I liked the post. Then I screenshotted it, along with every other post she had made in the last month.
With them gone, I got to work. I packed up my life, shipping the essentials to Singapore and donating the rest. I took down our wedding photos, shredded our pictures, and cleared out any trace that I had ever lived in that house.
In his closet, I left a small box. Inside was the signed divorce agreement, the receipt from my abortion, and printouts of all of Lily’s social media posts.
As I was leaving the building, he called. His voice was soft, laced with a hint of guilt.
“Hey. I’ll be back tomorrow. Have you missed me? I got you a present. You’re going to love it.”
I loaded my suitcase into the waiting car. “I got you a present, too,” I said. “It’s in your closet.”
He started rambling about prenatal vitamins. I hung up, snapped my SIM card in half, and dropped it in a trash can.
As the plane took off, I said goodbye to the life that had almost killed me.
Рап 2
Part 2
Chapter 2: The Aftermath
Michael sped toward home, a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest. In
passenger seat, Lily was whining.
the
“Michael, why can’t I just stay at the house? It would be so much easier for you to take care of me and the baby.”
He didn’t answer. He’d already rented her a two–bedroom apartment in the same complex. For the last week, an inexplicable sense of dread had been growing inside him. Anna had been different. Distant. It felt like something vital was slipping through his fingers.
Lily’s constant neediness, which he had once found endearing, was now grating on his nerves. Anna was so independent. He’d always found that both frustrating and attractive. Now, all he wanted was for her to need
him.
He dropped Lily and her bags at the new apartment and turned to leave.
“Michael, wait,” she pleaded, her eyes welling up. “I’m scared to be alone. Just stay for a little while.” She pressed her body against his back. “I bought that new lingerie you like… the kind you can wear in the shower…”
He was tired. He was stressed. He stayed.
For 2
Two hours later, a jolt of panic shot through him. Anna. He had to get home to Anna.
“What’s the rush?” Lily pouted as he threw on his clothes. “Tired of me already?”
“This was a mistake,” he muttered, his mind racing. He had to fix things with Anna. Lily was a diversion, an ego boost. Anna was his wife. His foundation. He had been a fool, taking her love for granted, treating her so cruelly But she was easy to please. A few sweet words, a nice gift, and she always came around.
He was going to be a father. Their family of three. That was all that mattered. As for Lily and her baby… he’d offer her a generous settlement to disappear.
He ran into the house, calling her name. “Honey, I’m home! I missed you!”
Silence.
The dread returned, cold and suffocating. He searched every room. She was gone. Her clothes, her books, her scent… all of it, erased.
