Frederick seemed to realize he'd gone too far. Something uneasy flickered behind his eyes.
“If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for stealing Victoria Cox's place. You made her suffer for six years. This is your punishment.”
“Everything you're doing right now is penance. You know that, right?”
Penance?
If I hadn't overheard that conversation, I would have believed him. I would have carried the guilt, convinced he was right, that some stranger had hijacked his body and forced him into a life with me against his will.
But now I knew the truth, and all I felt was how absurd it was.
The fever had drained every ounce of strength from my body. I braced one hand against the wall and forced myself upright.
“Frederick, what exactly am I supposed to be atoning for?”
“None of this had anything to do with me. I had a husband who loved me. Then one day I woke up and he told me everything before that wasn't really him, that someone else had been controlling his body.”
“But what did I do wrong? I woke up and the man I loved was gone, and all that was left was your cruelty.”
He went rigid for a second. He hadn't expected me to push back. Not me, the woman who had taken every blow without a word.
Guilt surfaced in his eyes, then vanished just as quickly, replaced by that familiar cold mask.
“How do I know you two weren't in on it together? Putting on this innocent act to get my sympathy.”
“Remember, Victoria wants dinner in two hours. Make sure it's ready.”
I looked at him, my face completely blank. “I'm not making anything. The Frederick who loved me is gone, and you already pushed through the divorce. There's no reason for me to stay. I'm leaving, and after today, we never see each other again.”
It was true. The day after he'd told me that story, he had dragged me to sign the papers.
Panic crossed his face for just a moment before he seized my wrist, his voice dripping with mockery. “Is this some kind of game? Playing hard to get? I put you through hell and you never left. Now you suddenly want to walk away? Nobody's buying that.”
I didn't respond. I started gathering a few pieces of clothing, the bare essentials. Then I spotted the bottle of vitamins I'd been taking every day. I picked it up and looked at him, my voice quiet and sharp. “Frederick, are these really vitamins?”
He stiffened. Then, in a flash of anger, he knocked the bottle out of my hand. “The person living with you before wasn't me. How would I know what's in there?”
I laughed bitterly to myself. Of course. He would never admit it. Not now.
“But everything you have in this house came from me. I supported you for six years. If you really want to leave, cook one last meal. Then you can go.”
“Fine.”
I didn't stay to watch the shock settle across his face. I walked straight to the kitchen and started preparing dinner.
In the living room, Frederick was watching a movie with Victoria.
It was 《Flipped》. My favorite.
The night Frederick came running through the rain to tell me he wanted to be with me, I'd been at home watching that exact film.
That night, he wanted me like a man possessed.
Later I found out Victoria had left that very same day. But I refused to think too hard about it. I told myself time would fix everything.
I was still lost in the memory when Frederick walked over and slammed the kitchen's glass door shut.
“The cooking smell is drifting into the living room. Victoria feels sick. Don't open this door until the food is done.”
It was over ninety degrees outside. The kitchen had no air conditioning. The heat pressed in like a steam room, and with the fever still burning through me, the sealed air was suffocating.
“It's boiling in here. Can I at least crack the door open? Just a sliver, so I can breathe.”
Frederick locked the glass door from the outside.
“Open a window if you're hot. Stop being dramatic.”
The air coming through the window was just more heat. By the time I finished cooking every dish, my head was swimming and my legs could barely hold me up.
Victoria blinked her wide eyes and offered to help me carry the plates out. Then she picked up the kitchen knife and slashed it across her own wrist.
