Fond Memories

"She wouldn't have gone anywhere. She likely went home. It's late, so you should rest for now," said Arvin.

Debby said awkwardly, "The guest room hasn't been tidied up yet, but... It's fine. I can sleep on the couch for a night."

During my pregnancy, I grew bored at home and went on a spree of buying baby supplies online. Many of them remained unopened and stacked up in the guest room.

Although they were piled there, they weren't on the bed. Was it so bad for her to bear?

Apart from the nursery prepared for the baby and the study, the master bedroom was the only room with a bed. Debby's intention was quite clandestine.

She didn't bother with slowly getting Arvin's heart but preferred to sleep with him directly.

Arvin promptly apologized, "Sorry for the inconvenience. Tomorrow, I'll ask Letitia to prepare a room for you."

Debby's face twitched momentarily, but then she smiled and agreed, "Okay."

Arvin placed a call to our maid.

"I'm sorry for calling you so late, Evelyn. But I recall you mentioned leaving something here to retrieve later today. Did you find it?"

"Ah, it was a toy bought for my grandson. He was overjoyed to receive it. Guess people just spoil the kids these days. Oh, forgive me for changing the topic. Allow me to congratulate you on your impending fatherhood tonight!"

Arvin's heart sank. "What do you mean? Is Letitia giving birth?"

Evelyn's voice on the phone sounded more surprised than him. "... When I arrived, I saw a pool of blood on the floor and some bloodstains a few steps away. I thought... What's happening? Weren't you supposed to be with her tonight, Mr. Owen?"

With a stern expression, Arvin brushed it off as if nothing had happened. After a brief silence, he inquired, "Was Letitia already gone when you got there?"

"Yes, I assumed she had gone to the hospital to deliver the baby!"

Arvin ended the call, standing in place, unsure of what to make of it all.

And I, upon hearing this, felt disoriented.

Since Evelyn had cleaned up the bloodstains, who could have moved my body? Could I have turned into a zombie by myself and fled?

Debby proposed, "Could Letty have gone to the hospital alone to give birth?"

Arvin rubbed his forehead. "I don't think so. If that were the case, the hospital would have informed me."

With half a month left until my due date, he didn't anticipate my giving birth so suddenly.

Debby was urged to rest while Arvin continued to browse through the contact list on his phone.

My mind was preoccupied with the mystery of my missing body, unmoved by the tender exchanges between the two.

A familiar number caught his attention.

It belonged to my childhood best friend, Maggie.

He dialed the number, but the call remained unanswered.

I knew Maggie had long held a grudge against him because of what he had done to me and had blocked him long ago.

Yet Arvin, seemingly unaware, persisted in making the call.

It wasn't until midnight that he sensed something amiss.

In the interim, he also made his way to the kitchen.

Today, Evelyn slaughtered the hen she had brought from her hometown and prepared chicken soup to nourish me, leaving a basin of chicken blood in the kitchen. Hence, Arvin asserted that my bleeding was a ruse with chicken blood.

I surmised he checked to see if the basin of chicken blood had diminished.

However, Evelyn had already cleaned it up.

Despite my curiosity about the whereabouts of my body, I found myself tethered to Arvin's side, unable to step more than 16 feet from him.

Early the next morning, Arvin, with bloodshot eyes, opened the door and inquired if Debby was hungry.

What rotten luck for me to see them together.

The couch proved less comfortable than a bed, so Debby likely had a restless night, evident from the dark circles under her eyes and weary countenance.

They left together, driving twenty kilometers to a breakfast joint.

At the sight of the familiar eatery, Debby finally softened her displeased expression.

Seemingly unconsciously, she reached out and linked arms with Arvin. "Do you recall how we used to come here in high school to eat pork ribs? Despite having ample pocket money, we relished those twelve pork ribs for one dollar.

"You used to dislike meat, but you always accompanied me."

Debby's visage exuded fond memories.

Arvin, however, gazed vacantly at the pork ribs before Debby.

She's Already Dead

"Are you still sticking to salad?" Debby asked confidently, ready to beckon the waitress.

But Arvin gestured towards the waitress. "Two orders of pork ribs."

Then he remarked to Debby, "I've developed a liking for meat now."

That wasn't true. Arvin genuinely didn't fancy meat, but I adored it, especially pork ribs, and often made them myself.

I loved them, thus coaxing him into enjoying them as well.

He indulged me in these matters, assisting in dealing with pork ribs and relishing them together.

I recalled once that he stared at me absentmindedly, with a plate of pork ribs between us, asking, "Why do you both adore the ribs?"

I didn't pay much attention to his question, enjoying the ribs while thinking he might refer to someone who was not important. After all, who would hate such delicious food anyway?

But now, I just realized what he meant when he said "both."

He was referring to me, and most importantly, Debby.

Perplexed, Debby queried, "You used to dislike them. Your change is rather sudden."

Arvin popped a rib into his mouth. "They taste good now."

Debby appeared depressed.

After breakfast, Debby playfully complained about the starkness of my home, saying it lacked warmth, and expressed a desire to buy flowers for decoration.

Arvin listened absently.

"What's bothering you? Are you displeased being out with me, preoccupied with Letty?"

He promptly refuted, "Impossible! She's probably upset that I've been strict with her. She must be out enjoying herself. I won't let her win this time. It's just that my assistant is coming soon, and I have something urgent to deal with."

Nodding understandingly, Debby remarked, "Don't speak of Letty in that manner. Perhaps she just got carried away with the fun and forgot to check her phone. I tried calling her multiple times, but she didn't answer. She's likely switched off her phone to avoid interruptions."

While listening, Arvin recalled that he hadn't received any messages from me on our chat interface, his expression darkening.

"After I finish shopping, I'll locate Letty. You don't have to worry. Just focus on your work."

Debby's voice exuded warmth and concern as she gracefully left.

Cecil, Arvin’s assistant, came soon.

In the black SUV, with soothing tunes playing, Arvin clutched the document in his hand without turning a page.

After some time, he said to Cecil coldly, "May I use your phone?"

Cecil, driving ahead, widened his eyes as he handed his phone to Arvin in confusion.

Arvin dialed a number.

After a prolonged beep, he heard someone say, "I don't want a card, insurance, or loan. Please kindly block my number. Thank you."

The impatient tone and perfunctory words remained familiar to me, easing the tension I had endured all day. All of a sudden, I just had tears welling up in my eyes.

"I'm Arvin. Please don't hang up. I just wanted to tell you that Letitia should be careful and not indulge herself outside. She can't eat whatever she wants. Her due date is approaching."

There was silence on the other end. It was so quiet that Arvin thought Maggie had hung up.

Furrowing his brows, Arvin started to lose his patience. "Are you listening?"

"Arvin Owen, do you have any compassion?"

Maggie's cold words came through the receiver, slow and deliberate.

Before Arvin could react, she continued, "Letty had a severe hemorrhage yesterday. You were at home back then. Did you go see Debby again?"

Arvin frowned, arguing, "No, she..."

"I don't care why you left home for whatever reason. But it took you a whole night to think of looking for her. You're truly despicable."

Arvin hadn't slept all night. Now he was being scolded, he felt nothing but irritation. "No matter what I say, you'll probably think it's wrong. I went out to help with something. Besides, Letitia... She can stay outside as long as she wants. You know what, she shouldn't come back if she wants!"

He said the last sentence so loudly, sounding more like a threat. It was as if he was certain that I was beside Maggie.

Maggie sniffled, her indifferent voice tinged with sorrow and anguish.

"She can still go back? Do you think you'll ever see her again in your lifetime, Arvin?" Her voice was filled with sadness and bitterness. "She's dead. By the time I arrived, she was already dead!

"She was so fragile, lying in a pool of blood. I... Forget it. It's pointless to talk to someone heartless like you. It's completely futile."

Maggie's hoarse voice gradually faded, with occasional quivers hinting at her inner grief.

"You're the one who caused Letitia's death!"