Chapter 2

I had no right to reject Ashtyn's request.

The next day, David sent me a file on WhatsApp.

When I opened it, it was a document titled "Ashtyn's Daily Care Instructions."

The file was massive. It was ninety-nine pages long.

Skimming through it, I saw it was incredibly detailed and organized.

The first twenty pages were a list of Ashtyn's allergies, along with everything she liked and disliked.

It was very detailed. It stated that Ashtyn could not have peppercorns. If she was having lamb soup, it had to be cooked with white radish.

I flipped through the pages, my eyes reflecting the dense text.

From page twenty-one on, it was all about the little things to keep in mind in Ashtyn's daily life.

It listed her favorite colors for towels and bedsheets, and what kind of plants and decorations she liked in her bedroom.

It noted which snack brands she loved and which drinks she refused to touch.

It even marked her period dates and listed her favorite brands of tampons.

It listed day tampons, night tampons, panty liners, and overnight panties.

David even knew about all this.

Maybe it was the sheer amount of text, or maybe I'd been staring at it for too long, but my temples were throbbing, and my head felt like it was about to explode.

I started reading it in the afternoon. Then, the sky slowly darkened, and evening arrived.

The door unlocked, and David came in, flipping on the lights.

He saw me sitting at the computer and gave a satisfied nod.

"Make sure you memorize it right away," David said.

With those words, he went off to take a shower without another word.

The sound of water splashing behind the frosted glass door was like a giant bell, echoing through the gloom and breaking up the suffocating silence around me.

*****

David got takeout delivered.

The table was covered with an epic seafood spread.

I was so overwhelmed, I nearly burst into tears.

He blamed me right in front of Ashtyn.

But when it was the two of us, he tried to comfort me in his own way.

Deep down, I was still the one he cared about most.

All the stress from the past two days melted away. I dug in, my heart light and full of joy.

David didn't touch the food. He sat there watching me eat.

When I was nearly finished, he finally spoke.

"From now on, no more seafood in the house," he said.

I was eating a cheesy lobster when I heard him, and my hand froze mid-bite.

David explained, "Ashtyn's allergic."

like that, he took away my right to enjoy seafood.

All the food suddenly lost its appeal, and I looked at him with disappointment.

"So, because Ashtyn can't eat seafood, I can't either?" I asked.

David replied, "You can still eat seafood when you go out."

He paused, then said softly, "I'll go with you."

Back then, he used to say something different.

I still remembered my first month at work, I blew a third of my paycheck on seafood.

I ordered steamed, BBQ-flavored, and garlic-flavored seafood. The whole table was packed.

David watched me with a smile, sometimes reaching over to wipe my mouth.

"You love seafood so much?" David asked.

"Yeah, a bit less than I love you," I replied.

He laughed, then promised, "I'll get you seafood every day and whip up a feast for you."

I believed him, and I was over the moon.

For ten years, he kept his promise, letting me eat seafood whenever I wanted.

But now, because of Ashtyn, he crushed my love for seafood in an instant.

He saw right through my hurt and reminded me, "Lacey, we owe this to Ashtyn."

*****

David and Ashtyn grew up together. They were practically childhood sweethearts.

Their families were old friends and used to joke about marrying them.

David never cared about it, but Ashtyn took it seriously. She always saw herself as David's wife.

Everything changed when I came into David's world in high school.

It was like he was under a spell. After that, he only cared about me.

Ashtyn made a scene with David, then rallied her friends to gang up on me. She hated me so much that she practically wished I were dead.

After I got locked in the girls' bathroom for a whole day, David, who rarely lost his cool, snapped and cut ties with Ashtyn for good.

Ashtyn, who'd always been the pampered princess, was so desperate that she tried to end her life by slitting her wrists.

She was saved, but the old wounds never healed, and her health was never the same again.

From that moment on, David started carrying a heavy sense of guilt.

He always said we both let Ashtyn down.

After the suicide attempt, Ashtyn finally toned down her attitude.

She apologized to me, saying she shouldn't have made the other girls freeze me out or pushed those bullies to corner me.

She even promised she'd treat David like a big brother and me like his wife from then on.

Her eyes were so clear, and her voice was so sincere. With David backing her up, I actually believed her.

From then on, she forcefully inserted herself between us, taking on the role of David's little sister.

She acted all chill and carefree, but whenever David and I got a little too close, I could still catch that hurt look in her eyes.

But as soon as David glanced over, she'd crack a joke about not wanting to play the third wheel, act all cool, and then head out quietly.