Chapter 5

Chloe took me to her apartment and let me move into her spare bedroom.

When she showed me the room, her eyes were shining. "Maya, look! I decorated it just for you!"

I stared at the pastel pink walls, the cute Disney desk, and the plush doll resting on the bed. For a moment, I was completely dazed.

Since moving in with Ethan, how long had it been since I'd owned anything like this?

Ethan was a strict minimalist. Our apartment was a sterile void of black, white, and gray.

Whenever I brought home anything pink or cute, he would sneer, calling my taste "utterly tacky and childish."

The memory hit me, and tears began to stream down my face again. I hugged Chloe, sobbing into her shoulder.

If Ethan was a ten-year nightmare I couldn't wake up from...

Then Chloe was the universe's way of healing me.