Chapter 4

After that, Atticus and I started giving each other the cold shoulder.

My business trip was scheduled for six days, but I wrapped things up early. On the fifth day, I changed my ticket to the earliest train back home.

When I pushed open the front door, a pair of heels I didn't recognize sat in the entryway. They were Elena's.

Her magazines were spread across the coffee table, and a lace nightgown of hers was tossed over the arm of the couch. On the kitchen stove, a pot of soup sat simmering, steam curling out from under the lid.

This time, I went straight to the master bedroom. The bedding had been changed again.

My skincare products, which I'd put in place on the vanity, had all been packed into a clear storage bin and set on the floor. The bottles and jars were all squeezed in at odd angles. On the vanity, Elena's things sat neatly arranged, each bottle labeled with a sticker.

The closet door was half open, and all my clothes had been pushed to the far edge. The space that had been cleared was now occupied by Elena's clothes, and on the top of the lingerie drawer lay her lace underwear.

On the nightstand sat a white bottle of sleeping pills with a label that read, "For Lena. Take one tablet before bed".

Beside it was a photograph, the print slightly yellowed with age. In the photograph, Elena leaned on Atticus' shoulder, her eyes curved into a smile. On the back of the photo was a line of writing.

"Atti and Lena, never apart. Summer, 2009."

That was 15 years ago. I hadn't even known Atticus then. He and I met in 2010, at the college freshman welcome party. He had helped me pick up a pen I'd dropped, and when I looked up to thank him, he smiled. So, it turned out that his story with Elena had already begun long before that.

I had always thought I was his first love. It turned out I was just the one who came later.

I stood by the bed, taking it all in, when the bathroom door opened. Atticus stepped out wrapped in a towel, his hair still wet, droplets of water trailing down his neck. When he saw me, he froze. "You're back? Didn't you say you'd be gone for six days?"

"It ended early."

Before he could respond, a voice came from behind him. Elena leaned out from the bathroom in a white bathrobe, her hair also wet. "Atti, where did you put my pajamas?"

When she saw me, her smile stiffened for a second before she switched to an innocent expression. "Charlene? You're back? I didn't know you were coming home today. Atti said you'd be away on a business trip for a week…"

"Lena, please leave us for a moment," Atticus told her.

Elena bit her lip but retreated into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Light seeped through the crack, along with the sound of her soft coughing.

"Charlene, hear me out…"

"Tell her to leave. Right now. Then I'll stay."

His brows furrowed immediately, and the guilt in his eyes faded. "Don't do this, Charlene. She's not well, and it's so late now. Where is she supposed to go?"

"This is our home, our bedroom. Why can't she leave?"

"She's just staying a few days. Is it really such a big deal?"

"Yes. It is."

His expression darkened. "Can you stop making a scene? You know her condition. Do you really have to push me like this?"

A dull, spreading ache filled my chest, and I looked at him numbly. "I'm pushing you? She shares a bathroom with you, sleeps in the master bedroom with you, and you say I'm pushing you?"

Atticus drew a deep breath, his voice dripping with impatience. "Can you be reasonable for once? She's sick. If you force her out and something happens to her, will you be able to live with the consequences?"

"She saved your life, so she can sleep in this bed, live in this house, and take my place. But what does that make me, Atticus?"

"Charlene, do you think the whole world owes you something? Her emotions are unstable—the doctor said she could have an episode at any time. Can't you be the bigger person?"

The bathroom door opened just a crack, and Elena's voice came from inside, laced with tears, "Atti, maybe I should just go. I'll find a hotel. I don't want to make things hard for Charlene."

"Don't worry about her."

Then, Atticus turned back to me and said, "First thing tomorrow, I'll find her somewhere else. You—"

I clenched my jaw and swept her things onto the floor. "She leaves. Now."

Soft sobs came from the bathroom. The bathroom door opened, and Elena stepped out in that white bathrobe. "Please don't fight. I'll go. I'll leave right now."

"That's enough!" Atticus stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and shoved me aside to shield her.

I staggered, the small of my back hitting the edge of a table, sending a jolt of pain through me.

"Charlene, do you really have to do this? Must you force her? Be reasonable, will you? She's a patient!"

He paid no attention to how pale I'd gone, and taking Elena by the arm, he left the bedroom.

After I recovered, I began packing my things.

I could still hear Atticus softly coaxing Elena when I passed the study on my way out.

As the taxi drove out of the residential complex gate, I looked back through the car window at the master bedroom on the second floor. The pink curtains were still fluttering in the breeze.

When the car drove farther away, I placed my hand on my stomach. I had a secret I hadn't had time to tell Atticus yet.

I had found out I was pregnant the day before I left for the business trip, and I'd planned to give him a surprise tonight. Now, there was no need for that anymore.

…

It was past midnight by the time Atticus was done comforting Elena. Noticing how unusually quiet the house was, he suddenly thought of me. A strange unease crept over him.

When he pushed open the bedroom door again, his footsteps suddenly halted, and his eyes widened sharply.