Chapter 3
Chapter 2
I opened the lunchbox.
The soup was thick, and there were two small plates of sides next to it.
One was pickled cucumber, the other was salad. They were the way he liked them.
I smiled and asked, "You had a stomachache, but you still stayed up late last night to make soup?"
Her lashes fluttered.
"Couldn't sleep, so I whipped up some soup," she said.
I nodded.
"That's really thoughtful of you," I said.
She let out a sigh of relief.
The next second, I pushed the lunchbox in front of him.
"Go on, dig in. Don't let all her trouble last night go to waste. She spent the whole night worrying about your breakfast," I said.
His face darkened.
"I'm not hungry," he said.
Emily looked at him, her eyes immediately welling up with tears.
"Am I making things hard for you?" she asked.
He said, "No."
She spoke softly, "I wasn't trying to do anything special. I thought, since you spent so much time with me yesterday, I should at least thank you."
I leaned back in my chair.
"You have to show up to say thanks, mention your stomachache in the middle of the night, and never miss a chance to let everyone see how thoughtful you are," I said. The color drained from her face.
Michael finally snapped.
"That's enough," he said.
I looked at him.
"Did I say anything wrong?" I asked.
He said, "You've got her all wrong."
I burst out laughing.
"So, what kind of person do you think I mean?" I shot back.
He fell silent.
He couldn't bring himself to say those words out loud.
But then, Emily looked up.
Her eyes were filled with tears, her voice barely above a whisper, like she was scared to bother anyone.
"I know you don't like me.
"But honestly, nothing is going on between him and me.
"I never wanted to come between you two.
"I moved here, and my health isn't great. He knew me from before, so he's helped me out a couple times," she said.
I asked, "Only a couple times?"
She nodded.
I picked up my phone and opened my notes.
"Last Monday, 11:40 PM. He said he was going downstairs for some water, but when he came back, his jacket smelled like your place.
"Tuesday, your lamp broke. He spent an hour and a half fixing it for you.
"Wednesday, you said it was too noisy downstairs to sleep, so he walked with you around the community until midnight.
"Friday, you had a fever. He took half a day off work to take you to the hospital.
"Saturday, he claimed he was stuck at work, but his GPS showed he was parked outside your place for three hours," I finished.
With every sentence I spoke, her face turned a shade paler.
Michael said, "You were spying on me?"
I looked at him.
"If you can do it, why can't I know about it?" I shot back.
He closed his eyes.
"I was afraid you'd think something was up," he said.
"So, you chose to lie to me instead?"
He was left speechless.
Emily's tears finally fell.
"I'm sorry. This is all on me. Please, don't be mad at him," she whispered.
She turned to leave.
I called out to her.
"Wait a second," I said. She stopped.
I snapped the lid shut on the lunchbox and shoved it back into her hands.
"Take your soup with you," I said.
"And next time your stomach hurts, call an ambulance. If your lamp breaks, call property management. If you can't sleep, go see a doctor.
"My husband isn't your cure-all," I said.
She stood at the door, tears still clinging to her cheeks.
But Michael was the first to lose his cool.
"Do you have to be so harsh?" he snapped.
I looked at him.
"Too harsh for you? Does it sting?" I shot back.
He didn't answer.
I walked over to the door and pressed the elevator button for Emily.
As the elevator doors slid open, she suddenly turned back to look at him.
"I'm really okay, don't worry about me.
"Please don't let me be the reason you fight with your wife," she said.
Her words drifted by, barely leaving a mark.
But the guilt in his eyes was instant.
I saw it.
Right then, I knew this wasn't going to end with a box of soup.
What men fear most wasn't when a woman threw a fit.
It was when the other woman stayed quiet.
When she made a fuss, it was like she was asking for something.
But when she didn't, it was like he owed her for life.