Chapter 2 2

POV Katherine Ellis

I woke up and Andrew’s side of the bed was already empty.

And just like that… the day started slipping by without me noticing.

The phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was ten o’clock. I opened the message, my eyes still heavy.

“Get ready. We’ll have visitors in half an hour.”

I sat up abruptly. I reread it. Visitors. My stomach twisted. I typed:

“Who’s coming?” —and hit send.

I waited. Nothing. I called him, but he didn’t answer.

I got up without knowing where to go first. I hated visitors. I had spent two years avoiding any doorbell, any polite “how are you?” I had no clothes ready, no clean house, not even a presentable version of myself.

“Why now…?” I asked myself as I walked to the bathroom.

I turned on the light and looked in the mirror: swollen eyes, hair tangled into a knot, dull skin. The reflection threw back an uncomfortable question: How long have I looked like this? I didn’t want to answer.

I looked awful. I already knew I was a mess on the inside, but now even my outside looked frightening. Pathetic.

I dialed Andrew again. Silence. It didn’t even go to voicemail. I deleted a curse word before I could send it.

Why wasn’t he answering?!

Damn it.

I turned on the shower. At first, I thought I’d just rinse my body quickly and run a hand through my hair… but I leaned into the water almost without thinking. The hot stream burned my scalp, and I had to close my eyes. I stayed there, gasping, as if washing could somehow erase the threat from last night.

I lost track of time. It must have been fifteen minutes. I came out with two towels: one wrapped around my body, the other twisted into my hair. The steam followed me as I crossed into the bedroom.

The closet was an even bigger mess than I was. Pajamas hanging next to unironed blouses, a dress with a stain I didn’t remember, boxes I’d never opened, handbags I no longer used. Everything smelled like confinement, maybe a little damp. I opened drawers, rummaged through them, threw clothes onto the bed without thinking. I sat at the edge, gripping the towel, and the tears came again.

I couldn’t find anything to wear. It had been so long since I’d thought about getting dressed that the very idea barely made sense anymore.

I called Andrew again. Nothing.

Then the doorbell rang.

“No,” I whispered, looking at the clock. Not yet.

My shoulders tensed. I stood up quickly and grabbed any dress—black, without even checking the size. I pulled it over my head clumsily, the towel dropped to the floor, and I nearly tripped while trying to zip it up. No underwear, no stockings, no shoes. I grabbed my phone and ran barefoot down the hallway.

Hand on the doorknob, I realized I still had the towel wrapped around my head.

“God…”

Why didn’t he warn me earlier?! This had Andrew’s traps written all over it. I just hoped it wasn’t my mother, the pastor, or some old friend. He did things like this sometimes, not realizing that forcing me to act normal only pushed me deeper into the pit.

I ran back upstairs and entered the bathroom. The mirror showed me a ridiculous scene: a dress clinging to damp skin, strands of hair sticking out the sides, cheeks flushed from running. I yanked the towel off and shook out my hair. Water slid down my neck and back.

And in that second, I saw my life stripped bare: a woman standing in the bathroom, rushed, broken, trying to cover with fabric everything that had fallen apart inside her.

I felt pathetic. Not because of the dress or the hair, but because of the panic I felt at the idea of someone seeing me like this.

The doorbell rang again.

I wiped the tears from my face with the back of my hand. There was no time for anything else.

I went downstairs. Each step felt higher than the last.

I opened the door.

There was a boy on the threshold.

Who was he?

His face looked vaguely familiar.

“Mrs. Ellis?” he asked.

“Yes—” This couldn’t be the visitor Andrew mentioned. “I’m sorry, if you’re here to sell something or…”

“I’m Elliot,” he said, cutting me off. Embarrassment washed over me in seconds.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought…”

“It’s alright. My mother said Mr. Ellis spoke to her. She mentioned you might help me prepare for the entrance exam. But clearly… you weren’t expecting me. Am I interrupting something?”

“It’s just that they notified me late. I wasn’t prepared.”

What the hell?! Why was Andrew doing this to me?!

Elliot.

I hadn’t even invited him in. Truthfully, all I wanted was to shut the door in his face, call Andrew again, and scream at him for throwing me into this situation without my consent.

They sent him here without telling me anything.

And now?

“Should I come in, or should I leave?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“Ah… yes.” I cleared my throat. “Sorry about the way I look. I wasn’t expecting…” The sentence trailed off.

“If it’s a bad time, I can come back later,” he offered politely.

“No. It’s fine. Come in.”

The threat of divorce suddenly hit me like a slap. I could put Andrew in a difficult position with his boss, and that wouldn’t be right. He knew that if Elliot showed up at my door, I wouldn’t be rude.

This was a trap.

“You can leave your backpack here,” I said, pointing to the foyer.

He looked around carefully. I suddenly noticed I was barefoot and instinctively tucked my toes under the rug, as if he wouldn’t notice. My hair was still dripping onto my neck. I crossed my arms.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Katherine Ellis.”

“Mrs. Ellis,” he repeated. “What will we do today?”