Chapter 5 Adrienne had already stepped into the rain. When she gave Garrett her first time at eighteen, she had imagined their future. She never thought that at twenty-six, everything would be in ruins. Letting him go felt like tearing out half of herself. But she really didn't want him anymore. When she dragged her suitcase to Bonnie Norton's place, she felt embarrassed. She had walked out of Cloudhaven Mansion with nothing but 20 dollars in cash. During the three years of marriage, repeated arguments had driven her into severe depression. She didn't dare see any- one and stayed home every day practicing cooking. Even when her hands were covered in blisters from burns, she didn't care. She still loved Garrett and wanted to save their marriage. But no matter how many times the food went cold, he never once touched it. Bonnie wasn't her biological sister. They had run away from their village together, and Bonnie was soon adopted by a family. Now she was married and lived a simple but warm life in a small apartment with her partner. Later, Adrienne met Garrett. When she was on the brink of starvation, he threw her a slice of toast, and shamelessly, she clung to him. They traveled around, working odd jobs to make ends meet. Adrienne was still dripping wet. She wiped her face and rang the doorbell. Bonnie opened the door in her pajamas, a bit surprised. A man's impatient voice came from the bedroom. "Who is it?" Bonnie pulled her inside and quickly went to the bathroom to fetch a clean towel. "Adri, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? You're soaking wet. Did you have a fight with Garrett?" "Bonnie, can I stay here for the night?" "Of course. There's a spare room. It's small, though. Hope you don't mind." Bonnie handed her clean pajamas and started making the bed. The bathroom was cramped, barely fitting two people, but it had a separate shower. The corners were stained with years-old brown limescale. Adrienne took a quick shower. She didn't have the nerve to blow-dry her hair this late, so she went straight to the bed- room. 0.0 % 16:42 Chapter 5 It really was small, only enough for a queen-sized bed and a small desk. She heard Bonnie's husband's voice from the master bedroom. "Who was that?" "Adri. Probably had a fight with Garrett." "She's a rich man's wife. What's she doing here? Don't you know what kind of man Garrett is? I worked at the Melen- dez Group for three years and never even got to meet the guy." "Enough. Adri is like my sister." The whispers stopped. Adrienne wiped her hair. Her black, glossy strands were wrapped in a towel, water still dripping from the ends. She tucked the ends into the towel and lay down on the bed. By 7 a.m., the clatter of dishes could be heard from outside. Her hair had dried naturally overnight, but her head throbbed. She pushed herself to get up. Breakfast was ready. Terrence Pratt stood by the table, setting the plates. When he saw her, he called out warmly, "Adri, come sit down. I went out early this morning to buy fish. Bonnie made fish soup for you." They were both office workers. Normally, breakfast was just a few slices of bread. The elaborate meal was clearly for Adrienne. Bonnie brought over the soup and smiled at her. "Breakfast time." Adrienne's skin was fair and glowing. After she had clung to Garrett at age twelve, he never treated her poorly. Back then, she thought it was love, but he had only ever seen her as a little sister. 16:42 60.5 %