Chapter 6

By the time we got back to the apartment, it was past midnight.

Sienna kept her face dark and silent. She slammed the bedroom door shut and locked it from the inside.

I grabbed a throw blanket from the closet and lay down on the sofa.

This wasn't the first time, so I was used to it.

When we bought this apartment, Sienna insisted on having only one bedroom, with no guest rooms allowed.

She said it was to make sure I treated her well. If we ever fought, I wouldn't have a bed to sleep in.

I had agreed.

So whether it was summer or winter, whenever Sienna was unhappy, I was banished to the sofa with a single blanket.

It was the dead of winter, and the cold made it impossible to sleep.

When I tried to turn on the central heating, I realized Sienna had locked the smart thermostat from her phone.

I curled up tighter on the sofa, a bitter chuckle escaping my lips as my heart grew colder.

Did Sienna actually love me?

I didn't know.

Was this her version of love?

As drowsiness finally began to take over, I heard faint crying coming from the bedroom.

Just one muffled sob was enough to wake me up. My heart construct involuntarily softened.

I hesitated, then quietly stood up and walked over to the bedroom door, pressing my ear against the wood.

Sienna was indeed crying.

I pulled the spare key out of my pocket. Even after everything, I still couldn't bear the thought of her crying alone in the dark.

But before I could insert the key, Sienna’s voice drifted through the door, choked with tears.

"I miss you so much, baby... *sniffle*..."

"I made him sleep on the couch. I won't let him touch me. I only want you."

"I don't feel anything for him anymore. Why don't you believe me? *sob*..."

My entire body went numb. The strength drained from my fingers, and the heavy metal keys slipped, clattering loudly against the hardwood floor.

*Clang!*

Instantly, the crying inside the bedroom stopped.

I didn't open the door, and Sienna didn't come out.

Time seemed to freeze in that agonizing silence. Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my hand. A notification popped up—someone was requesting to add me on Snapchat.

I unlocked my phone. The bright screen made my eyes wince, but I still clearly saw the profile picture of the sender.

It was a photo of Jaxon and Sienna kissing.

But what was even more piercing was the custom add-message below it:

*“You pathetic leech. No wonder your own mother didn't want you.”*