ked from a sudden downpour. The hous

ng in the livin

ing past him and he

owel around me from behind. "You're soake

I brushed his hands away, m

d him waiting in my room w

e said. "You'll

e right thing, fulfilled his duties. I had once

. "The wedding is in two weeks," he said, hi

ence, my heart a dead,

wedding. I would

and applied for a visa. As I was l

here?" he asked, a flicke

s paperwork," I lied smoothly.

ht that I might leave him, that I might have a

insisted I join them for lunch. Drake

a hot pot

gged Drake to take me to a hot pot place for years, b

Kalea loves it," one of the residen

g, staring do

posite them. I had a front-row seat to his devotion. I watched him tie an apron for her, wat

cks so tightly my kn

cked a piece of food from the pot and dropped it into my

I was severely allergi

pushed the

eal with my head down, t

Kalea said suddenly, her eyes fixed on t

e locket prot

to me reached over and snatched the ne

!" I yelled,

ly, his brow furrowed in annoyance a

's hand, but Kalea "accidentally" bu

e air and landed with a si

g my hand into the scaldi

p my arm. I cried out, pulling my h

orn of years of dependence,

ing over Kalea, who was crying that a dr

ntly took her hand and blew on the tiny red spot, ignoring m

e, my hand throbbing, my heart c

finally came to my senses, the restaurant

t from the pot. It was warped from the

gone. Dissolv

d taken my mothe

slid to the floor, the pain in my hand fo

mpty restauran

ver, ever