129. Curiosity

The next morning, the apartment felt like a shell. 

Ashley woke up with a heavy sense of emptiness pressing down on her chest. The space beside her on the bed was cold, untouched, and glaringly empty. Josh hadn’t come home. Not last night, and still not this morning. 

And this was the first time Josh had pulled something like this since they moved to LA. Back in Korea, she might have known exactly where to find him—at Sharon’s place. But here? Ashley didn’t even know where to begin guessing. She really didn't know where Josh spent the night.

She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, trying to calm the pounding in her head. Then, she reached for her phone on the nightstand. The screen was blank. No missed calls. No messages. Nothing. She refreshed her inbox. Still nothing. For a second, she considered sending him a message—something short, maybe just a question. Or maybe calling him, even if just to check if he was alive. 

But her fingers hovered over the keyboard, paralyzed.

What would she even say?

She locked the screen again and tossed the phone onto the bed with a frustrated sigh. No matter how many times she checked, the silence on the other end stayed the same.

She got dressed in autopilot, her mood worsening with every passing minute. Her thoughts tangled into each other, looping the same bitter phrases over and over. 

Ashley walked out into the street with a storm cloud hanging over her head. Her chest was tight, her nerves raw. The haunting memory of the office incident and the threatening messages still clawed at her. She was haunted by her never-ending fear. 

And now, as if everything else weren't enough, Josh's attitude weighs her down even more. Josh was being Josh—irresponsible, elusive, and indifferent to how much damage he continued to cause. He hadn’t changed. He was still the same person—careless, selfish, and cruel in his own quiet, calculated way. And yet, somehow, Ashley always ended up bearing the weight of every conflict. 

It didn’t matter that Josh was the one who constantly hurt her. It didn’t matter that he paraded his lies in front of her without shame. The world always found a way to make her feel like she was the one to blame. Like she was the one who needed to fix everything.

The taxi ride to the office was a blur. She barely remembered the traffic lights or the situation along the city ​​streets. She didn’t even know how she walked into the building. Her thoughts were like a loop of chaos. 

As soon as she arrived and stepped out of the elevator into the office lobby, she forced herself to take a deep breath. 

Ashley sat down at her cubicle without a word. Her eyes staring blankly at the black screen of her computer. Her fingers unmoving above the keyboard. Her mind was still clouded by everything—Josh’s absence, the threat she received, the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that followed her like a shadow.

She didn’t even hear Mark come in. It wasn’t until he was standing next to her, gently calling her name with a familiar voice that gently broke through her trance.

"Ashley?"

She blinked, startled, and looked up.

Mark was standing beside her cubicle, concern etched across his face.

“You’ve been staring at the black screen for quite a while,” Mark said, his voice low and gently. “Can you come to my office? I want to talk to you for a moment.”

Ashley gave a small nod and rose from her seat.

Mark walked ahead, and Ashley followed a few moments later. 

As she walked past the rows of desks, Claire and a few coworkers glanced up from their desks, exchanged knowing looks. 

Of course they knew. Everyone must have heard what happened yesterday. No one said anything aloud, but it was clear they all knew what this was about. The incident from yesterday wasn’t something easily forgotten. It had never happened before in this office, and it had happened to a new employee on her second day at work.

Ashley knocked softly on his door before stepping in.

“Come in,” he said. “Have a seat, Ash.”

Ashley complied, sinking into the soft gray cushions of the office sofa. Her hands were clasped together in her lap, fingers twitching with nerves. Mark walked to the small corner counter and started preparing something. 

“Do you want anything to drink?”

Ashley shook her head politely. “No, I’m okay.”

Even swallowing her own saliva felt difficult. The thought of drinking anything made her feel sick.

“I recommend chamomile tea,” he said anyway, already moving to prepare it. “It’ll help you to feel better.”

Ashley opened her mouth to protest again, but stopped. He was already pouring the hot water into two cups.

A few minutes later, he placed two mugs on a small tray, brought it over, and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. The smell of the herbal tea started to fill the room, calming and warm.

Mark sat on the opposite side, leaned slightly forward, and looked her in the eye.

“First of all,” he began, “I want to apologize for last night. Things got out of hand.”

Ashley remained quiet. Her throat felt dry, as if the words inside her had turned to dust.

“I didn’t mean to put you in a difficult position,” Mark continued. “I should’ve left earlier, before your husband came home. I should’ve handled it better.”

Ashley shook her head. “No, Mark. You were just trying to help. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I dragged you into this mess.”

Mark gave a soft scoff. “Don’t. That’s not fair to yourself. You’re the one going through this. And no one should have to go through it alone.”

They fell silent for a moment. Outside, the faint sound of the city hummed through the windows.

“Did Josh say anything afterward?” Mark finally asked.

Ashley hesitated, her fingers tightening around the cup in her hands and staring at her reflection in the tea.

“Josh misunderstood everything. But, I explained it to him. So… it’s all settled now”

Mark’s brows furrowed slightly. He wanted to know—desperately—just how much Josh had truly worried after what happened to his wife. Did he panic when he found out?

“So… does he already know what happened to you? About the threats? The incidents at the office?”