Chapter 3

Less than two minutes after I sent the message, someone began pounding on my door.

I pulled it open and found all four of them glaring at me.

Sean thrust his phone in my face.

"What the hell is this, Nora? Why is Mrs. Carter saying she's renting our apartment to someone else?"

I brushed the dust off my clothes.

"It means exactly what she said. I'm not renting this place anymore. You should all move out as soon as possible."

"Have you lost your mind?"

Emmett looked at me with fury in his eyes.

Sean grabbed my wrist, regarding me like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Enough, Nora. You've caused one problem after another since you got here. Have we given you a hard time about any of it?"

"You're going to throw everyone out over a few stupid, insignificant things?"

Taylor snatched my phone.

"You already took the room back. What gives you the right to end the lease?"

He tried to unlock it, but after four or five attempts, he still hadn't guessed my passcode.

He'd forgotten my birthday.

I gave a bitter laugh and took my phone back.

Sean was about to say something else when the cat in Mandy's arms let out a loud cry.

Mandy stepped back. Tears hovered in her eyes, making her look heartbreakingly vulnerable.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I'll take Mimi and leave."

"I should've just died with her back then."

She ran out crying.

The three of them chased after her without another glance at me.

I stood in the empty room, feeling increasingly light-headed.

I probably had a fever.

With a bitter smile, I called 911.

Early the next morning, I finished receiving IV fluids in the emergency room.

A delighted voice message from Mandy appeared in the group chat.

"I posted the video! Mimi's gone viral! Someone wants to pay me for a brand deal!"

The three men immediately chimed in.

Sean: [I knew Mandy was the best.]

Emmett: [All that love we've given Mimi paid off. We have to celebrate tonight.]

Taylor: [How about we reward Mimi with a new room?]

Right above those messages was my question asking whether someone could come down and help me upstairs.

A whole day had passed.

No one had answered.

When I got home, I went to my room to pack. My suitcase was still practically untouched.

I took out my laptop to prepare for that afternoon's interview.

Once I passed it, I could leave this place for good.

As I turned to go, a cardboard box caught my eye.

It sat half-open nearby, filled with odds and ends.

On top lay a journal where I'd written about my everyday life with Sean.

Every page recorded some kindness he'd once shown me.

I walked over, picked it up, and opened it.

The pages had been torn to shreds.

Some were covered in suspicious yellow stains and reeked of urine.

My vision trembled. I forced down the pain threading through my chest.

An email notification appeared on my phone.

[Your interview begins in two hours.]