterward. 'Don't be upset anymore, alright? You're my wife. You're still the person I'll ultimately look out for.'

I stared at the word ultimately and suddenly had no desire to reply. He thought it was a promise. But I had spent five years being the one who came last.

I opened the lease agreement the rental agent had sent me and signed it. The lease was for three months, with one month's rent as the deposit and the first month's rent paid upfront.

Then I bought the washing machine I had bookmarked for six months but had never dared to pay for, along with the coffee machine I had wanted for just as long. I entered my new address as the delivery destination for both.

Finally, I scheduled the movers for ten o'clock on Saturday morning and remarked, 'Move only the female tenant's personal belongings. Do not touch the man's belongings or any shared household appliances.'

Before I submitted the order, a prompt appeared on the screen. 'Would you like assistance packing fragile items such as wedding photos?'

I stared at it for several seconds before selecting "No."

There were still three days until ten o'clock on Saturday morning.