Chương 3 - Người Đàn Ông Đến Từ Singapore

I cried because every lonely moment of the last five had suddenly changed meaning.

He hadn’t been unable to come .

He had been somewhere else by choice.

The day Lily died.

My fever.

My ER visit.

My thirty-first birthday.

Christmas.

The funeral my aunt.

Every time he said, I wish I could be there.

He could have.

He just wasn’t.

The first thing I did when I reached my apartment call the locksmith.

The lease .

I had moved there after ’s supposed overseas assignment because it closer to my new school.

He had key.

By eight night, he didn’t.

At ten, someone started pounding the .

“.”

I sat the couch stared at it.

“Open the .”

“.”

“We need to talk.”

“, we don’t.”

“Please.”

“You’ve had five to talk.”

“Things are not what you think.”

I almost smiled.

“ sentence should be printed your tombstone.”

He lowered voice.

“Tessa doesn’t know everything.”

“Neither did I.”

“I never stopped caring about you.”

I got up walked closer to the .

There chain, deadbolt, brand-new lock between us.

“ answer one question.”

“Anything.”

“If I told you right now you had to choose, which house would you go to?”

Silence.

I waited.

Ten seconds.

Twenty.

Thirty.

I closed my eyes.

“Go , .”

“.”

“’s waiting.”

“You’re my wife.”

I at the .

“ why can’t you answer?”

He stayed outside another fifteen minutes.

he left.

I developed fever night.

Nothing dramatic.

Stress.

Rain.

sleep.

I called out of work three days.

the fourth morning, I walked into school knew something wrong before anybody spoke to .

Two teachers stopped talking when I passed.

Our manager at , quickly down.

Principal appeared outside her .

“.”

Her voice careful.

“Can you come in?”

Tessa sitting inside.

Her eyes were swollen.

Her stood beside her.

I barely had time to process before Tessa’s crossed the room slapped .

My head snapped sideways.

second, nobody moved.

Principal shouted, “Ma’am!”

The manager called security.

Tessa’s pointed at .

“You stay away from my daughter’s husband!”

My cheek burned.

People were already gathering outside the .

Tessa stood.

“Mom, stop.”

“You should have told !”

“I just found out.”

Tessa at .

Her face devastated.

After the visit, had followed when he left their house.

saw come to my apartment.

had watched stand outside my nearly an hour.

had told her I an ex-girlfriend.

According to , I had never accepted the breakup.

, whenever my name appeared , he told her I “having another emotional episode.”

I almost admired again.

He had built two lies protected each other.

To , Tessa didn’t exist.

To Tessa, I the unstable ex who refused to disappear.

wiped her face.

“Noah loves you.”

I said nothing.

“He talks about you every day.”

“Tessa—”

“How could you do this?”

I stared at her.

“What exactly do you think I did?”

“You knew he married.”

“.”

“You had at your apartment.”

“He came there.”

“You let stay with you .”

“He my husband.”

Tessa’s entire body stiffened.

Her laughed harshly.

“What?”

I pulled out my .

I had photographed our marriage ago an insurance form.

Price.

Morgan.

Marriage date.

County seal.

number.

I held it out.

“We have been married five .”

Tessa stared at the screen.

started shaking her head.

“.”

Her voice small.

“. ’s not possible.”

grabbed her own .

Her hands trembled so badly entered the passcode wrong twice.

opened photo.

Another marriage .

Price.

Tessa Walker Price.

Same county.

Different date.

Seven days after Lily died.

The room went silent.

Principal between us.

“This not something we can resolve at school.”

Tessa whispered, “ real.”

“So .”

“.”

at with genuine panic.

“ real.”

Someone appeared in the doorway behind the security officer.

.

tie crooked.

He like he had driven too fast.

“Tessa.”

spun toward .

“Tell her.”

stopped.

“Tell her real.”

He at .

at Tessa.

Principal said, “Mr. Price, I need you to understand this situation now disrupting school operations.”

Tessa thrust her toward .

“ says ’s married to you.”

closed eyes.

“Tessa—”

“Tell her.”

I held up my .

“Tell everyone.”

face crumpled in way I had never seen before.

he at .

“I’m sorry, .”

My chest tightened.

“What?”

“Your isn’t real.”

I heard the words.