Chapter 2
I pushed the door open, and the living room was pitch black.
I didn't bother turning on the lights. I fumbled my way into the bedroom and started packing up my things.
There wasn't much to pack anyway.
For the past five years, my whole life had revolved around Harry.
He liked minimalist style, so I kept the place almost empty.
He didn't like me wearing bright colors, so my wardrobe was just black, white, and gray.
Now that I was leaving, I realized there was hardly a trace left that showed I'd ever been here.
I pulled out a suitcase and stuffed a few changes of clothes inside.
The lock turned with a click.
The living room lights came on with another click.
I heard Harry changing his shoes as he called out casually, "Lenora, get me some water. I'm dying of thirst."
I didn't budge. I kept dumping all those bottles and jars from the dressing table straight into the trash.
Harry showed up at the bedroom door. The moment he saw what I was doing, he frowned.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked. "Why are you messing with your stuff in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
I turned to look at him.
He was in comfy clothes, hair a little messy, and still smelled like that sugary popcorn one got at theme parks.
My gaze drifted to his wrist. It was empty.
"You're back early," I said.
Harry walked in and grabbed my wrist.
"I asked what you're doing. Why are you throwing all this stuff away?" Harry demanded.
I pulled away from him, my voice calm.
"They're expired. They can't be used anymore," I said.
Harry gave me a suspicious look, like he was trying to figure out if I was sulking.
He walked over to the bed, sat down, and rubbed his temples.
"Joan got promoted today, so the team went out for dinner. That's why I got back late," Harry said. "Can you stop acting like you're always mad at me?
"I told you, she's just my partner."
I stayed silent, staring at his neck.
He used to wear a charm there.
I got that lucky charm at Mount Erwin after praying for a week.
The priest said because of my sincerity, the charm would protect whoever wore it for their whole life.
When I gave it to Harry, he was so moved his eyes turned red, and he swore he'd never take it off.
But now, the charm was gone.
Harry followed my gaze and touched his neck, suddenly freezing in place.
He cleared his throat, clearly uneasy.
He said, "The lucky charm... Joan's been out in the field a lot lately. It's pretty dangerous for her.
"I let her borrow the lucky charm for a few days, you know, for her protection.
"Don't read too much into it. I'll get it back from her in a while."
He rattled off his explanation, like he was afraid I'd blow up at him.
Back in the day, I would've flipped the table and caused a huge scene.
It wasn't easy for me to get that charm. What right did he have to hand it over to another woman?
But now, I just went, "Oh."
Harry froze.
He had a bunch of excuses lined up, but my one-word reply left him totally speechless.
"You're not mad?" Harry asked.
I zipped up my suitcase and pushed it into the corner.
"I'm not mad," I said. "It's yours now. Give it to whoever you want."
Harry stood up, walked over, and looked down at me.
"Lenora, are you pulling your usual tricks again?" Harry said. "Didn't you used to treasure that lucky charm more than anything?"
I looked into his eyes. They were searching, and there was a flicker of nervousness.
"People change," I said. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."
I slipped past him, lay down on the bed, turned my back to him, and shut my eyes.
Harry stood by the bed for a long time, then finally kicked the nightstand in frustration and went to the guest room.
*****
Early the next morning, I was jolted awake by someone banging on the door like their life depended on it.
Only two days left before I could finally leave all this behind.
I rubbed my sore stomach, dragged myself out of bed, and went to open the door.
Before I could get the door halfway open, someone slammed into it, knocking me back.
I staggered and hit the floor hard.
Harry stormed in, still in his police uniform, eyes blazing with fury.
He grabbed my collar and hauled me up off the ground.
"Lenora, what the hell did you do?" Harry shouted.
Harry's voice thundered so loud it made my ears ache.
I was forced to look up at him.
"What did I do?" I said.
Harry gritted his teeth, his grip so tight I thought he might choke me out.
"Still playing dumb, huh?" Harry growled. "Last night, we were after a major suspect. Joan was on stakeout.
"But the suspect somehow got tipped off about her location and ambushed her in an alley with his guys.
"If backup hadn't shown up fast enough, Joan would've been dead."
I gave him a cold, hard stare.
"What's it got to do with me whether she dies or not?" I said flatly.
Harry hurled me onto the couch, his anger barely contained.
"What does it have to do with you?" he barked. "You were the only one who touched my phone yesterday.
"Joan's stakeout location was only written in my phone's memo app.
"Who else would've leaked her location to the suspect besides you?"