Chapter 6
I pulled out my phone and opened the apartment complex group chat. Then, I took a clear photo of the apology letter with May's signature and handprint.
I sent the photo to the group chat. Then I put my phone on silent and tossed it aside.
I knew the group chat was about to blow up, but I didn't want to watch.
I didn't want to see all that fake neighborly concern, or those people acting all high and mighty, pointing fingers from their moral high ground.
I just wanted to savor this moment of peace and my victory.
I took out the bag of money, laid the bills out one by one on the bed, and counted them.
It was 2,500 dollars. That was almost 400 dollars more than what I'd lost.
May really spared no expense to get me to let this go.
I put the money away and locked it in the drawer, along with the apology letter.
These two things were the trophies of my victory in this battle.
Once everything was done, I finally picked up my phone again.
There were already over 100 unread messages in the group chat.
I opened the group chat. Sure enough, the chat was flooded with hundreds of messages.
The first dozen or so were all people wondering what was going on.
[What's this?]
[Ms. Dawson, did you send this by mistake?]
But as soon as someone zoomed in and recognized the handwriting, the mood in the group instantly changed.
[Wait, it's an apology letter?]
[May Gardner? Isn't that the lady from Apt. 1801?]
[She stole your package? Seriously?]
Soon enough, someone stepped in to try and smooth things over.
It was the building rep, a woman in her fifties. [Claire, maybe there's some kind of misunderstanding here.
[May's always been nice. She even helps me watch my grandson all the time.
[Posting her letter in the group like this is a bit harsh, don't you think?
[We're all neighbors, anyway. We bump into each other all the time around here.]
People immediately started chiming in.
[ Right, just let it slide if you can.]
[Mrs. Gardner is pretty old. She probably just got confused for a moment.]
[Claire, you're being way too serious about this.]
I sneered as I scrolled through their comments.
They were always like this. When it was not their problem, they could casually preach forgiveness and tell others to let it go.
If they were the ones who lost over two thousand dollars, or got cursed out right to their face by a thief, I'd like to see if they'd still talk big then.
Of course, there were people on my side, too. Most of them were young, just like me.
[Claire did the right thing.]
[How can stealing be justified?]
[That kind of person needs to be exposed.]
[Otherwise, she'll steal again.]
[Support Claire in defending her rights.]
The group chat was in chaos with two sides arguing. Neither could convince the other.
Just then, someone totally unexpected popped up in the chat.
It was May's son.
He sent a voice message to the group chat.
I tapped to play it. His voice was trembling with anger and tears. "Claire, you vicious bitch!
"My mom already gave you money and apologized. What else do you want?
"Is ruining my whole family the only way you'll be satisfied?
"Just wait. I'm not letting you get away with this!"
His sudden outburst was like dumping a bucket of ice water on a boiling pot. The group chat went dead silent.
No one expected the person at the center of all this to jump in himself.
A few seconds later, Mark appeared in the group chat.
He tagged me and sent a message. [Claire, stop making a scene. Just delete it already.]
Making a scene? So to him, defending my rights was just me making a scene?
As I stared at his words, I felt my heart turn cold, bit by bit.
I didn't reply. I didn't delete anything either. I just left the group chat.
Out of sight, out of mind.
*****
Mark didn't come back all afternoon.
He didn't even call.
I knew he was giving me the silent treatment, hoping I'd cave.
But he wouldn't succeed this time.
I was no longer the same Claire who used to back down just because he shut me out.
At 11 PM, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the door.
Mark was back.
He reeked of booze.
He stormed in and slammed his coat onto the sofa.
His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me. "Are you happy now?"
He forced the words out through clenched teeth. "Now everyone knows I've got a wife who's petty and always has to be right.
"I totally embarrassed myself in front of my friends today!"
I sat at the dining table, calmly sipping my water. "So your pride matters more than the two thousand dollars that was stolen from me?
"Is your pride more important than all the times I was humiliated?"
Mark was stunned by my questions, and then his anger flared up even more. "This isn't about the money. It's about basic decency!
"Can't you just let it go? Do you really have to make such a fuss over an old lady?
"What do you get from blowing this up like this?"
I set my glass down and got up, walking over to him.
I looked at his face, twisted by alcohol and anger. He suddenly looked like a stranger to me.
I said, "What I got? I got my money back. And the thief got exactly what she deserved.
"And most importantly, I finally feel satisfied. Is that reason enough for you?"
Mark's chest was heaving. He pointed at me, his hand trembling. "You... You're unbelievable!"
He was at a loss for words, just repeating the same thing over and over.
Finally, he seemed to make up his mind.
He took a deep breath and said the words I'd been waiting for. "Claire, I'm asking you one last time.
"Are you gonna apologize to May, let it go, and delete everything from the group chat?
"If you still want to stay with me, just do what I say."
I looked at him and suddenly laughed. "Mark, this isn't a question. It's a threat.
"Too bad. Threats? That's the last thing I'm scared of."
The smile faded from my lips, and my eyes turned cold. "My answer is still the same. I'm not doing it."
Mark's face suddenly turned ghostly pale.
He looked at me like I was someone he'd never met before.
After a long silence, he forced out each word. "Fine. Claire, you made this choice.
"Let's get a divorce."
With that, he slammed the door and stormed out.
The slam of the door rattled the whole apartment.
I stood there, unmoving. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.
But I didn't cry out.
I just quietly felt the heavy stone in my heart finally drop.
Finally, it was over.