Chapter 2

1

“When Silas arrived, I was watching television with my hearing aid in.”

“There was nothing worth watching, or perhaps I had been disconnected from society for too long. I just flipped through the channels aimlessly.”

“He dropped his keys at the entryway and got straight to the point.”

“Elara, she is coming back. We should end this.”

“I was fumbling to take out my hearing aid, and when I heard those words, I froze. Then, I forced the corners of my mouth up into a brilliant smile.”

“That is great news. You have waited so long for her. Congratulations.”

“The 'she' he spoke of was Seraphina Blair, his first love and his unreachable dream.”

“He loved her deeply―so deeply that even after I spent five years as her stand-in, I never once managed to stir a ripple in his heart.”

“The moment Seraphina returned, I, the pet canary, was heartlessly set free.”

“Silas looked at me, saying nothing.”

“After a long silence, he stepped forward and gently covered my eyes.”

“Elara, stop smiling like that.”

“It makes it hard for me to breathe.”

“Hard to breathe? But who was he struggling for?”

“It couldn’t have been for me.”

“I didn’t understand his meaning, but I had never dared to question him.”

“I simply dropped the smile and nodded obediently. Fine, I will stop.”

“He sat down. Elara, don’t worry. I will leave you a sum of money so you can live comfortably without me. This house is already in your name, and the shops and properties you were given after the car accident are yours, too.”

“We are even now.”

“I looked at him, feeling the urge to laugh again, but I bit it back.”

“Alright, I understand.”

“He stopped talking, sitting with me in silence for a while before standing up.”

“I am leaving.”

“I nodded. Alright.”

“The door opened and clicked shut.”

“I didn’t get up to see him off, nor did I say goodbye, because I knew this was the last time I would ever see him.”

“He arrived at noon. I sat on the bed for hours, only realizing how much time had passed when the city lights began to flicker on outside.”

“The neon glow filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting my white robe in vibrant, artificial colors.”

“I stood up as if waking from a dream, suddenly realizing that Silas was truly gone.”

“I walked barefoot to the door, pressing my hand against the lock. Unsurprisingly, there was no warmth left.”

“I leaned against the door and slowly slid to the floor.”

“My mind felt hollow. She is back, so he left.”

“We are finished. We will never meet again.”

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“Five years of being kept.”

“I have no job, no friends, no family, and no children. My right ear is deaf, and now I don’t even have a benefactor. How am I supposed to go on?”

“In the pitch-black room, I huddled on the floor, wrapped my arms around my knees, and whispered to myself.”

“Silas, I do not love you anymore.”