Chapter 3

We reached the highway rest stop.

He parked and unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'll go buy something. What do you want to eat?"

"Anything's fine."

"Then let me go take a look." He got out, took a couple of steps, then turned back. "Oh, right, hand me your phone. Mine's dead. I'll use yours to pay."

I hesitated for a moment, then handed him my phone.

He took it, smiled, and walked off.

Watching his back, my mind raced.

Why did he want my phone?

Was he afraid I'd call the police? Or afraid I'd contact someone?

I sat in the car, my daughter still asleep in the back seat.

I took a deep breath and started to remember.

When did things start to feel wrong?

Three days ago. That day he came home from work with a bouquet of flowers.

Lilies—the flower I hate most.

William knew I hated lilies most, because the scent was too strong and gave me a headache.

He only ever bought roses.

"Why did you buy lilies?" I asked, looking at him.

"The florist said lilies were pretty, so I bought them." He smiled, his voice low. "If you don't like them, I'll throw them out."

I didn't think much of it at the time.

Looking back now, a man who hadn't bought the wrong flowers in three years had suddenly gotten it wrong.

And last week, he gave our daughter a bath.

He set the water too hot, and she cried from how it scalded her, but he said it like it was nothing. "It's fine, it's fine, it'll cool down in a second."

William always tested the water first, and only after testing it would he put our daughter in.

That day I looked at him and asked, "Why didn't you test the water?"

He frowned. "I did test it. It's not hot."

Looking back now, he was lying.

Someone knocked twice on the car window. I looked up and saw him standing outside, holding two cups of milk tea, smiling gently.

"Honey, I got you your favorite—taro boba."

I looked at that cup of milk tea.

I don't drink milk tea. I only drink coffee.

William had known that from the very first day he met me.

He smiled and held out the milk tea. I didn't take it.

"Honey?"

I looked at him and slowly said, "Who are you?"