Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, I saw my own body curled stiffly inside the closet.

So this was what it felt like to be free.

My spirit drifted through the house as Audrey helped a drunken Damon inside.

"Audrey, I really like you..." The coy, drunken murmur made my chest ache.

Audrey didn't reject him. She simply eased him onto the couch. "I'll make you some oatmeal."

As she passed the mess scattered across the floor, she paused. "Why are there so many pictures of the two of us around the house? We took them together a few days ago. I thought they looked good, so I had them printed."

"Looks like Preston was picking a fight again. He even called earlier and yelled at me..." Damon was pretending to be drunk. He rolled over, exposing even more of his bare chest.

Audrey simply responded, "Don't bother arguing with a crazy person. I'll take you to get the pictures printed again tomorrow."

Then she turned and went into the kitchen, as if I didn't exist in this house at all.

I clenched my teeth, and suddenly it felt as though something inside me had gone missing.

Before long, Damon staggered over and wrapped his arms around Audrey from behind. "I haven't had anything you've cooked in so long."

Ever since I got sick, seeing Damon always triggered a reaction in me. Audrey had repeatedly forbidden him from coming into the house.

But now, she let him run his fingers over her. She even rubbed his nose affectionately. "Feels nice. It's like going back to the way things used to be."

Under the warm amber light, I felt as though they were about to kiss at any moment.

The bowl of oatmeal was soon brought to the table.

"I'll go get Preston."

"Don't. It's so late already. He hasn't made a sound, so he obviously doesn't want to see me. I don't want him having another episode." Damon grabbed Audrey by the wrist.

She stopped walking, effectively accepting his suggestion.

With a smile, Damon asked her to feed him his oatmeal. "Whenever I got drunk before, didn't you always bring it to me in bed and feed me? Ever since you got a boyfriend, I don't feel your concern for me anymore!"

Audrey sighed and fed him spoonful after spoonful. "You know what Preston's condition is like. Things have been difficult for you lately."

"It's okay. Preston's better now. We can all eat together again." A trace of provocation flashed through Damon's eyes.

I remembered how there had always been a third person in what was supposed to be our time alone together.

He was always the one who needed to be taken care of. I'd protested more than once.

But Audrey always gave me the same few answers.

"Damon is like my little brother. He's been spoiled since he was a kid. You should be more understanding."

I went from anger to numbness.

Then, one day, a doctor diagnosed me with an emotional disorder. Looking back now, those dark days were actually the time Audrey and I had been closest.

As I was thinking about it, Lucky came home. He was always sneaking outside. He meowed several times when he didn't see me, then was drawn toward the smell of food on the table.

"That's disgusting!" Damon hurriedly swatted at Lucky as he tried to jump onto the table.

Audrey scooped him up and set him back down. "Where's your dad? Didn't he feed you?

"Preston! What kind of tantrum are you throwing now? Can't you even take care of your own cat? Come out right now! Damon was already in a bad mood after his breakup, and you still have to pick on him at a time like this?"

The irritation in Audrey's voice grew stronger. She had bought Lucky back then to help me cope with my illness.

I'd always spoiled him, but now I could only hover helplessly beside the hungry cat.

Lucky seemed to sense that I was there. His fur stood on end as he cried out in fear.

In his frantic scrambling, he knocked over the oatmeal on the table, and it splashed all over Damon.

He screamed, "I only asked you to spend a few hours with me today. Why is Preston being so petty?"

Audrey grabbed a cup and hurled it at Lucky. "You filthy animal! Get out! Tell your dad that if he doesn't come out and apologize today, he can forget about me sleeping with him tonight!

"Preston! I know you can hear me. I only have so much patience!"

I stood in front of her, desperately trying to explain, but no one could hear me.

Lucky cowered in the corner.

A thousand things caught in my throat.

In the end, all I could say was, "I'm sorry."