Chapter 4

I turned around and looked at him holding the cookie jar with a frustrated look on his face.

Zach saw the look on my face and softened his tone.

But his voice still held that familiar sense of superiority, like he was making a grand sacrifice.

"Fine, fine. I won't bring peanut butter cookies home for Lily anymore. Happy?"

He let out a sigh.

As if he had made a massive compromise for me, and I should be grateful.

From beginning to end, he thought I was just throwing a tantrum, and that if he played along, this would blow over.

"Okay," I replied quietly.

I turned around and started putting our IDs and passports into a small backpack.

Zach sat at the dining table, eating one of the cookies, and looked up at me.

"A business trip?"

"I'm going back to my parents' place."

He nodded. "Right, you haven't been back to Ohio in a while."

"Oh, by the way, Maya said she loved that local organic honey and homemade hot sauce from your hometown. Make sure to bring some back for her."

"Check the label on the hot sauce, though. She doesn't eat peanuts."

I didn't reply.

Assuming I agreed, he stood up and rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a plastic bag.

"For the road. Don't go hungry."

It was a ziplock bag containing a half-eaten bag of chips and half a chocolate bar.

A few days ago, when Maya came over, Zach had bought hundreds of dollars worth of snacks for her. This was just what she left behind.

I walked past him and packed some tissues into my bag.

Zach’s voice went cold. "Still mad?"

"I bought you things, I apologized. What more do you want from me?"

"Fine. Go back to your parents' for a few days to cool off. When you get back, we'll take Lily to that new escape room downtown. Maya already booked the tickets for us."

I kept my back to him, gently shaking my head. "No. Lily is afraid of the dark."

The next second, he grabbed my arm, forcing me to face him.

"Since when is Lily afraid of the dark?"

"Chloe, do you even consider me your husband?"

"You didn't tell me about the allergy, you didn't tell me about her being afraid of the dark. How was I supposed to know? You didn't say anything, and now you're mad at me!"

I looked into his angry eyes.

When we first got married, he always said I couldn't hide anything from him.

Whether it was good news or bad, he could read it off my face instantly.

But now, he couldn't see anything. He couldn't remember anything.

His phone rang on the table.

Zach let go of me and answered it. Maya’s voice was loud and clear.

"How were the cookies? Did Lily like them? Are you guys okay now?"

Zach pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated. "No. Chloe says Lily is allergic to peanuts."

"Oh my god... I am so, so sorry! I didn't know she was allergic! Did you guys fight again? It's all my fault..."

Maya sounded frantic, apologizing repeatedly.

I looked at Zach’s back and heard him take a deep breath.

"It’s not your fault, Maya. She didn't tell me. She only has herself to blame."

Right. I only had myself to blame.

I bent down to put on my shoes and tied the laces.

"Why are you crying, Maya? I told you it’s not your fault. You had good intentions."

"Besides, even I didn't know Lily was allergic. How could you?"

I pulled my suitcase toward the door as he continued comforting her.

"Three years ago," I said, my voice calm, "I brought Lily to your office party. She accidentally ate a peanut butter pretzel. You were the one who rushed her to the ER. You promised me that night you would never let peanuts near her again."

"And when Carter organized an escape room for his birthday, you were the one who declined, saying Lily was too afraid of the dark to go."

"It seems even Maya remembers things better than you do."

Zach went completely stiff. His lips parted, but no sound came out.

I opened the nightstand drawer, pulled out the signed divorce papers, and placed them on the dining table under his coffee mug.

Then, I opened the front door and dragged my suitcase toward the elevator.

"Zach."

Across the threshold, I took one last look at the apartment.

"Let's get a divorce."