Chapter 2
Ryan didn’t get home until midnight.
As we lay in bed, he reached for my hand.
I turned away quietly, slowly slipping my hand from his grasp.
Just as I was drifting off, his phone buzzed in the dark silence.
“Autumn…” I kept my eyes closed, pretending not to hear.
He fumbled for his phone in the darkness and answered.
“I told you not to call when I’m home…”
“But the power’s out, and I’m scared,” a girl’s voice whined sweetly, playing the damsel in distress.
He hesitated before waking me. “There’s an emergency at the office. I need to go in. Get
some rest.”
Half–asleep, I only managed a soft “Mm.”
He bent down and softly kissed my forehead.
Then he smoothly dressed and left the bedroom.
Soon, the house fell silent.
I opened my eyes and went to the window.
His familiar Mercedes sped away into the night, disappearing into the darkness, leaving only the fading sound of the engine.
Ryan returned home at dawn.
He brought me lilies and breakfast from his office cafeteria.
15:35
The Last Time I Loved m
Chapter 2
“You’re back?”
He leaned casually against the wall, wrapping an arm around my waist and tenderly brushed my hair. “Was worried you’d forget your meds. Came back to keep you company. Did you sleep well?”
I nodded, quietly sipping my water.
“It was so late, I crashed at the office to avoid waking you,” he explained.
I didn’t call out his lie.
After he left, I threw the lilies and breakfast in the trash.
The elderly woman collecting recyclables called out, “Such fresh flowers why throw them away? What a waste!”
I nodded with a slight smile. “Yes, what a waste.”
