Chapter 3

At three in the morning, Adam's phone buzzed on the nightstand.

He jolted awake, grabbed his phone, and then quietly slipped out of bed to the balcony.

Adam's voice was low and urgent as he said, "Emily, don't make a scene. Not now. I know, but I need some time. Emily, you promised you'd try to understand me."

*****

The morning sunlight felt far too harsh the day after New Year's.

I sat at the vanity, carefully drawing on my eyeliner.

My hand stayed perfectly steady as I traced a clean, sharp wing.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My makeup looked polished and my expression remained calm, giving no sign that I had stayed awake the entire night.

Adam came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Up early getting all dressed up?"

"It's Sophie's party. I can't show up looking sloppy," I said.

I turned my head to avoid his kiss, pretending to focus on my lipstick. "What time do you have to head into work?"

"I need to be there by ten," he said as he glanced at his watch. "Want me to drop you off at the party?"

"No need. You should focus on your work." I snapped the lipstick shut with a crisp click. "I'm meeting Sophie for some shopping, so I'll head over from there."

Adam visibly relaxed.

I'd seen that look on his face countless times over the past six months.

Every time I said I didn't need him around, he'd look like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"I'll come pick you up tonight," he said as he turned toward the closet and started getting changed.

He picked out the light gray button-up shirt I had gifted him for his birthday last year.

I suddenly recalled an old social media post from Emily. She had shared a blurry side shot of a man at work with a caption about how focused men looked their best. The shirt in the photo was unmistakably the same one.

I had liked the post and left a comment saying the shirt suited him well.

Emily had replied with a simple smiling emoji and complimented my eye for style.

As I thought about it now, that harmless smile had been nothing but quiet mockery.

"Wearing this one?" I walked over, straightening his collar, my fingers barely brushing against his neck.

"Yes, I've got an important meeting today," he said, unable to meet my gaze.

"By the way," I brought up casually, "your phone kept buzzing last night. Was it anything urgent?"

Adam stiffened. "N-nothing. Just random sales calls."

"I see." I smiled softly. "Those salespeople are really dedicated, calling people at three in the morning."

His face went pale for a second. Then he cleared his throat to cover it up. "Probably some scammers. I turned on Do Not Disturb mode. They won't disturb your sleep again."

It was such a thoughtful gesture on the surface. He cared so much about my sleep that he would only hide his late-night conversations with another woman more carefully.

I nodded and turned to grab my bag. While I was bending down to put on my shoes by the entryway, Adam's keychain slipped out of his pocket once again.

The little trinket fell straight to the floor, and one of its ears broke clean off.

"Oops," I gasped as I bent down to pick it up, holding the loose plush ear in my palm. "You really should get a new one. It's practically in pieces."

Adam practically snatched the keychain out of my hand in a hurry. "I don't need a new one. I can sew it back together."

"You know how to sew?" I arched an eyebrow at him.

"I can figure it out." His knuckles turned white as he gripped the trinket tightly in his palm. "This was the first gift you gave me. It means a lot."

It did mean a lot, once. I'd stayed up countless nights during college days sewing this trinket by hand, pricking my fingers over and over again.

When I gave it to him the next day, his eyes had been glistening. He'd promised he would keep and cherish it forever.

Forever turned out to be surprisingly short. Only seven years, and everything had already worn down and broken apart.

"Well, if you want," I said, pulling the door open. "See you tonight."

"Claire," he called out suddenly.

I turned back.

Adam looked like he was about to say something, but in the end, he simply managed a strained smile. "Have fun."

The elevator doors slid shut slowly. I caught sight of him still standing in the doorway, his figure shrinking within the narrowing gap and carrying a strange sense of loneliness.

For a moment, I almost wanted to turn around and confront him.

I wanted to ask exactly when he had started lying to me, and whether he still remembered the future we had promised each other back when we could only afford instant pasta in our tiny rental apartment.

But the elevator started its downward descent before I could act on the thought.

I stepped out of the building once I reached the ground floor. I skipped my usual route toward the subway station and turned left instead, walking toward the neighboring apartment building.

The curtains of Unit 102 were drawn shut, but a men's shirt hung drying on the balcony. It was the navy blue shirt that Adam often wore.

I snapped a quick photo and kept walking.

I stopped by the coffee shop at the community entrance, ordered a cup of coffee, and sat down at a window seat.

At 8:40, Adam's car rolled out of the underground garage. In the passenger seat, a woman with long hair was fussing with her hair.

Even through the glass and from a distance, I could tell it was Emily.

She turned to Adam with a smile, her fingers brushing lightly over his shoulder.

The motion looked like nothing more than brushing off non-existent lint.

Adam smiled back at her with a relaxed, unguarded expression, one I hadn't seen on his face for a very long time.

The car turned right at the intersection and disappeared from sight. I finished the last of my coffee. Its harsh bitterness lingered thick on my tongue, sharp enough to numb my senses.