Chapter 2

The rain was still falling.

Traffic in the city was badly snarled.

The tow truck Meryl had called wouldn't arrive for several more hours.

She couldn't stop worrying about Elwin, so she called to let him know she was safe.

"Don't worry, I'll come back once the rain stops."

"Keith and I will definitely get divorced today."

"Yes, I won't let you feel slighted. After your surgery, the wedding will be held in the Chinese style you like."

As she said all this, Meryl's face was full of tenderness.

I lowered my head and took a sip of the water in my glass.

I didn't know if there was something wrong with my sense of taste.

I clearly hadn't ordered coffee.

And yet the water in the glass tasted so bitter.

After she hung up, Meryl seemed to feel it had been a little inappropriate, and explained to me apologetically.

"Keith, don't mind him. Elwin's just got that kind of temper."

"His moods have been unstable ever since Caroline passed away."

"He's having an episode again now, and I don't dare provoke him."

Her eyes were nearly brimming over with tenderness.

I paused, then couldn't help speaking.

"Do you still remember the kidney I gave you?"

During our honeymoon, I had just donated a kidney to Meryl—it was three months after the surgery.

When we were robbed, I pulled out all the cash and jewelry I had on me.

I only begged Caroline not to hurt my body, which hadn't yet healed.

She had already agreed.

Somehow, because of one phone call from Elwin, they turned murderous toward us.

In the chaos, while protecting Meryl, I accidentally killed the other person.

And because of that, my body was gravely injured.

At the time Meryl held my hand and cried so hard she nearly fainted.

She said to me through her tears.

"Keith, I've wronged you. I owe you."

"I'll spend the rest of my life repaying you."

But now, she had fallen in love with the killer's younger brother.

I took a deep breath.

I lowered my head and didn't press it any further.

"Forget it. It's all in the past."

Three years in prison had already smoothed everything over.

Meryl, though, suddenly grew agitated.

Her eyes reddened, and the coffee in her hand spilled out.

"Of course I remember! How could I ever forget!"

"That's the kidney you donated to me. The doctor said the transplant recovered very well."

"We bought rehabilitation equipment, and we set up the rehab room together with our own hands..."

Yes—back then the two of us had looked forward to my recovery with such joy.

But after I got out of prison, the rehabilitation equipment sat gathering dust.

And that rehab room we had set up with our own hands had been turned into Elwin's art studio.

Meryl explained it to me.

"Elwin was heartbroken after losing his family."

"The doctor suggested he ease the pain in his heart through painting, so I set up this studio for him."

She ached for Elwin, who had lost his only family.

But she forgot.

How much harder it must be for me, who had lost everything.

I glanced down at the time.

It felt like a long while had gone by.

It turned out only ten minutes had passed.

Three years had left us with nothing to say to each other.

We faced each other in silence, and could only stare blankly at the raindrops outside the window.

Meryl hesitated for a long time, then suddenly asked me.

"Keith, after the divorce, what do you plan to do?"