Chapter 2
On January 6, 2021, Dear, I had been so busy with extra work lately that I had neglected you.
I was sorry about that.
I was going to ramble again today.
Any ideas on how I could hit it big?
What did you think about me spending 5 bucks a day on a lottery ticket?
Dinner on set was 5 bucks, so if I skipped it, that was 5 bucks saved right there.
What if I actually won the jackpot?
Dear, I didn't want to keep fantasizing about hitting the jackpot.
But honestly, I was really short on cash.
Still, I couldn't hit Logan up for money; he got enough on his plate as it is.
He was filming night scenes every single night.
And whenever he had a free moment during the day, he was taking on editing gigs just to make some extra cash.
Even though he was completely worn out, he always pretended everything was fine and said to me, "I'm not tired at all."
It just broke my heart.
Alright, I would just have to handle it myself.
Here was a pic of Logan looking absolutely gorgeous while he sleeps.
Whenever I felt like life had nothing left for me, I just looked at this, and it made everything feel a little better.
The host suddenly paused. "Logan, I gotta ask. Did you know Aria was this broke back then?"
Logan shook his head. "I was her husband back then, right? If she was struggling and kept it from me, it must've been something she couldn't bring herself to talk about.
"No wonder she got mixed up in all that sketchy stuff later. For money, she really would do anything."
The host let out a sigh and kept reading.
On January 10, 2021, Dear, my best friend was gone.
We grew up together at the orphanage for more than ten years.
Just like that, she was gone from my life.
All because we couldn't come up with 15 thousand.
I told her I'd figure something out. I asked her to hang in there a bit longer.
Even if I had to hustle as a delivery driver, I'd do whatever it took to get her treated.
But while I was out hustling for cash, she pulled out her oxygen tube and left behind nothing but a voice recording.
She said, "Aria, we were abandoned when we were little, and most of us never had much luck with our health. Honestly, making it to 25 feels like a win to me.
"Aria, don't be sad for me. Maybe when I get to heaven, I'll finally see the parents who ditched me. I'm gonna settle the score with them."
She added, "You and Logan, take care of each other, okay? And don't forget those regular check-ups. People like us, we just can't afford to get sick."
I cried my heart out, feeling like I was dying inside.
We were just a little short. If she'd held on a bit longer, maybe I could've scraped the money together.
Dear, why was life so damn unfair?
While I was working as an extra today, I overheard that the sponsor gave the lead actress several designer bags, each worth 15 thousand.
Just one of those bags could've saved my friend's life.
I just remembered something as I was writing this.
When I was a kid at the orphanage, I had another friend.
Her name was Abigail Martin. It was such a beautiful name.
She had a round face, and when she smiled, her eyes would curve up like pretty little crescents.
Compared to the rest of us, she was just bursting with life.
She just stood out too much at the orphanage, so dazzling that when she turned eight, a rich family came and adopted her.
When it was time to say goodbye, honestly, I was really happy for her.
But a year later, she ended up back at the orphanage.
She'd lost a ton of weight, and she never smiled anymore.
But the worst part was that she couldn't speak at all.
She wrote it down for me; she'd been through things no one should ever have to endure that year.
Her adoptive parents were so scared she'd let the truth slip that they actually cut out her tongue.
I ran to the director, hoping for help, but he beat me half to death.
He took the money from that family and just swept everything under the rug.
Not long after, Abigail ended up taking her own life.
And now, this friend passed away because of illness, too.
It seemed like there were barely any kids left at the orphanage now.
Dear, I really wanted to talk to Logan about all this.
But when I saw his tired eyes with that gentle smile, it just made me hold it all back.
Oh well, maybe when life got a little easier, I would tell him everything.
No need to make him feel worse.
Goodnight, Dear.
Fingers crossed, I would wake up to some news about that audition tomorrow.
The host's voice was shaking as she read it out loud.
[Turns out she needed the money for her friend.]
[Seriously, what kind of orphanage is this? Someone should investigate.]
[Seems like she's just trying to clear her name, but honestly, Aria's super jealous. Why else would she care so much about a 15-thousand-dollar bag?]
The host let out a sigh and turned to Logan. "Logan, did you know your wife needed 15 thousand back then?"
"You guys were both 25 at the time, right? Are you saying you really didn't have 15 thousand in savings?" she added.
Logan's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, but no words came out at first.
He finally said, "By 2020, we'd saved up 30 thousand together. I promised her I'd buy her a ruby bracelet."
He added, "But then, at the end of the year, my mom got really sick. We ended up spending every last cent we had on her treatment."
"After that, she never brought it up again, and I never got around to buying it." Logan lowered his gaze, his voice growing softer and softer.
The comments were flying in.
[So Aria spent everything she had on his mother's treatment and was left with nothing?]
[What are you even saying? Once you're married, you're family. If she'd had that ruby bracelet, maybe they could've scraped together enough money.]
But Logan didn't tell the whole story.
Logan's mom had health insurance, and most of the medical bills got covered.
But when the money came in, I didn't see a single cent of it.
When my friend got seriously ill, after thinking it over again and again, I finally talked to his mother about it.
I asked if I could borrow some money, but she just tore into me. "Marrying you, a deadweight, is the biggest favor I've ever done for you. And you dare ask me for money? You're just an orphan. No one's ever going to stand up for you."
I just stood there, frozen, my ears ringing.
The woman who swore she'd treat me like her own daughter at the wedding was now looking at me like I was dirt beneath her feet.
When Logan and I got married, we didn't have a big wedding, just a small gathering with close friends and family.
I didn't get any jewelry, no bride price, and in the end, I didn't even get any respect.
It wasn't until later that I realized that once a woman married into a family, everyone's true colors come out, especially for someone like me, with no one to stand up for me.
The grievances I never wrote in my diary were far more than Logan could ever know.