Chapter 3

No sooner had Micah left than the doorbell rang. Lena opened the door to find a woman standing outside, holding a delicate snack box. "Hi, I'm Laris. I'm the one who messaged you." Laris smiled with a mix of sweetness and provocation. "Micah's been taking such good care of me lately, so I made snacks to thank him. Since I'm already here, I'm a guest. I'm sure you won't turn me away, would you?" She walked in before Lena could respond and casually surveyed the house like a hostess. Laris stopped in her tracks when she passed by the garden. "These kinds of roses are all my favourites. I can't believe Micah still grows them." Lena's fingertips trembled. She remembered how he tended to those roses every morning without fail and never let anyone else touch them. She used to think it was a charming habit of his. A few tortoises basked lazily in the sun near the pond. "Ah! They're still alive!" Laris exclaimed with delight. "I raised them when I was little and stopped looking after them after I left the country. I thought they had died long ago." Lena's chest tightened when she recalled how diligently Micah fed those tortoises every single day. Laris's eyes then swept over the display cabinet filled with figurines in the living room. "These were always my favourite collectibles." She then glanced around the house and said, "The furniture follows the Scandinavian minimalism style. That's also my favourite." Lena followed Laris around. She felt as if she was walking barefoot on blades. The room she had lived in for two years suddenly felt unfamiliar. Laris ran her fingers over the suits and ties in the wardrobe in the bedroom. "These were gifts I gave him. I can't believe he kept them in such good condition." Lena recalled the scenes of herself carefully ironing those clothes each day and felt a tight lump rise in her throat. Micah never let her touch them. But it turned out that it was not because of some obsessive habit of his, rather because they were remnants of Laris. Laris eventually stopped in front of their wedding photo. "What a coincidence." She tilted her head and smiled. "Micah and I once talked about doing a shoot with three themes—the desert, ocean, and forest. I didn't expect you two to choose the exact same ones." All color drained from Lena's face. Micah had insisted on those exact themes when they were planning their photoshoot. She had thought that he was simply a romantic with a love for nature. "What are you doing here?" Micah's voice came from the doorway. He quickly walked over. His face was clouded with displeasure. Laris immediately put on a sweet smile. "I made some snacks and bought some for you. Your lovely wife invited me in and insisted I stay for dinner." Micah's brows eased slightly before he turned to Lena. "This is Laris. She's my neighbour. We grew up like siblings. She went abroad for a while and just recently returned. That's why you'd never met her before." Lena quietly looked at him. Neighbor? Siblings? He had hidden this relationship so well. Laris played along effortlessly. "Yes. Micah has always looked after me ever since we were kids. I was a picky eater when I was a kid, so he learned to cook for me. His honey-glazed ribs, fish and chips, and marinara meatballs were my favourites." Lena clenched her hands into tight fists. Those were the dishes Micah cooked most often. She had once believed that he made them because she liked them. She found it difficult to smile at this point. So, she excused herself and went upstairs, claiming she felt unwell. But not long after, Laris knocked on her door and entered with a bowl of soup. "Micah made this prenatal tonic. He asked me to bring it up to you." She smiled innocently. "Drink it while it's warm." The smell stung Lena's nose as she accepted the bowl. "Oh, by the way…" Laris suddenly asked, "You didn't happen to name your baby Lucas Shaw if it's a boy, or Emery Shaw if it's a girl, did you? Those were the names Micah and I came up with years ago." Lena's hands trembled. She nearly spilled the soup. Those two names were the ones Micah had chosen when she found out she was pregnant. So, even their child was meant to carry his memories of Laris? Lena felt a sudden sharp pain in her chest. But before she could react Laris exclaimed, "Oh no!" She'd accidentally knocked over the bowl. The hot soup splashed across Lena's arm, and her skin immediately blistered and reddened. Lena hissed in pain. She ignored Laris' apologies and was about to head downstairs to get some ointments. Suddenly, someone shoved her from behind just as she reached the top of the staircase. "Ah!" Lena tumbled down and landed heavily on the first floor. A pool of blood spread rapidly beneath her and soaked the beige carpet. Laris came tumbling down after her a second later. Micah had just been reaching into the fridge in the kitchen when he heard the crash. He rushed out immediately, and his eyes widened at the scene. "Lissy!" Panicking, he darted forward to catch the staggering Laris to check on her ankle. "Are you okay?" "I… I'm fine," she weakly said. "Quick, check on Lena…" Only then did Micah look over at Lena, who was bleeding. Suddenly, Laris fainted in his arms. "Lissy!" Micah yelled. His usually composed voice was now filled with panic. He scooped Laris up and strode out the door without sparing Lena another glance. Lena's vision dimmed as she watched their retreating figures. She thought she saw the fridge door slightly ajar in her final moment before everything went dark. It revealed the corner of a box with their late baby inside. … A blinding white light made Lena squint when she woke again. The doctor was examining her as Micah stood at the side with a grim expression. "How's the baby?" he asked the doctor. The doctor looked up in shock. "The baby? Ms. Norwood's pregnancy had already been terminated long ago, hadn't it?"