Chapter 4: Deleted Comments, New Doubts

The next morning, Nathaniel was gone.

I ate my sandwich, took a long, deep breath, and braced myself as I unlocked my phone.

To my shock, every negative comment was gone. Even the worst media outlets—poof, their official accounts deleted overnight.

A couple media friends messaged me, sending a photo of my parents visiting their company: [All settled.]

I smiled, a familiar warmth blooming in my chest.

No matter how much I mess up, my parents always find a way to clean up after me. It’s like a Midwest snowstorm: roads closed, but Mom’s soup is simmering and Dad’s got the generator running. Family always comes through.

The barrage started up again:

[I can't take it. Every time the second male quietly helps the heroine, all the credit goes to that couple...]

[Nathaniel Brooks, the number one cold-faced CEO who does the laundry. If his wife's in a good mood, he serves her with a smile. If she's not, he serves her coldly.]

[Too bad the female supporting character is clueless. Last night she was so obviously disgusted—even if she dodged divorce, she probably can't escape getting locked up.]

Stunned, I stared at the barrage, then back at my phone.

I looked at my parents’ photo for a solid ten minutes—definitely Photoshopped, but it made me smile anyway.

I scrolled through Messenger and found Nathaniel:

[Are you free today? I have something to tell you.]

He answered instantly: [Wrong person.]

...

[No, hubby~]

This time, his reply took a while:

[I'm sorry about last night, letting you see those disgusting things. I'm very busy today. If you want a divorce, contact a lawyer first.]

[No no no,] I replied fast, [Not divorce.]

Nathaniel: [Okay, see you this afternoon.]

Barrage:

[Killing me—divorce? No time. Not divorcing? See you this afternoon.]

[So close! The female supporting character barely dodged the little black room scenario again. Is it just me or does it feel like she's finally woken up and is trying to save herself?]

[Why do I feel like something bad is about to happen at this plot point, but I just can't remember what...]

I set my phone aside, a nervous laugh bubbling out. Sunlight striped the living room through the blinds, gold and shadow mixing on the floor. Outside, a neighbor’s dog barked at the mailman, and the world kept spinning. And as my phone buzzed again, I realized—for the first time—I didn’t know if I wanted to run, or stay and see what happened next.