Chapter 2 The Last Straw

After putting down my phone, I started packing up the rest of my belongings.

…

A moment later, Ignatius pushed open the door with a bag of groceries in his hand. The moment he saw the nearly empty living room, he froze. Even the pots, pans, and dishes were gone.

Awkwardly, he reached for my hand. "How about we eat out tonight?"

Even the air conditioner had been taken away by Cecilia. The apartment was unbearably hot.

I shook his hand off so hard that the room spun around me.

"Amanda!"

…

A warm towel settled against my forehead.

Ignatius fussed over me, but there was a trace of grievance in his voice.

"You live in a decent neighborhood. Of course you don't understand how scared Cecilia is living in that run-down area. She's just like we were after graduation. What's wrong with helping her a little?

"We were going to replace all the furniture after the wedding anyway. Besides, don't we still have the three hundred thousand set aside for the wedding?"

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. He was still pretending.

When I remained silent, his embarrassment turned into irritation.

Without thinking, he blurted out, "You used to live in a bad neighborhood too. Weren't you almost assaulted there? Why can't you be a little more understanding toward her?"

My head buzzed. The stormy night and the despair came crashing back.

For my birthday, Ignatius had bought tickets to a late-night movie. Then, Cecilia called, and he left immediately.

I had run home through the pouring rain.

Halfway there, a large hand clamped around my throat and dragged me into an alley.

Dirty hands tore at my dress. The stench of alcohol filled my nose.

I fought until my fingernails broke and tears streamed down my face before I finally managed to escape.

But when I stumbled home, soaked and shaking, I found Cecilia wearing Ignatius' white dress shirt.

She shyly asked him to help apply lotion to her skin.

Without even looking up, he said, "You're back? Go make Cecilia something hot to eat."

I had frozen where I stood.

…

The next day, rumors spread through the entire company that I had gone looking for a hookup in the middle of the night and ended up getting assaulted.

Fresh out of college and too ashamed to defend myself, I swallowed that humiliation for three years.

Ignatius clearly remembered it too as guilt flashed across his face.

Just as he opened his mouth, I quietly interrupted him. "Ignatius, let's break up."

The air went still.

He stared at me in disbelief. His foot came down on a bunch of scallions, crushing them in half.

"You're breaking up with me over a few appliances?"

If this had been the old me, I would have demanded answers.

He knew perfectly well that I had spent six months' worth of bonuses on those appliances. I had read countless reviews before choosing them.

They were bought for our future home, not because the old ones needed replacing.

After paying for everything, I had only six dollars left in my account and could not even afford lunch that day.

What gave him the right to hand them to someone else without asking me? And without air conditioning, how was I supposed to survive the summer?

But now, I could not be bothered to say any of it.

He stared at my flushed face for a long moment. "You've got heatstroke. That's why you're talking nonsense. Wait here. I think we still have a fan in the basement."

A short while later, Ignatius returned carrying an old electric fan.

The moment he plugged it in, a dusty gust of air blew toward me.

I was already irritated. Then one of the fan blades suddenly snapped off and came flying through the air.

It sliced across my arm. Blood immediately poured from the wound.

Ignatius panicked. He grabbed my hand and hurried to take me to the hospital, but the moment he opened the door, Cecilia collapsed limply onto the floor right outside.

A conflicted look appeared on his face. "Her blood sugar dropped. Let's take her too."

…

At the hospital, he didn't hesitate for even a second. He scooped Cecilia into his arms and walked away. "Amanda, low blood sugar can be fatal. You can get your wound treated yourself, right?"

I didn't point out the smug smile Cecilia shot me over his shoulder. I simply nodded.

What I had not expected was for Ignatius to come back that night.

I was replying to messages from my stepbrothers. His gaze landed on the wedding venue photos displayed on my phone screen.

A low chuckle escaped him. As he leaned closer, seemingly about to say something, I locked the screen and closed my eyes. I went straight to sleep.

Behind me, I could feel his unreadable gaze lingering on me the entire night.

…

The next morning, Ignatius woke me up. To my surprise, the hospital room was packed with his coworkers.