Chapter 37
The next day, Ellie woke up and got ready for work. As she left her room, she saw Alex on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and scrolling through his phone.
“Let me check your hand,” Ellie said, squatting down beside him She carefully unwrapped the bandage and re–dressed the injury. Tm off to work. Don’t forget to lock the door when you leave.
Seeing Ellie about to leave, Alex frowned, “What about breakfast
“You can have something at home,” Ellie replied, not waiting for his response before heading out.
After Ellie left, Alex got up, still wrapped in the blanket, and wandered around the living room. He went to the kitchen, grabbed an apple, and munched on it as he walked into Ellie’s bedroom.
“Heartbroken?” Alex thought, recalling Layton’s comment from the night before. He opened Ellie’s small wardrobe, filled with a few simple clothes. His gaze fell on a plain white dress. “So basic,” he muttered.
As he grumbled, Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out the pink diamond necklace he had thrown away during their fight.
Last night, after Ellie had fallen asleep, he had retrieved it from the trash and cleaned it with soap. Remembering how Ellie had looked when she tried on the necklace, Alex’s expression softened, and he hung it on the hanger with the white dress.
On the balcony, Alex noticed a sketch on the easel. He knew Ellie could sing; Nancy had sent her for vocal lessons when she was young. But he wondered when she had started drawing.
He pulled out the sketch, which showed a vague outline of a man’s head with no details, and a messy scribble in the corner that looked a bit like grass. He tossed the sketch aside and, finding nothing unusual, went back to the living room.
a piece of her
Alex swung open the balcony door, spotting a few of Ellie’s clothes hanging there. His gaze briefly landed on a black lace lingerie, and he couldn’t help but think, ‘She’s so thin, but does she really need something like that? Realizing he was getting distracted, Alex quickly looked away and touched his ears, which felt like they were on fire,
It seemed Ellie had left in a hurry, as one of the clips on her lingerie was loose, letting it dangle halfway down.
Alex slapped his own forehead, muttering, “It’s just a piece of fabric, no big deal.” He continued to talk to himself, biting into an apple as he went to properly hang up Ellie’s lingerie.
When Aaron walked in with a bag of fruit, he saw Alex with an apple in his mouth, hanging a woman’s underwear–a black bra–on the balcony. This was his sister’s place, and it was pretty clear whose bra it was.
15:04 Sat, Jan 25
Chapter 38
