Chapter 4
I stayed at my parents' place for two days.
I didn't mention a thing.
Just ate meals with them and took walks.
On the third day, my parents drove me to the airport.
At the international departures.
"Take care of yourself over there," my mom reminded me.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Don't skimp on yourself. If the company's giving you a stipend, use it," my dad said.
"Got it," I said.
I hugged them.
Then I turned and walked through security.
I never looked back.
*****
Five hours later, the plane touched down.
I stepped out into Sylvaria Airport.
The air hit me, hot, humid, and full of that lush, green smell.
The company put me up in an apartment downtown.
A clean, bright one-bedroom place.
City lights glittered beyond the huge windows.
I opened my suitcase.
I started settling in, putting my stuff away piece by piece.
For the first time in forever, I actually felt free.
Meanwhile, two thousand miles away, back at the house.
Someone slid a courier envelope under the door.
David wrapped up his game and headed to the kitchen for some water.
He stepped right on the envelope.
He bent down and picked it up.
He recognized my handwriting on the front.
He frowned.
He tore it open.
A set of keys tumbled out.
And a SIM card.
His first reaction wasn't panic.
He was just annoyed.
"What the hell is this?" he grumbled.
He pulled out his phone and dialed my number.
"The number you have dialed is no longer in service."
That was the cold, robotic voice from the system.
He started to get pissed.
He figured I was just being dramatic.
He called Linda. "Mom, Emily's lost it. She sent back the house key and her SIM card. She literally mailed them back."
Linda scoffed on the other end.
"She's just throwing a tantrum.
"Women are like that. Give her a couple days, she'll be fine.
"Just ignore her. Let her cool off for a bit and she'll get bored and come around.
"When she gets back from her business trip, she'll show up all apologetic."
David thought that made sense.
He hung up.
He just tossed the keys and SIM card onto the coffee table.
He turned the TV back on and kept watching his game.
At night, he wanted to watch a movie that had just come out.
He opened up the video app.
The app asked him to log in.
He typed in our shared account and password.
The password was my birthday.
The system replied: [Incorrect password.]
He tried again.
No luck.
Then it hit him: the account was tied to my phone number.
And now, that number was gone.
A wave of frustration washed over him, one he couldn't even explain.
Even something this small was enough to mess with the routine he'd always taken for granted.
He had no idea that this was just the first crack in his perfect little world.