Chapter 1
It was my fourth year abroad with Leon Spencer, who was pursuing further studies, when chaos suddenly erupted in Eastland. Everyone was rushing to get home.
That was when I realized my passport was missing.
And Leon was gone, too.
While I was fighting for my life in chaos overseas, Leon was already back home, safe and sound, with Cara Young, his junior schoolmate.
Scrolling through my feed, I saw a post from Cara: a side profile of Leon.
The caption, which felt like a slap in my face, read, [The world's a mess, but at least I've got you.]
After I barely escaped with my life, I asked for a divorce. Leon was thrown into a panic.
*****
Hearing the busy signal on the phone again, I felt all the strength drain from me as my arm dropped weakly to my side.
Downstairs, the chaos was starting up again.
Gunshots, screams, and sirens crashed together, making me panic.
I rushed back to my room, helpless, but then, glass shattered in the living room.
A stray bullet tore through the living room window.
I had no idea when this madness would end, so I just curled up, pulled the covers over my head, and tried not to listen.
Most of the others from my country had already gone back home, getting far away from all this chaos.
But I was stuck here. I'd lost my passport, so I couldn't even buy a ticket out.
Leon and I always kept our passports together.
But he left so suddenly. When I woke up, nobody was on the spot next to me.
When I called him again, all I got was a busy signal.
When I finally got a reply, he just gave me some half-hearted excuse about having urgent business.
If Cara hadn't posted that story on her feed, I might've actually believed Leon had a real emergency and just forgot to bring me along.
I texted Leon, telling him he'd left with my passport, and now I was stuck here, unable to go home. But he still hadn't replied.
There was barely any food left in the fridge, and the mess downstairs was still raging on.
I couldn't just sit here and starve in a foreign country, so I figured I'd wait for things to quiet down before heading out to the grocery store to grab some supplies.
But then it hit me. Leon had taken all the cash with him when he went back home.
Not having any money wasn't just about missing a few meals. The rent deadline was coming up fast, and I had no way to pay it.
My hands were shaking as I kept calling Leon over and over, until my phone had only 2% battery left.
Finally, he replied: [In the middle of surgery. Handle it yourself.]
But Cara's latest story had Leon partying with her and the gang.
So, he wasn't in surgery at all.
Since I couldn't pay the rent, the landlord snatched the keys back and threw me out without a second thought.
With no other options, I dragged my suitcase onto the street and crashed on the sidewalk for the night.
My phone ran out of battery and shut off, so I was totally disconnected from the world.
Thinking about all the news lately, I kept praying I wouldn't run into any of those violent mobs.
But luck wasn't on my side.
A gunshot jolted me awake. There was a full-blown shootout happening right where I was hiding.
Gunfire echoed nonstop.
Shaking like a leaf, I huddled in the corner, terrified.
Suddenly, a bullet shot right through my shoulder.
It wasn't until I saw blood pouring out that it finally hit me that I'd been shot.
Even when I tried to stop the bleeding, it just kept leaking through my fingers. I was just 25. I didn't want my life to end here, so far from home.
I screamed for help, but nobody heard me.
And then, everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of hospital disinfectant filled my nose.
A lady from back home, who owned a restaurant, found me and took me to the hospital.
With the crazy hospital bills here, I had no clue how I could ever repay her.
She was a stranger, but she gave me more kindness than anyone else since I ended up stranded here.
"Ms., please give me your contact info. I really need to pay you back," I said.
"Money's not a big deal. But sweetheart, why haven't you gone back home yet?" she asked.
"I... I lost my passport. I can't go back now," I stammered.
Once she understood what I was going through, she actually took me to the embassy to get a new passport, and then bought me a plane ticket so I could finally go home.
As soon as the plane landed, I took a deep breath.
Finally, I didn't have to be on edge anymore.
That feeling of barely making it out alive overwhelmed me, and I couldn't help but tear up.
After saying goodbye to that kind lady, I stared at Leon's message 20 hours ago on my phone.
He let me hang tight for a few more days, and he'd get someone to help me go back home.
I smirked to myself, didn't bother reaching out to Leon, and just grabbed a cab to head home alone.
He'd never show up to pick me up anyway, even if I called.
If I did call, he'd just tell me to wait or deal with it on my own.
Sometimes I really had to ask myself, what was the point of being married to him?
By the time I got home, I was dead tired. I just crashed onto my bed and was out like a light.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept this well.
Half-asleep, I was jolted awake by the sound of playful giggling coming from somewhere in the house.
Confused, I stepped out of my room and saw Leon and Cara.
They were sitting on the couch, looking pretty intimate as they watched something on the laptop sitting on the coffee table.
By the time I walked up behind them, they still hadn't noticed me.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
My sudden voice made Cara nearly jump out of her skin. She sprang off the couch and stared at me, totally freaked out. "Miranda, when did you get back? Why didn't you give us a heads up?"
Did she say "us?"
It looked like, while I was not around, they used the whole "same group" excuse to get cozy. Clearly, they weren't just hanging out for the sake of friendship.
"So why are you in my house?" I asked Cara, but my gaze was fixed on Leon the whole time.
"She just got back and didn't have anywhere to stay, so I let her crash here," Leon said.
"Oh, Mr. Spencer, aren't you just the picture of thoughtfulness?" I said, my voice thick with sarcasm.