All Chapters of Drawing a Cage for You: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When I received the flowers that day, I had been genuinely happy.I thought Audrey Levingston had finally come around and prepared a wedding anniversary surprise for me.But the moment I opened the card tucked inside the bouquet, my smile froze.[Thank you, Audrey, for going out of your way to perform surgery on my aunt. My entire family is deeply grateful. I picked out these flowers especially for you because I think they represent “us” perfectly. I hope you like them. —Ryan Ludlow]My hand shook, and the bouquet slipped from my grasp and fell to the floor.Three years ago, Dad fell seriously ill.The doctor said he needed surgery immediately.However, the medical facilities in our hometown were limited, and Dad was too weak to survive a long transfer to another hospital. So, I begged Audrey to come home and perform the surgery herself.Her answer had been simple.“Our hospital doesn’t allow doctors to take outside cases. Work is work. I can’t break the rules because of a p

I stayed up all night and silently packed my things.Keeping myself busy was the only way I could ignore the hollow ache in my chest.Just before sunrise, I dug out my old photography equipment from the storage room. It had been untouched for years and had gathered dust.I pressed the power button, and the screen flickered to life.My eyes suddenly burned.Thankfully, it still worked. I was not too late.I was carrying the camera back into the living room when my phone rang.It was the real estate agent.“Mr. Gatlin, regarding the house you and your wife toured last week, I’ve already spoken with the owner. If there are no issues, you can sign the contract next weekend.”I froze.I had almost forgotten about it.Not long ago, Audrey had been promoted and received a raise.She said our current place was too small and that we should move somewhere bigger.It had been her idea.But from beginning to end, I handled everything: touring houses, choosing a place, contacting agen

The surgery was scheduled for the next morning, so I went home.The flowers on the balcony looked especially beautiful in the evening light.There were gardenias, roses, succulents, and hydrangeas. I had nurtured every single one of them over the years.Audrey was always too busy to spend time with me, so I found solace in caring for my plants.Once I left, no one would be left to tend to them. It would be a shame to let them wither.I snapped a picture and posted it to the neighborhood group.The caption read: I’m moving. Free plants. First come, first served.My neighbors were more than happy to help. Within half an hour, most of the balcony was cleared.After giving away the last pot of hydrangeas, I stood alone on the empty balcony.Somehow, letting go was easier than I had imagined.I turned and went into the walk-in closet.Inside the glass cabinet were rows of watches, most of them gifts from Audrey.I used to be overjoyed whenever she gave me one.As I looked at th

“Where would I go?” I asked calmly.“The gas company came by for an inspection today,” Audrey said coldly. “No one answered the door, so they called me. Why weren’t you home?”So, that was it.I thought she had finally noticed something wrong with me.I let out a quiet laugh and mocked myself for still having such unrealistic expectations.“Why must I be home?” I asked. “Am I not allowed to go out? Am I not allowed to have a life of my own? Can’t I even take a trip?”Audrey’s tone grew heavier.“Luke, what’s gotten into you lately? You stopped cooking, you barely come home, and you keep giving me attitude. Now, you’ve even run off traveling alone. Have you lost your mind?”I looked out at the evening sky, my voice barely a whisper.“I haven’t. I just finally saw things clearly.”The other end of the line went silent.After a long pause, Audrey let out a cold laugh.“Fine. Keep this up. Since you’re not coming home, I won’t either. Let’s see who can hold out longer.”With t

The day after Luke left, Audrey did not go to the hospital.With the curtains tightly drawn, the whole house was shrouded in darkness, as if it were the middle of the night.She opened another bottle and took a long drink.The liquor burned her throat, but it could not suppress the anger surging within her.She thought, “Luke had been so determined to divorce me, and he was just as determined to undergo the reversal surgery. Yet he never discussed any of these things with me. What was I to him? What did our five years together mean?”Just then, someone opened the door from outside.Ryan entered, carrying a thermos. The moment he saw the mess scattered across the floor, his eyes instantly reddened.“Audrey…” He hurried over, his heart aching at the sight of her. “How did you let yourself end up like this?”Audrey remained slumped against the couch, showing no reaction, as if she could not even see him.Ryan crouched down beside her and opened the thermos.“I made you some soup