Chapter 2

I dried my hands, and my phone rang too.

[Monday morning. Let's get the marriage license.]

I replied: [Okay.]

Then I went to the bedroom to pack.

In the closet, I found a shirt that wasn't mine.

Wrinkled. Crumpled.

Like someone had shoved it in there fast.

A closer look showed dried stains on the fabric.

The door creaked.

Yvonne walked in.

The second she saw my red eyes, she knew.

She calmly took the shirt from me.

"Maybe Ava or one of the girls left it here when they brought their boyfriends over."

I lowered my head, hands shaking.

Not from sadness.

From disgust.

Yvonne clearly got the wrong idea.

She lifted a hand and brushed my cheek, almost compulsively.

"Jared, know what I like most about you?"

Before I could answer, she answered herself.

"Obedient."

I'd heard that word more times than I could count.

Obedient.

Reasonable.

Well-behaved.

Like a cat.

Like a dog.

Anything but a person.

"Tony's in the past. I gave him the wedding as a way to make it up to him. Don't overthink it."

She patted my head like I was a pet.

Just like back then.

Because of one casual decision from her, I was brought to the city for school.

Then Tony played victim, and I was shoved right back into a corner.

Left for those rich kids to laugh at.

Like it was nothing.

Like I was something they could toss around whenever they felt like it.

"Get some rest if you're tired. Tony wants to buy a car, so I'm going with him."

Maybe I was just tired of always being the one who lost.

Or maybe it was the resentment I'd buried for years.

I grabbed her wrist. "Can you stay?"

Just once.

If she stayed once, maybe it meant I mattered.

But Yvonne only paused, looking helpless. "I promised him."

She'd promised me plenty of times too.

Promised to take me to the hospital for my migraines.

Promised to visit my grandma's grave with me.

Promised to spend one birthday with me.

Just one.

But every time, she bailed.

I let go of her hand.

"Oh. Okay."

My voice came out flat, worn down by habit.

For some reason, Yvonne grabbed my hand instead.

"I'll bring back your favorite cheesecake."

The thing was, I didn't even like desserts.

My eyes stung, but I smiled anyway.

"Thanks."

***

Yvonne never came home that night.

Tony updated his socials.

Just a simple post.

A thumbs-up.

I got it right away.

It was for me.

Just like back then, when Yvonne tossed me aside for him.

I'd been locked in a bathroom and beaten so badly I couldn't stand.

That was the gesture he made at me.

A taunt.

Something meant only for me.

The caption read: [Pretty great, right?]

The comments didn't get it.

[It's your wedding night. What are you talking about?]

Yvonne commented: [Was I amazing?]

Tony replied fast.

[Amazing. Seriously amazing.]

I calmly swiped away the post and opened the hospital app to book an appointment.

A rash had broken out all over my body the day before.

Probably from the sleeping pills.

I'd scratched my neck raw.

After examining me, the doctor gave me a shot and looked at me seriously.

"You absolutely cannot take sleeping pills again. Your body can't handle them."

"Got it."

I picked up my prescription and headed for the exit.

Then I ran into Yvonne in the lobby.

She was holding Tony's hand.

The second she saw me, she froze.

But she didn't let go.

"What happened to you?"

"Allergy."

Yvonne nodded like it was nothing.

She didn't ask why.

Didn't ask if it was serious.

Then she sighed. "He caught his finger in the car door, so I brought him in."

Her voice was full of concern.

Like Tony was dying.

I looked down.

The cut was barely there. Already scabbed over.

Tony scoffed, pretending to be mad.

"That's because you kept distracting me. Otherwise, would I be suffering like this?"

Yvonne covered her mouth and laughed. "Fine. My fault."

Then she turned to me. "You go home first."

I nodded and walked out.

I hadn't gotten far when I heard Tony again.

"Look at him. His face and neck are covered in rashes. What if it's contagious? You should make him get a full checkup."

"He's already had one."

"That was before. I'm thinking about you. Why don't you appreciate it?"

Yvonne let out a lazy sigh. "Fine. I'll have him go tomorrow."

She said it so casually.

Like she was scheduling a vet appointment for a dog.