Chapter 3

That night, I only packed two suitcases. Clothes, IDs, and my laptop. I didn't take the pots from the kitchen. I didn't take the dying mint plant on the balcony either. Jessica stood in the doorway watching me pack. "Nora, please don't go." "Leo and I can just sleep in the guest room. The master bedroom is still yours." I coiled my laptop charger. "Doesn't the school's residency check require them to see if you actually live here?" Her face flushed red. "They just look around." "Then let them get a good look." "I really didn't want to steal Ryan from you." "Okay." "You believe me?" "Whether you're stealing him or not doesn't change the fact that he's already married you." Her tears started falling again. "Why do you always have to speak so harshly?" "Because the certificate is real." I latched my suitcase shut. "You guys wanted a real legal relationship in exchange for a real school enrollment for Leo." "So I'm treating it as real too." Ryan leaned against the doorframe, his face looking terrible. "Where are you going tonight?" "A hotel." "I'll drive you." "No need." "You're dragging two suitcases by yourself in the middle of the night—" "Your wife and child are staying here for the first time tonight." I looked at him. "Don't be late." His jaw tightened. "Nora, I know you're angry." "But once all this is over, you'll see that I haven't changed." "Our eight years together won't fall apart over one piece of paper." I pushed the handle of my suitcase all the way down, then pulled it back up again. "Ryan." "Yeah." "Is this what you all think?" He didn't understand. "What?" "You think I won't leave." He went silent for a moment. "Of course you won't." "There's no cheating or betrayal between us. It's just doing a favor for a friend." I unlocked the front door. "Got it." The elevator arrived. I dragged my suitcases inside. Right before the doors closed, Ryan took a step forward. "Come back for dinner tomorrow. My mom invited your brother over, and we can all sit down and discuss the wedding plans again." "We'll see." The elevator doors shut. In the mirrored panels, I saw the thin chain he had given me still hanging around my neck. I took it off and shoved it into my jacket pocket. The convenience store downstairs was lit up with bright white lights. I bought a bottle of water, a pack of wet wipes, and grabbed the cheapest toothbrush they had. The cashier stuffed the receipt into the bag. My phone chimed. Adrian sent me the apartment number for the company housing at the new branch. "1206. The mattress was just replaced. Buy whatever you're missing and give the receipts to admin." Another message followed right after. "Don't stay at a hotel. Come over tomorrow." I replied: "I report for duty next Monday." He didn't try to persuade me. He just sent one word. "Okay." ***