Chapter 2
I sat downstairs all night.
By the time the sun came up, my phone was dead. I borrowed a phone from the guy at the convenience store and called Emily.
Ten minutes later, Emily's car pulled up in front of me.
"You spent the night here?" Emily looked me up and down. "Is that all you had on?"
"Let's go," I said.
At Emily's place, I took a shower and changed into some of her clothes.
"What are you going to do now?" Emily asked.
"I'm going to get my documents," I said, standing up. "My ID, house deed, and bank cards are all at the house."
"I'll go with you," Emily offered.
"No need. Lucas is still at work, so Nina's there by herself. I'll grab what I need and leave," I replied.
Emily didn't say anything else.
I took a cab back to the house.
I took the elevator up to the twelfth floor and used my spare key to unlock the door.
The living room was empty. The TV was still on, and the coffee table was cluttered with last night's takeout boxes.
The master bedroom door was open, and the photo frame on the nightstand had been swapped out. The picture of Lucas and me was gone, replaced with a solo shot of Nina.
I walked over to the closet and pulled open the door.
My clothes had been shoved all the way to the side, while the middle was crammed with Nina's dresses. On the vanity, my skincare stuff was pushed into a corner, and a whole line of cheap makeup had taken over the space.
I opened the drawer and saw that my ID, house deed, and bank cards were all still there.
I grabbed a cardboard box and started packing.
I heard footsteps behind me.
"Vivian?" Nina stood in the doorway, wearing Lucas's shirt. She asked, "You're back?"
I kept packing.
"Vivian, please don't be mad," Nina said, stepping closer. "I'm crashing here for a few days. As soon as I land a job, I'll move out."
I stood up, holding the box. "Move," I said.
Nina didn't budge. "Vivian, how long have you and Lucas been together?"
I looked at her.
"Three years," she said, mostly to herself. "Lucas and I dated five years ago. We were in college back then. He was the campus heartthrob, and I was the campus belle.
"Everyone on campus knew we were together. Then I went abroad, but I never stopped thinking about him."
"Done talking?" I asked.
Nina's gaze drifted to the nightstand. "This?" She picked up the snow globe from the nightstand.
That winter in junior year, Lucas gave me his very first gift. He spent three months saving up to buy it.
Inside, there was a tiny couple, embracing in the snow.
"It's cute," Nina said, spinning the snow globe in her hand.
"Give it back," I said.
She shot me a sly smile, her lips curling up. "Vivian, don't be so stingy. I was checking it out."
"Give it back!" I reached out to grab it, but Nina pulled away. The snow globe slipped from her fingers.
It hit the floor with a sharp crack.
It shattered, pieces scattering everywhere.
The snowflakes scattered across the floor, and the tiny figures lay separated; the girl's head was gone.
Nina cried out, "Vivian, please don't be angry. I swear, it was an accident."
The living room door swung open, and Lucas came in.
He noticed the broken pieces scattered on the floor, then saw Nina standing there.
"What happened?" Lucas asked.
Nina's eyes welled up with tears. "Lucas, Vivian tried to hit me. I just wanted to see the snow globe."
Lucas's face darkened.
"Vivian, what are you doing?" he said.
I couldn't take my eyes off the shattered pieces on the floor.
"Nina just got back, and she's still finding her way around. Can't you cut her some slack?" Lucas said, resting his hand on Nina's shoulder. "It's a snow globe. I'll get you an even nicer one tomorrow."
I lifted my gaze to Lucas.
"That was my birthday gift back in college junior year. You spent three months' salary to buy it for me. You said you'd give me the best the world had to offer," I said.
Lucas's face changed.
Nina grabbed Lucas's sleeve, saying, "Lucas, I didn't know it was so important to Vivian."
"Don't worry about it," Lucas said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Vivian, Nina didn't mean it—"
"Lucas," I said, cutting him off. "Three years together, does that mean anything to you?"
He froze.
"You lied to me about the company party. And you lied to me about bringing her home," I said.
"Vivian, I didn't lie to you," Lucas said.
"Three years," I said, meeting his eyes. "You spent three years chasing me, and we've been together for two. You promised me forever, promised you'd never let me down."
Lucas's face fell.
"I'm done," I said.
I grabbed the box and strode right past him.
"The keys are in the entryway. Tomorrow, I'll get the locks changed."
Lucas rushed to the doorway after me. "Vivian!"
I didn't look back.
As the elevator doors closed, I saw Lucas standing in the hallway, his face full of conflicting emotions.
But I didn't care anymore.