Chapter 3

When I got home, I started packing up Simon's belongings.

As I looked at his drawings, a deep, lingering pain filled my heart once more.

Each picture depicted our family, with Collin and me holding his hand, laughing in various settings.

I carefully organized Simon's drawings, placing them in a box along with his tiny clothes and shoes, tidying everything away.

In a short while, there was no trace of Simon's life in this house.

I leaned back on the sofa, exhaling deeply, counting the days in my mind.

At the earliest, Collin would only realize Simon was truly gone when he opened the shop tomorrow.

But he often closed it to accompany Luna, making my revenge plan seem endlessly distant.

Yet, things moved faster than I anticipated. An unfamiliar yet recognizable number appeared on my phone screen.

It was Collin. How long had it been since he last called me?

I counted the seconds, letting them pass before answering his call.

As soon as the call was connected, Collin's roar came from the other end of the line. "Aubrey, have you lost your mind? I was just taking care of Luna, and you went crazy enough to burn down my shop? You really have the heart to kill so many animals in my store. Are you also planning to kill Luna and her daughter?"

Since Luna's husband passed away, I had been subjected to such insults day and night.

This was the first time that I didn't cry because of his words. Instead, a sneer appeared on the corner of my mouth.

He was right. I intended to kill them both.

Along with Collin and me, none of us deserved to live in a world where Simon's life was taken.

"Well? Is that so? Then go ahead and call the police." I responded coldly, and surprisingly, Collin fell silent.

According to his way of thinking, I should have cried and begged him to forgive me, begged him not to hate me, and not to leave me.

Luna chimed in and fanned the flames, "Collin, don't be angry. Aubrey just lost her mind for a moment. Don't be mad at her. At worst, Eva and I will help you start over."

Then Luna took over the phone and spoke directly to me, "Aubrey, you've misunderstood us. In Collin's eyes, I'm like a boy. If we were going to be together, it would have happened long ago, and you wouldn't have been involved, right? Besides, Collin isn't the type to cheat..."

I was in no mood to listen to her excuses and retorted bluntly, "So you're saying you're a man? How do you give birth to a child? Can you give me another one?"

Luna was momentarily speechless, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance as she explained, "Aubrey, I'm truly at my wit's end. You can't just leave Eva and me out on the streets, can you?"

"Well, so your parents are dead, your siblings have vanished, and you're a jinx with no friends, so you have to rely on someone with a wife and child to help you, right?"

Collin couldn't take it anymore, snatching the phone and shouting at me, "How dare you fucking talk to Luna like that? Don't you want to call the police? I'll call the police right now. Go to jail, you bitch."

With that, Collin hung up the phone.

Even through the phone, I could feel his fury.

I got up and walked to the room Collin and I used to share, though he hadn't slept beside me in ages.

From the depths of the wardrobe, I retrieved a folder containing a photograph, a "family portrait" of Collin with Luna and her daughter at an amusement park.

I picked up a utility knife and drew a large cross over Eva's face.

"Sunflower Kindergarten..." I murmured to myself, my hands never stopping.

Eventually, Eva's delicate, pretty face was marred beyond recognition. I held the photo up, examining it through the light. "Eva, I don't want to do this either. But you are a born troublemaker too."