‘Irwin, I don’t owe you anything. As for what you owe me—forget it.’
By the time Irwin got home, Sue had already collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.
The entire house was a mess. For a moment, Irwin thought they’d been robbed and was about to call the cops when Mavy’s name flashed on his screen.
“Dude, I think I fucked up.”
“You mean you got drunk last night, grabbed some random stranger, and spilled everything about what happened five years ago?”
“Y-Yeah… I-It was a blind spot for the security cameras. I-I- have no idea who that shit was!” Mavy sounded panicked.
If this got out, both of them were screwed.
Irwin frowned. “Check who was at the bar last night.”
“Will do, but the security system’s been down for repairs lately. No guarantees we’ll find anything.
“Irwin, we need to be prepared for the worst.”
Irwin cursed under his breath and threw his phone aside. A strange sense of unease settled in his chest.
The person in his arms stirred like she was having a bad dream.
“M-Mom… don’t…”
Sue jolted awake, tears pooling in her eyes. She stared at Irwin in a daze, only snapping back to reality when she felt the warmth of his body. Her expression immediately turned cold.
Her mom… She looked so tormented in the dream, her cries so gut-wrenching…
“Miss her?”
Irwin gazed at her with concern, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her eye.
Sue glanced at the calendar on the wall.
Two more days.
Just two more days, and she’d be free of this place.
But before that…
“Can you come with me to visit my mom’s grave?” she suddenly asked.
“Of course, but you need to take care of yourself first. Otherwise, she won’t be able to rest easy up there.”
Irwin then turned to head to the kitchen to make her breakfast.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Ava barged in, dragging a suitcase behind her.
“Irwin! Sue! My ex-husband’s been harassing me again! Can I crash at your place for a few days?”
She kicked off her shoes, shrugged off her coat, and made herself comfortable on the couch like she owned the place.
The next second, she caught a whiff of something delicious from the kitchen, her eyes lighting up as she rushed over.
“Irwin! This smells amazing! Ugh, Sue, I’m so jealous. You’re so lucky to have such a great husband.
“Not like my ex—fucking deadbeat loser.”
She whined about her ex, laughing and joking with Irwin as they fed each other bites of breakfast.
Standing at the top of the stairs, Sue watched them for a long moment.
And suddenly, she felt… out of place.
She turned around, locked herself in her room, and forced herself to focus on dry legal texts.
It was one of her ways to cope.
She got so lost in it that she didn’t realize how hungry she was until her stomach started aching.
She headed downstairs to eat—only to find that Irwin and Ava had already left.
The only thing left on the dining table was a bowl of cold soup and some half-eaten pastries.
But the chair was still warm.
Sue turned on the dash cam.
The screen filled with scenes so disgusting she almost laughed. Right outside their house, right under her nose.
“Do you fuck Sue this hard too?” Ava gasped, flushed.
Irwin panted. “She’s not half as fun as you in bed.”
Sue took a slow, deep breath and shut the dash cam off, her face expressionless.
She dumped the dirty dishes into the trash, made herself a quick bowl of instant baked mac, and headed back upstairs to pack.
Not that there was much to pack—just a few clothes and stacks of thick books.
