Chapter 2

2.

I didn't answer the phone.

Once the ringing stopped, I blocked her number.

Suddenly, I felt entirely drained and had no desire to keep looking for Peanut.

I headed straight to the airport.

When someone truly decides to leave, it is always silent.

There was no grand plan, no predetermined destination.

The ticket agent asked me where I wanted to fly.

My parents had passed away early, and my grandparents were gone too. I had no family left in this world.

I had no one to turn to, so I told her, “Anywhere is fine. Please pick one for me.”

She ended up booking me a flight to Charleston, a coastal city just a short flight away.

Anywhere was fine with me, as long as it was a place without Nancy and Seth.

After boarding the plane, thoughts of Peanut crept back into my mind.

He was a golden shaded shorthair Nancy had brought home five years ago after a business trip.

Back then, she had teased, “Zach, all you do every day is read classic literature and practice ink calligraphy. Don't you ever get bored?”

“Here, I bought you a kitten to keep you company.”

I adored that cat back then, simply because she was the one who gave him to me.

Now the cat was gone, never to be found again.

Just like our marriage―it had reached a dead end, with no turning back.

When Nancy walked through the front door, she checked her phone and saw no missed calls.

She couldn't fathom what had happened the previous night to make the usually calm, dignified Zachary blow up her phone like that.

She had muted her phone because she was with Seth and found it inconvenient to answer.

She knew Zachary was easy to placate; a simple excuse about being busy would always satisfy him.

Yet she had returned his call that morning, and he still hadn't called back.

An unsettling emptiness settled in her chest as she stepped inside.

Normally, the kitchen lights would be warm, and Zachary would emerge carrying a bowl of hot soup to warm her up.

Peanut would usually run to the entryway to greet her, too.

Today, the kitchen was dark and empty.

Peanut was nowhere in sight.

She dialed Zachary again, but the line remained busy.

She turned to the housekeeper nearby and asked, “Where is Zachary?”

The housekeeper replied, “Mr. Cole went out in the rain last night looking for Peanut, and he hasn't returned all day.”

Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. He was just looking for the cat; that was fine.

A second later, confusion hit her: why had Peanut gone missing in the first place?

She had brought the cat home right after his vaccination yesterday.

She dialed Zachary once more, but the line was still busy.

Maybe he was busy teaching, she told herself.

He was a university professor, after all, and had to keep his phone silent during lectures.

Just then, notifications flooded her social media account.

Her post from the night before had gone viral, gathering thousands of likes.

Her expression softened, and she tapped in to admire the photo several times.

That was when she noticed Zachary had liked the post.

She didn't panic. He had always been generous and understanding; he never lost his temper.

If she told him she and Seth were just friends, he would believe her.

That was the excuse she had used for years.

Putting it out of her mind, she went to the bedroom to shower and rest.

Yet sleep eluded her. Usually, Zachary would light a soothing lavender candle for her.

Then he would sit quietly beside her with a book, keeping her company until she drifted off.

His presence always made her feel safe and peaceful.

She grabbed her phone and texted Zachary, telling him to come home early from the university.

When she hit send, a red exclamation mark popped up on the screen.

Zachary had blocked her.

That had never happened before.

Her heart leaped into her throat in pure panic.

This time, Zachary seemed genuinely furious.