Chapter 4
Peter finally finished vomiting and stumbled out of the bathroom, reeking of alcohol. He leaned in and kissed
“What are you looking at?”
Before I could answer, the ground suddenly started shaking violently beneath our feet.
My stomach dropped.
Growing up in Bay Area, I knew that feeling all too well.
“An earthquake…”
The tremors grew stronger and stronger.
The fish tank on the bookshelf toppled over and shattered on the floor. A shard of glass sliced across my
ankle, sending a sharp wave of pain shooting up my leg.
Blood soaked through my slippers. The gash was so deep the bone peeked through.
Peter instinctively shielded me with his body, then hunched over and dragged me toward the door.
Outside, the plaza below was already packed with people. Chaos buzzed all around us.
“That was a bad one-thank God our building held up!”
“I heard some of the old houses in the new district collapsed!”
The shock seemed to sober Peter up halfway. His hands were trembling as he turned away and frantically
started making calls.
One after another after another.
No one picked up. Sweat beaded at his temples.
“Audrey, my advisor’s calling-I need to get to campus.”
His lie came out in a rush, eyes full of urgency.
“There might still be aftershocks. It’s not safe to go back out.”
He shook his head. “I have to. You stay safe, okay? Call me if anything happens.”
My ankle was throbbing so hard I could barely stand, but he gave it just a glance.
“That little cut’s nothing. Don’t be so dramatic.”
And with that, he turned and walked away-without looking back.
As I watched him disappear into the distance, a flood of old memories came rushing back.
There had been another earthquake, years ago in high school. A 6.5 magnitude quake that leveled half the
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As I watched him disappear into the distance, a flood of old memories came rushing back.
There had been another earthquake, years ago in high school. A 6.5 magnitude quake that leveled half the
city.
The school collapsed. Peter and I were both buried under the rubble.
It was like a nightmare.
We spent nearly two days trapped beneath the debris.
He had wrapped himself around me the entire time, not moving even when his arm went numb.
When they finally pulled us out, he was barely conscious.
He was murmuring my name, over and over again.
“Audrey… Audrey…”
When rescue workers tried to carry us on separate stretchers, he refused to let go of my hand. They had to pry his fingers loose.
Later, he told me that the moment the quake hit, he made a decision-
If he had to die, he was going to die with me.
But now?
Faced with the same kind of disaster, he just… walked away.
How does someone change so completely?
What a cruel joke.
My phone buzzed. A friend request notification.
It was Luna Dawn.
I’d added her on the way back from dropping her off-told myself it was just curiosity.
Now, hesitating only a moment, I tapped into her social feed.
And for the next thirty minutes, I scrolled through every single post she’d ever made.
And there it was-the answer I’d been looking for.
I finally understood why Peter, a guy who used to scoff at fashion, suddenly decided to grow out his bangs and keep them “messily styled.”
Why a man who used to hate cutesy emojis now sent them constantly.
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Why he could suddenly dissect idol dramas like a professional critic.
All those small, subtle changes in our daily life-each one was a clue.
A piece of him drifting further away.
So many nights when he said his advisor needed him at the lab-Luna had been with him.
They took late-night walks together, shared earbuds, listened to her favorite band, Oasis.
They went to music festivals in the rain.
All those things Peter used to call “childish”… he’d done them all-with her.
I felt like something had been ripped open in my chest. Cold wind howled straight through me.
Someone beside me handed me a tissue. Only then did I realize-I was crying.
My ankle throbbed.
My heart ached worse.
I refreshed the page.
Luna had just posted something new-two minutes ago.
[At the most critical moment, he chose me. This kind of favoritism… it’s addictive.]
[No clouds tonight. Just the two of us under the stars on the track.]
The photo showed her curled sweetly in Peter’s arms, smiling.
She was wearing his jacket.
Her lipstick was smeared.
I couldn’t bear to look any longer. I closed the app.
Then another message popped up.
Peter.
[Audrey, I’m not coming home tonight. Take care of yourself.]
[See you at the city hall tomorrow.]
After that, he didn’t text me again.
The aftershocks never came. The crowd slowly dispersed.
Limping home, I returned to a wreck.
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The bookshelf had collapsed. Our wedding photo lay shattered on the ground, the glass fractured into
spiderwebs.
I picked it up-and tore it to pieces.
Then I packed my bags and left that house full of lies.
The next morning, when my alarm rang, I was already at the airport.
I’d taken vacation time from work.
I needed to leave this city-at least for a little while.
Leave the shadows behind.
Start over.
As soon as I cleared security, Peter’s messages came flooding in.
[Babe, I’m almost at the city hall! So excited. I’ve waited eight years to finally make you my wife!]
He looked ecstatic.
So different from the moody, conflicted man I saw last night.
But it didn’t matter what he said anymore. I wasn’t going back.
Message after message. I left them all unread.
As I boarded, Peter was already in a frenzy.
[Audrey, where are you? Please don’t scare me like this.]
[Is it because I didn’t come home last night? My advisor needed me, I had no choice-can’t you try to
understand?]
[You’re really not coming? My parents are already here-what are you doing?]
But he didn’t get it.
I wasn’t throwing a tantrum.
I was done.
Just before my flight took off, I sent him one last reply:
[Go to hell.]
Then I blocked him-on everything.
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Goodbye, Peter Williams.
For good.
