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Chapter 3

Author: Migo111
My migraine flared up again. It started that afternoon—a dull, relentless pressure on my temples, like someone pressing hard against my skull. By evening, the pain was so intense I could barely keep my eyes open.

Lying in bed, I fumbled for my phone and texted Atticus. "My head is killing me. Can you pick up some ibuprofen? We're out at home."

All he replied was "Okay".

But I waited 40 minutes. Every minute felt stretched out, agonizing, and miserable. I sent another message, urging him. But he did not reply.

When I tried calling, I found that his phone was switched off.

It wasn't until midnight that my phone finally lit up with a message from him.

"Lena was getting physical therapy just now, and my phone was on silent. Are you okay? Anyway, there's a pharmacy right downstairs. You can just go get it yourself."

So, I put on a coat and went downstairs. The elevator was empty at this hour, and my reflection in the mirror looked frighteningly pale.

The pharmacy was 200 yards to the right of the main entrance, and the wind was biting as I walked over.

At that hour, the pharmacy had long since closed. A "24-hour service" sticker was pasted on the door, with a line of small text underneath that read, "Please ring the bell for nighttime service".

But the doorbell was covered by a black cover, and I couldn't press it no matter how hard I tried.

The wind poured into my collar, and my head throbbed so violently I trembled all over.

At the very moment I needed Atticus most, he was by Elena's side, accompanying her to physical therapy.

I ended up going to the emergency room alone. A long line stretched down the corridor, filled with a chorus of crying and coughing.

There, I waited, had the tests done, and collected the report all by myself. The report was filled with dense medical jargon I could barely understand. But I caught the phrase "further examination recommended".

When I came out of the consultation room, I saw Atticus standing in the corridor with a printed medical record sheet in his hand.

He frowned when he spotted me. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you my head hurt."

He kept one eye on the messages Elena was sending on his phone and asked dismissively, "Is it really that serious?"

"We ran out of medicine at home. You forgot to get it for me."

He paused.

"Atticus, do you know why I've been having these headaches? It's because I've been sleeping in the guest room of my own home for two months, and the pillows there are too high. I never told you, because you never think it's a big deal."

His fingers tightened around the medical record, creasing the paper. Then, his tone turned impatient. "It's just a headache. Must you really make such a big deal out of this? You're not a kid anymore!"

But he had once promised, with such conviction, to cherish and protect me for a lifetime. I had believed him. And yet, every single time, he would ask me to step aside for the sake of someone else.

I looked into Atticus' eyes, but in the end, I said nothing, nor did I wait for his reply. I simply turned and walked away.

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  • The One Who Stole His Every Goodnight   Chapter 10

    Three years later, I settled in a coastal city and moved my studio here. It wasn't large, but business was steady.I lived alone and kept an orange tabby cat that was so plump its belly nearly touched the ground when it walked.On weekends, I would go for walks along the beach. There were always plenty of people there, whether they were families with children or couples holding hands.I'd take off my shoes and let my bare feet sink into the sand. The cooling waves would wash up over the tops of my feet and then recede, carrying the sand away from beneath my soles.I never dated again. It wasn't that I couldn't let go of Atticus. I simply felt that I was perfectly fine alone. I knew where everything in the house was, I put the dishes away myself after washing them, and on weekends, I could sleep in for as long as I wanted.Occasionally, I would have friends offer to set me up with someone, but I'd decline every time. Then, they would always ask if I was still hung up on the pas

  • The One Who Stole His Every Goodnight   Chapter 9

    Two more months passed. One evening, I stepped out of the studio just as dusk settled and the streetlights hadn't yet come on. There was someone standing at the entrance. It was Elena.She had lost a lot of weight. Her cheekbones stood out sharply, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was wearing a white down jacket with the zipper pulled all the way up, her chin buried in the collar. She looked nothing like the polished woman she used to be.The moment she saw me, her eyes turned red, and tears spilled over. "Charlene."I said nothing."Charlene, please. I'm begging you. Go back to him. Atti won't see anyone now. He drove me away. He gave me everything just so I would never show up in front of him again. He truly loves you. Please go back to him."Her tears fell thick and fast, and there was a single drop hanging from her chin, glinting under the streetlight. She reached out and tugged at my sleeve, her fingers cold and her nails clipped short."Are you done yet? If y

  • The One Who Stole His Every Goodnight   Chapter 8

    A few months down the road, I moved to another city and started my own studio.The studio wasn't large. There were just two rooms—one was my office, and the other was a conference room for meeting clients. The conference room had windows facing the street, and on one of the windowsills sat a potted plant, its vines trailing down almost to the floor.One afternoon, I was in the middle of a meeting with a client in the conference room on the second floor when all of a sudden, my assistant pushed the door open and entered. I could clearly tell from her expression that something was off. She walked over to me and said in a lowered voice, "There's a man downstairs who's on his knees and holding up a sign. He says his name is Atticus and that he's your husband."The client looked at me, and I looked back at her."Please excuse me for a moment," I said, getting up and walking over to the window to look down. Atticus was kneeling in the middle of the plaza downstairs. There was nothing

  • The One Who Stole His Every Goodnight   Chapter 7

    Two months later, I heard that Atticus had done two things.First, he submitted his resignation to the company. Second, he transferred Elena's long-term care to a professional medical team and sent her abroad.Emma was the one who told me all this. Her voice came through the phone, rushed and urgent, "Atticus gave up all his shares. The day Elena left, she cried all night, but he didn't see her off. His father called him crazy, and his mother called all his friends, begging them to talk some sense into him."I stood by the window of the studio, watching raindrops hit the glass and run down in streaks."What is he after?" Emma asked.I had no idea what he was after, but he did come looking for me.That evening, as I stepped out of the studio, Atticus was standing at the bottom of the steps by the entrance. In his hand was an envelope, the corners creased from being gripped too tightly.He handed me the envelope. "The divorce papers. I signed them."I opened the envelope, pulled

  • The One Who Stole His Every Goodnight   Chapter 6

    Two months later, I moved to a small town in the south. I took on some design jobs and started a studio with my business partner, Miles Brennan. Life was quiet. Every day, I got up at 7:00 am and made myself a breakfast of a boiled egg and a slice of toast. I would leave the house at 8:00 am and walk 20 minutes to the studio.In the evenings, I would head home after dark, sometimes picking up a slice of pizza on the way and having it out on the balcony. The day Atticus found me, I was at a building supply store, picking out tiles. Crouched on the floor, I ran my fingers along the edges of two tiles to compare them—one was matte and the other was glossy.Miles stood beside me, helping me carry sample boxes, taking them down from the shelves one by one and stacking them on the cart. I took a tile he handed me, held it up to study the grain, and smiled.When I looked up, still smiling, I caught sight of a man standing about 20 yards off. He was wearing a gray coat with the zipper u

  • The One Who Stole His Every Goodnight   Chapter 5

    After moving out, I got my phone number changed.I got the new number at a roadside service outlet. After waiting 20 minutes, the salesperson handed me a SIM card. I took out the old card, cut it in half, and threw it into the trash can.I also rented a new north-facing one-bedroom studio apartment with a window overlooking an alley. There was an oak tree downstairs, its leaves nearly all gone.On the day of the move, I hired a courier company to ship the rest of my things away. In total, there were three cardboard boxes and one suitcase.When the courier came to collect the packages, he glanced at the boxes and asked what was inside. I told him they were mainly clothes and daily necessities.He then pulled out a scale, weighed each box, printed out the labels, and stuck them onto the boxes.After six years of marriage, this was all I was left with.…When I reached my new apartment, I didn't let the movers help me. Instead, I took multiple trips from the truck to the unit and

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