When I decided to move across the country to Minneapolis for him, my mother chased me out of the house with a broom, screaming. "That broke kid has nothing! You’re going there to suffer. If you marry him, I don’t have a daughter!" For six years in the freezing north, Caleb Hayes swallowed every hardship. With hands covered in chilblains and calluses, he built us a home, brick by brick. On New Year's Eve, I was searching through the homemade ravioli for the one I’d marked—the one hiding the custom engagement ring I bought for him—when the police called. They said my boyfriend had been in a bar fight. It was bad. I needed to go to the precinct. I braved the blizzard to get there. After bowing and apologizing profusely to the other party, I signed his release papers. Caleb reeked of cheap whiskey, his face bruised and purple. A young woman was clutching the hem of his coat, crying like a tragic heroine. "Caleb, thank you for standing up for me. My ex-husband is violent and has a temper... he’ll definitely keep harassing me. My son and I can’t hold on much longer." "Little Oliver loves the ravioli you make. He waits every day for 'Daddy Caleb' to come keep him company. Caleb, please... give us a home." I lost my mind. I smashed my phone right there in the station precinct and screamed at Caleb. It was the biggest fight we’d ever had. I questioned him hysterically. He called me heartless. Finally, he surrendered. He promised to transfer his female colleague to another department and never speak to her again. After that, Caleb never mentioned Tanya Brooks again. Their chat history showed nothing but professional exchanges. Until I discovered the second user profile on Caleb’s phone. They hadn’t stopped talking. They just moved from the light into the shadows where I couldn't see. They moved from Caleb’s main account to a private one filled with close friends and relatives. Every photo he posted of him and that mother-son duo was met with sincere blessings from his family. I scrolled back to the chat logs from New Year's Eve. Tanya: I found a ring in the ravioli. Was your girlfriend planning to propose? I should bring it back to you. Caleb: No need. Just pretend you didn't see it. I don't want to get married right now anyway. Fine. Let it be as he wishes. I’ve been away from home for six years. It’s time to go back. Chapter 1 Caleb was busy in the kitchen. "Summer, I’ve reheated the food three times, it might not taste great anymore." "I can order takeout if you want, or we can go out. That Japanese place down the street is still..." He turned around and met my red-rimmed eyes. Caleb’s expression instantly softened. "Come on, babe, stop pouting." "You're always the understanding one, right?" I dodged his touch and said coldly: "Get the ravioli back." Caleb’s smile froze. He untied his apron, balled it up, and threw it hard at my feet. He pointed a finger at my face, shaking it a few times, before gritting his teeth and saying, "Fine." The call connected. Tanya said her son had already eaten the ravioli. "I'm so sorry. How much were they? I’ll pay you back." Caleb looked humiliated. A plate of pasta, a never-ending farce. "It's fine, Summer is just being childish. I’ll buy her more..." "Caleb, it’s not the same," I interrupted. Suddenly, Caleb smashed his phone. The screen shattered, glass shrapnel flying. A piece grazed my arm, drawing blood. His voice boomed: "What the hell is your problem today?" "It’s just a damn plate of pasta, Summer. You’re being way too obvious with your jealousy against Tanya." I stood there, stunned. Caleb pulled a wad of cash from his wallet and threw it in my face. The bills fluttered down, mixed with three ticket stubs to Six Flags. "Is that enough?" He pulled out a credit card. Threw it. "Is that enough!" "I’ll pay for her!" My eardrums throbbed. In six years, this was the first time Caleb had ever exploded at me. He looked vicious, like he wanted to devour me. My chest ached so badly I couldn't speak. I could only fumble through my phone gallery, desperate to find the video from five years ago where he promised he’d marry me on this exact date. He was the one who forgot. "Fine. Let's both cool off tonight." Caleb pushed my phone away. "Summer Vance, you need to reflect on your jealousy." The door slammed shut. I began to dry heave uncontrollably. I clutched the fabric over my chest. It was the only way to relieve the suffocation. When I was done crying, done gasping for air, I picked myself up off the floor and started packing my meager belongings. Six years ago, I came here with nothing but courage. Six years later, I was leaving with nothing but loneliness. Tanya updated her Instagram Story. The caption: The happiest New Year. The background was a high-end steakhouse. Caleb was holding the child, and Tanya was leaning intimately against his side. While I was packing, they went for a feast. The table was full of food. The "dinner" Caleb was reheating in the kitchen earlier? It was their leftovers. It included shrimp—Tanya's favorite, but a deadly allergen for me. He didn't even think to pick it out when he was heating it up for me. Caleb’s assistant commented on the post: "Wow, that was fast. Tanya's charm is no joke." "Caleb preaches about being a bachelor at the office, but look at him bowing down to Queen Tanya." The screen went black, reflecting my pale, ghostly face. My hands shook as I packed the last item. At the bottom of the suitcase lay the Greyhound bus ticket I bought six years ago to come to Minneapolis. Thirty-two hours on a bus. But my six years? To Caleb, they weren't even real. Chapter 2 It’s laughable, really. After living in Minneapolis for so many years, I had no friends, no job, and the only money I had was what Caleb threw at me last night. I only learned how to revolve around him. I learned to make soup, to put him first, to empty my savings account just to buy him a $5,000 watch to see him smile. I was truly stupid. Stupid enough to hand over my heart without reservation, letting him bruise it. "One ticket to Austin, Texas, please." The lady at the counter suddenly spoke up. "Hey? Aren't you that girl from six years ago?" I looked up. My gray face finally regained some color. "You remember me?" The lady smiled. "Who wouldn't remember you two?" "That boy waited outside the station for a day and a night. The snow piled up on his shoulders, he looked like an ice sculpture, but he wouldn't leave, terrified he'd miss you." "We told him to come inside and have some hot tea. The kid smiled awkwardly and said he was starting a business and had spent all his money on a gift for you. He couldn't even afford a bus ride; he walked five hours to get to the station." I listened, entranced. My chest felt tight and sour. From a condemned basement to a rental apartment, to the luxury condo we had now. The boy swallowed his suffering alone. With hands scarred by the cold, he picked up one brick at a time, building happiness, building a home. He had said, "We won't fear the winter anymore." "Summer, I was scared you'd come, but scared you wouldn't." "I was afraid you'd suffer with me." "But I was more afraid you didn't love me." He cried that day. He held me so tight he almost rubbed me into his own body. I cried too. We were happy then. How did we flow from that happiness into this river of pain? "Miss? Your ticket." My fingertips trembled. It felt like I wasn't taking a ticket, but a knife to sever the past. "Don't cry." The ticket lady glanced at the expensive jade bangle on my wrist and seemed to relax a bit. "When you accompany a man from nothing to everything, don't talk about feelings. Talk about money. Talk about whether he's willing to be good to you." I nodded. I crinkled the ticket in my grip. Before I could board, Caleb chased me down. Just like six years ago, he sprinted toward me and crushed me into a hug. I could hear his chaotic breathing, his rapid heartbeat, and his voice shaking into pieces: "Don't go..." "Summer, I was just mad, I wasn't kicking you out..." Caleb tore up my ticket, scooped me up into his arms, and shoved me into the passenger seat of his car. "You care about me seeing Tanya, right?" "I transferred her to a different team. I'll keep my distance." I stayed silent. I stared blankly at the car ornament dangling from the mirror—a gift from Tanya. The car smelled entirely of citrus—Tanya's perfume. The glove box, which should have been filled with my things, was stuffed with snacks her kid liked and lipstick shades that weren't mine. I blinked, my eyes feeling incredibly dry. Caleb didn't notice anything wrong. He was rambling about taking me to Aspen for a vacation after the holidays. I sighed softly. I didn't even have the energy to nod. Chapter 3 Caleb never mentioned Tanya again. Their texts were strictly business. Clean cut. "Summer, I'm running for Vice President, work is going to be crazy." His voice came through the phone receiver. It didn't feel real. "I wired money to your account. Go shopping, buy whatever you like. Don't focus all your energy on me." Every day he came home, I was asleep. When he left in the morning, I was still dreaming. The microwave held the breakfast he prepared. The dirty clothes I wore were washed and hung on the balcony. Caleb’s traces were everywhere in the house. I could see them. But I couldn't touch them anymore. I could feel us drifting apart. The relationship had rusted. If you scrubbed off the rust, it might look the same as before. But it had lost its weight. It floated in the air, wobbling uncontrollably with the slightest breeze. I had planned to take the money and leave, but the biggest variable was that I got pregnant. At first, I was lethargic, had no appetite, and threw up constantly. I told Caleb. The next day he bought a huge bag of medicine and told me to take it, then rushed off without even a warning to check the labels. It wasn't until I took the pills and felt awful that I went to the hospital and found out I was pregnant. "Whether we can keep the baby depends on further checks," the doctor said, frowning. "You took a lot of antibiotics. There's a risk of birth defects." Two nurses had to carry me out. I spent the most agonizing six hours of my life outside that exam room. The back of my hand was bruised from pinching myself. My eyes were open, leaking moisture and guilt. I blamed myself for not realizing I was pregnant sooner. Why didn't I check before taking the medicine? Why did I just swallow whatever Caleb handed me without a second thought? "For now, it looks okay. Come back next month for a checkup." Relief washed over me. My mood improved, and I even ate an extra bowl of rice that night. Caleb didn't come home until midnight. He reeked of alcohol. His cheek was cut and bleeding, and one eye was black and blue. "Did you get into a fight?" He mumbled something unintelligible and went straight to the bathroom. He threw his work phone on the bed. It pinged. Tanya: Caleb, thank you so much for standing up for me today. Otherwise, my ex would have kept harassing me. Tanya: I felt so helpless. If it weren't for your company these past weeks, my son and I wouldn't have made it. Oliver loves you. He waits for 'Daddy Caleb' every day. Caleb, please... give us a home. The text hit my nerves like a sledgehammer. It hurt. My insides felt like they were exploding. Daddy Caleb... Then who should my child call Daddy? Give them a home. What about my home? The home I had longed for since I was a child, the shelter from the storm—gone. Caleb tore it apart with his own hands. I bit the tip of my tongue, using the pain to force clarity, and scrolled through the entire chat history. They hadn't stopped talking. They just moved from the open into the dark. I had been left behind again. Tanya: I found the ring in the ravioli. Was your girlfriend proposing? I'll bring it back. Caleb: No need. Pretend you didn't see it. I don't want to get married right now. I couldn't maintain my dignity anymore. Shaking, I typed a reply: You love being a homewrecker that much? You can have the trash, I don't want it. "Summer Vance! What are you doing with my phone?"
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