Chapter 3

Katelyn had almost finished packing up the bedroom, but there were still a few odds and ends left in the living room.

She spotted a tiny snack bag lying in the corner.

As she bent down to pick it up, her tears started falling before she even realized it.

Ever since she came to this world, Katelyn hadn't had any snacks in ages, even though she was a total snack lover.

Back when she was with Michael, there were always snacks around.

She remembered one time when Michael suddenly got all playful and told her he'd picked up a new "job title".

Katelyn shot him a teasing look. "What, did you get promoted or something?"

Michael just grinned, looking all mysterious. "Wait till we get home. I've got a surprise for you."

Katelyn couldn't stop bugging him the whole way back, but Michael just kept laughing and saying, "It's top secret!"

When they got home, Michael told Katelyn, "Close your eyes and wait right here."

When she opened her eyes, he was beaming with excitement, showing off a little cart behind him.

Michael grinned, "From now on, I'm your personal snack supplier."

Katelyn's eyes sparkled as she saw the cart overflowing with snacks. She couldn't help but cheer, then shot Michael a mischievous grin and started giving him playful orders.

"You're required to restock the cart every week. And if there are any new treats, I'd better be the first to try them!"

"Roger that, my queen," Michael replied, giving her a dramatic salute.

Michael laughed and ruffled her hair affectionately.

Back then, Katelyn always wore a blissful smile. Michael would never let her cry.

But here, even though Ethan was Michael's double, he absolutely hated snacks.

Whenever he caught her snacking, he'd always pull a face like he was totally grossed out.

"How can you eat this junk food?" Ethan wrinkled his nose, looking totally grossed out.

"They're super tasty. Come on, just try one," Katelyn coaxed, waving the snack at him.

She tried to feed Ethan a snack, but he slapped her hand away, knocking it to the floor.

"I don't eat snacks. They smell terrible," Ethan replied flatly.

Katelyn froze for a second, then absently picked up the snack and nibbled on it, muttering, "Back then, you never complained about snacks."

Ethan didn't catch what she said, but when he saw her actually eating something off the floor, he looked furious. By the time he reached her, she'd already taken a bite.

He grabbed Katelyn by the arm, his gaze fixed on her lips like he couldn't believe what she'd just done, his voice harsh.

"What's wrong with you? Don't eat things off the floor. That's filthy," Ethan snapped.

Katelyn looked at Ethan, and for a moment, it was like she was seeing Michael standing there instead. Her hand shook as she offered him the snack, her voice breaking with a desperate plea.

"You really won't even try it? It's actually really good," she whispered.

Ethan couldn't take her stubbornness anymore and stormed off without another word.

After that, Katelyn stopped buying snacks altogether.

She hadn't had a single bite in ages.

When Ethan realized the house was snack-free, he was pretty satisfied with how obedient Katelyn had become. He even complimented her for making progress.

But he never noticed how Katelyn spoke less and less, and her smile slowly disappeared.

The difference between being loved and not loved couldn't be clearer.

Now that she was about to check out for good, she was going to binge on snacks.

Katelyn went on a full-blown revenge snack spree, loading up on every treat she could find, and couldn't care less what Ethan would think when he walked in.

Once everything was packed up, Ethan came home from work.

As soon as he walked in, he noticed the place was practically empty. His face darkened, and he demanded, "Why is it so bare all of a sudden? Where did everything go?"

"I just threw out all the stuff we didn't need," Katelyn said flatly.

She stuffed her mouth with snacks, not even glancing Ethan's way.

Ethan looked like he wanted to say something, but when he saw Katelyn snacking again, his brows furrowed and he sounded clearly annoyed.

"Didn't I tell you to stop eating that stuff? Junk food reeks, and it's bad for you," Ethan said, his voice full of irritation.

As he spoke, he came over and tried to grab the snack right out of her hand.

This time, Katelyn didn't just give in. She wrapped both hands around her snacks.

"I'm about to kick the bucket anyway. I'll eat whatever I want," Katelyn said.

Ethan's expression shifted in a flash, shock written all over his face.

"What do you mean?" Ethan blurted out, his voice tight with disbelief.

Katelyn waved him off, sounding totally indifferent. "We all gotta go sometime. Does it really matter if it's early or late?"