More than 20 hours had passed since Elly Campbell sent that last message to Adam Jones the afternoon before yesterday, and she hadn’t replied to his text, nor had Adam sent another.
When busy, she didn’t really feel anything, but now that she was idle, sitting alone on the couch and facing the quiet living room, that suffocating sense of loneliness suddenly crept up like vines, climbing and growing incessantly through her bloodstream.
Laura hadn’t gone to sleep either; it seemed she sensed her mommy’s unhappiness and slowly climbed up, laying on her legs and letting out a soft "meow," as if to comfort her.
Elly held Laura in her arms, gently stroking her back, looking at this beautiful youngster, imagining Adam picking out a pet in the pet store, and her lips unconsciously curved into a smile.
She held Laura upright in front of her and said, "Do you know your daddy? He is a disaster, he’s already wrecked me once and yet, he wants to wreck me for a lifetime. Tell me, what should I do?"
She was asking Laura, yet it was as if she was talking to herself.
Laura didn’t understand what her mommy was saying, but she always meowed twice to give face, as a response.
Elly leaned back on the couch, looking at the ceiling and murmuring, "If I can’t let go, then let’s give us both a chance. You think that’s the right decision?"
"Maybe... he’s not as bad as I think, right?"
"The worst outcome... is just losing one more time, isn’t it?"
She held Laura, talking to herself for a long time, as if comforting herself and affirming her own thoughts.
Laura, unable to understand, just stepped on Elly’s belly, massaging her.
After a long time, Elly picked up Laura again, looked straight into her beautiful blue eyes, and said, "Little Laura, do you want a little sister?"
Whether Laura understood or not, Elly couldn’t help but laugh when she heard the meow and patted her little backside, saying,
"Go to sleep now, your brother’s already asleep."
Laura seemed to actually understand that sentence, leaving Elly’s side, wiggling her little butt as she crawled into her own cat bed and slowly closed her eyes.
Elly turned down the TV volume a bit and lay on her side on the couch. Shortly, she heard slow footsteps coming from the door.
She sat up abruptly, startled.
This floor was only for her and the room opposite Adam Jones’; at this time, why would there be footsteps at the door?
She sat up quickly from the couch, hearing someone pressing the passcode at the door.
She stood up and quickly walked to the entryway, picked up a decorative vase from the cabinet, and gripped it tightly in her hand.
The passcode lock was opened, and the person outside slowed down their movements as they pushed the door open.
Elly’s heart raced up to her throat.
The moonlight streaming into the living room elongated the tall silhouette at the door.
In the dark, Elly raised the vase in her hand and aimed it at the back of the person’s head, bringing it down forcefully.
The person reacted quickly, turning to dodge the blow from Elly, and as she had exerted too much force, the momentum of the vase carried her forward, nearly causing her head to hit the corner of the table.
She was scooped back in by the person behind her.
Elly stiffened, turning to strike back with the vase, but her wrist was caught, and the vase was smoothly taken from her hand.
The person wrapped her tightly in his arms, his raspy voice pressing low, "Elly, it’s me."