Chapter 3
“How did you get in?” Howard asked, voicing my own question.
Outside, rain poured in torrents, and Celia stood drenched, a faint smile on her face.
“Howie, you never changed the password?”
0916–the code wasn’t my birthday?
Why did Celia think it hadn’t been changed?
“Enough with this nonsense. Why are you here?” Howard’s expression darkened, his tone sharp.
“You said I could come by anytime,” she murmured. “I was cornered by debt collectors today, and I had nowhere else to
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go.”
“Given your status now, I didn’t think you’d still live in such a small place, so I…”
Celia’s voice trailed off, tears brimming in her eyes.
This was the first apartment Howard had bought during college when he started his business. We’d come here tonight because it was close to the gathering, and I’d hurt my ankle.
I hadn’t known that Celia was once the lady of this place.
Howard frowned, looking out the window, and I could tell he was hesitating.
I walked back to the bedroom in silence, limping slightly.
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An hour later, Howard pushed the door open.
“The rain is too heavy now. I’ve arranged for her to leave first thing tomorrow morning. She won’t disturb you.”
“Since the original mistress has returned, I suppose I should step aside.”
Howard’s hesitant demeanor made me uncomfortable.
I stood up and dragged the suitcase from the corner, ready to leave.
“Sally, Celia has betrayed me. There is no future for us. Please, don’t let your imagination run wild.”
“What about the password? Why did she say it hasn’t been changed?“,
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“My birthday is your anniversary, so you really didn’t need to change it, did you?”
Howard’s gaze shifted away, as if he hadn’t expected me to remember that detail.
I recalled the surprise in his eyes when he first saw my ID.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
“Sally, I admit it was my fault for not telling you about the password.”
“But this coincidence makes me feel, in some way, that you are the one destined for me, the one who pulled me out of that darkness.”
Howard’s eyes were sincere, and I sensed no deceit; I gradually calmed down.
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He handed me a glass of milk and some painkillers.
“I’m sorry for making you feel insecure. I haven’t done enough.”
In the middle of the night, my foot hurt so badly that it cramped. I reached out, only to find the bed beside me cold and empty.
Almost against my will, I went to Celia’s
room.
I stood at the door, hesitating to go in.
I dreaded the scene that might unfold behind that door–the very one I feared most.
While I hesitated, I heard Celia’s choked
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voice from inside the room.
“I’m sorry, Howie. I had my reasons back then. I truly regret leaving you.”
“What reason could justify marrying someone else the day after your lover’s accident?”
“Mrs. Barnett, you heartlessly abandoned me then, and now you’re trying to play the role of the devoted lover. Don’t you find that disgusting?”
It was Howard’s voice; he was indeed here.
“Howie, I will make it up to you.”
“Make it up? Do you really think I, Howard, need any compensation from you now?”
Howard’s voice was laced with mockery.
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“I’ll do anything you want. Just give me a chance to heal your wounds for the rest of my life.”
Celia’s voice quivered with emotion.
Hearing this, my heart settled. I wanted to see how this man–who claimed to provide me with security–would react to the woman who had once betrayed him.
The next moment, Howard’s furious shout rang out.
“Get your filthy hands off me, you bitch!”
I pushed the door open to find Howard sitting on the couch, Celia half–dressed and trying to lean into him. With a look of disgust, Howard shoved her to the floor.
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When he saw me enter, there was no hint of panic in his eyes; he simply came over to support me.
“Sally, what are you doing up? Is your foot hurting again?”
Celia looked as if she had seen a ghost.
“You… How did you wake up?”
Chapter 4
