Five years had passed since my divorce when I ran into Evren Hendrix again in a high-end boutique.
The store clerk was wrapping the tie I had chosen for my husband. When she spotted him entering, her tone instantly grew warm and eager.
Mr. Hendrix, your wife already picked out your suit; its all set.
Giving a slight nod, his eyes paused on the tie in my hand. Add hers to my bill, too.
I turned it down politely and placed the cash from my hand on the counter.
A quiet sigh left him. Paisley Maynard, even after all these years, you still hate me.
I smiled faintly and didnt answer.
Who still had the time to hate someone?
I had already let it go long ago.
Grabbing the shopping bag, I slipped it into the canvas tote full of groceries and started to walk away.
The early fall wind blew hard.
Following my usual route to the bus stop, the gusts whipped my hair across my face until I could barely see.
When I finally brushed it aside, I saw Evrens car stopped right in front of me.
Seeing my reddened eyes, his eyebrows pulled together.
Get in. Ill take you home.
No need, but thanks. Im taking the bus.
He looked me over, and when his eyes landed on the canvas bag over my shoulder, he asked carefully, Have you been doing alright these years?
Ive been fine.
It was clear he didnt believe me. Come on, get in. Let me drive you, just this once.
The bus behind me honked again and again, yet he didnt move at all.
With everyone staring, I unwillingly got into the car.
Strathand Villa, I said flatly as I gave the address.
For a few seconds, the car stayed quiet before he spoke with an awkward tone. Why are you staying in that place? Its been deserted for years, and for you to live there alone, and
He couldnt bring himself to continue, but I already knew what he meant.
That was where my mother had died.
Ten years ago on this very day, she had refused to attend my wedding with Evren.
She jumped from the tenth-floor rooftop.
The back seat had plenty of space, but the heat felt too strong, so I lowered the window a little.
Youll get sick from the wind. Close it, if its too hot, Ill just turn the temperature down.
I smiled faintly and shook my head. Not anymore. Do what you want.
He stayed quiet. After a while, his phone rang. Sweetheart, did you pick up your clothes? Where are you right now?
The voice from the cars speaker was familiar, yet it carried a playful tone I could hardly recognize.
I did. I happened to meet Paisley. Im giving her a ride.
The line went silent for a few seconds.
Paisleys back? Its been ages. Why didnt you tell me earlier? You didnt even ask me to come along?
I had known Leah Terrell for over ten years, and I had never heard her talk like that before.
She used to be quiet and shy, caring only about her painting.
Even when someone stole her competition piece, she would just hide somewhere and cry.
It had been me who used a baseball bat to destroy that persons painting in front of everyone, who wrote a report to expose the cheating, and who spent three days in juvenile detention for standing up for her.
Yes, when affection ran deep enough, it could become part of you.
It just happened by chance. She has things to take care of. Ill head home after dropping her off.
A coincidence means we were meant to meet. Why not treat an old friend to dinner?
Leah, thats enough.
Silence followed from the other side.
When Evren tried to comfort someone, his tone was always soft, yet once he decided on something, no one could change his mind.
Leah should have known that better than me.
The call cut off suddenly, just as the car stopped at the entrance to the complex.
Thanks.
After saying it politely, I stepped out.
Evren shifted his eyes away from the surroundings and called out to me.
May I ask, Paisley, who that tie was meant for?
For my husband.
With a faint, weary smile, Evren rubbed his temple, as if my reply was only meant to stir him.
That same brand and design, you used to get it for me all the time five years back.
So what?
My eyes met his, calm and sure.
You dont have to act like youre fine. After all these years, I only hope youre doing alright, not like this.
Like what?
In the glass by the community gate, my reflection appeared.
Simple clothes, plain flats, and a canvas bag packed with groceries.
I looked like any ordinary person working to get by.
For someone who once dressed in fine clothes and jewelry, this wasnt bad at all.
With no irritation, I smiled. I think its pretty good.
For a moment, his expression wavered. Paisley, you really dont seem like the same person anymore.
Yeah, people tell me that a lot.
Saying that, I turned and walked off, never once turning my head.
After climbing five floors, I unlocked the door.
Inside, the place still looked nearly the same as it had the year before.
Beside the old TV stood my mothers photo, the candle before it long gone out.
I set new ones in place, tied on an apron, and headed for the kitchen.
Soon, I had three dishes and one soup ready.
Across the table sat a bowl of rice that no one had touched, and I ate slowly.
Mom, I saw Evren today.
Dont get upset. He cant push your daughter around anymore. Im not as na?ve as I used to be.
Only silence answered back.
With little hunger left, I laid down my utensils and walked into the bedroom, pulling out an old photo album.
Lets look at your beauty again, Mom. Staring at that black-and-white one all the time gets dull.
Before I could flip open the album, a photo slipped loose and dropped onto the floor.
When I bent down to grab it, the faces in it came into view.
Evren and Leah.
Three young faces smiling easily at the camera.
I stood in the center, arms hooked around both of them, my smile the widest, one of my right canine teeth missing, making me look a little goofy.
That had been the summer when we were thirteen.
Debt collectors had tracked down Evrens house, shouting and threatening to hurt people.
None of the neighbors dared to step in, not even my parents, but I ran in anyway.
The punch meant for Evrens face landed square on mine.
My tooth broke right then, and my face stayed puffy for half a month.
My mother, upset and shaken, told me I must never have anything to do with the Hendrix family again.
But she never expected his mother, dragging her disabled legs, to kneel before my parents, bowing in respect.
With that, my mothers heart softened.
For almost ten years, through every season, there was always one more pair of utensils and an extra bowl waiting for Evren at our table.
During every holiday or festival, there was always another set of new clothes, boys sizes.
Whenever she had free time, my mother would help Riley sell at her stall, and if anyone dared to cause her trouble, my mothers temper would flare until no one ever bothered her again.
They began calling each other sisters.
Yet no one ever imagined that the quiet, self-conscious younger sister, who could barely speak without stuttering, would one day climb into her older sisters husbands bed.
That day when I walked through the door, the entire house was in ruins.
In the center of the room, my mother stood sobbing so hard it seemed she couldnt catch her breath.
Across her face were five red handprints.
My father, meanwhile, stood shielding the woman clinging to his chest.
Lets divorce. You can take everything, I just want Riley.
Next to me, Evren looked terrified, reaching out to grab Rileys hand, but my mother struck her twice.
I shoved her, and she dropped to the floor, staring up at me in complete shock.
At that moment, I cried as well, but what I said cut straight to the heart.
Mom, what gives you the right to hit Evren?
Those broken pieces of memory stopped on the small picture I was holding.
After divorcing Evren that year, I had burned every single thing tied to him, yet I hadnt realized one had still escaped the fire.
Just as I was ready to throw it into the trash, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
I figured it was Thelma Wagner, who always came by around this time every year, so I opened it right away.
What I hadnt expected was to see Leah standing there, holding Evrens arm.
Her smile was bright. Paisley, long time no see! So many years have passed, and you havent changed at all.
Evren couldnt refuse me. We just stopped in unexpectedly, hope were not disturbing you?
I looked at the two of them calmly. Im not letting you come in. What do you want?
A faint pause crossed Leahs smile as she looked somewhat pitifully at the man beside her.
She only wanted to see you, and she even brought a gift, nothing else in mind.
After speaking, Evren set what he was holding down on the cabinet by the entryway.
Right away, Leah began introducing it with bright enthusiasm.
These skincare products are the ones Ive really liked lately. I happened to have an extra set at home. We used to share things like this all the time, so I thought Id bring it over to you.
Dropping my eyes for a quick look, I saw it was the same brand my housekeeper uses.
That picture
Tears suddenly welled in Leahs eyes.
Paisley, after so many years, you still havent moved on, have you?
I crushed the photo in my hand and tossed it easily into the trash. Not that serious.
She looked like she wanted to take my hand, but stopped partway.
I know theres still resentment in your heart. If you and Evren were still together, today would mark your wedding anniversary.
About what happened back then, I really didnt have a choice. If you truly dont mind anymore, let us buy you dinner. And if you ever need help with anything in your life, just tell us, were old friends after all.
I was just about to turn them down right away when the candle in front of the memorial tablet suddenly crackled with a loud pop.
I gave a faint smile and changed my mind in an instant.
All right.
Leah spoke more than she used to. Her small gestures had also become more frequent.
As she talked about her and Evrens trip to Turkey last month, she leaned over at a red light to apply her lip balm to his mouth.
Every autumn and winter, I always have to remind you, last time you kissed too hard, you even bled a little, cant you ever remember?
Evren caught her wandering hand and looked slightly impatient. Stop it.
Oh, I almost forgot, Paisley is here too.
Paisley, you dont mind, do you? Evren and I have always been like this
I cut her off calmly. Of course not.
I even saw the two of you rolling around in bed back then, so how could I care about something this small now?
The car went completely silent. At last, quiet settled in.
As I turned my eyes to the view outside the window, I thought that if my mother were still alive, she would probably be stunned by how much everything had changed.
Back then, when Dad insisted on divorcing her for Riley, it almost drove her mad.
And when I secretly became Evrens wife, that was what took her life.
At first, my anger was only toward my father and Riley.
They were the ones who betrayed my mother, forcing her to turn from a confident, unbreakable woman into a fragile, bitter person who lost control over the smallest things.
Time had been especially harsh on her, slowly taking away every bit of life she still had left.
Afterward, I began to hate myself.
Once I had tearfully arranged my mothers funeral, I spent what should have been my honeymoon alone in the south for a month.
During that period, the only person I didnt resent was Evren.
He was like a pearl buried in dust, a pitiful yet helpless child of fate.
Before leaving, I asked Leah to look after him for me.
She took excellent care of him. In the new home where we were meant to start our married life, she moved quickly and skillfully in the kitchen, making five dishes and a soup, all looking beautiful.
I sincerely thanked her.
That year, the connection between the three of us became closer than ever.
Evren treated me with growing affection.
With the first earnings from his company, he bought me the gemstone bracelet I had once admired.
For my birthday, he lit fireworks across the entire city to celebrate.
Each month during my period, he would cancel all his face-to-face meetings and stay home just to keep me company.
I had never questioned it.
He loved me down to his bones.
Until one day, by coincidence, I went to his office alone.
Through a half-closed, hidden door came faint, breathless sounds.
I pushed the door open.
Two bare bodies, pale as snow, cut into my sight like blades.
A scream tore out of me before I could stop it.
He reacted fast, moving to shield the woman under him.
Who allowed you in?!
Get out!
I lost control, throwing everything I could grab at them.
Blood ran from Evrens temple, yet he still thought to cover the woman in his arms.
I wrecked everything around me, but I couldnt bring myself to go closer.
They were the two people I had loved more than anyone.
The fear dug into my bones, and my teeth rattled as I tried to stay composed.
Leah, look at me.
Her face was swollen and red from crying. Wrapped in a blanket, she knelt before me.
Paisley, Im sorry.
What happened between Evren and me was wrong, but weve fallen helplessly in love.
Im begging you, please let us be together, all right?
The way she knelt there, pitiful and begging, looked exactly like that first year we met, when a group of delinquent girls had cornered her in an alley.
That year, to protect her, I, once the perfect student, completely offended that group, and for a long time afterward, I didnt dare take shortcuts home.
At my wedding, I had personally handed her the bouquet, wishing her to find her own happiness someday.
And now, she lay in my husbands arms, asking me to give her my blessing.
Tears ran down my face, and my voice came out barely above a whisper.
When did it begin?
Her shaking lips couldnt make a sound, but another voice answered for her.
Does that even matter? Havent you made enough of a scene? This is a company, not your home.
It doesnt matter?! Evren, how can this not matter?!
I screamed hysterically at him.
He stood completely bare, but his eyes stayed calm.
Fine! Ill tell you!
Last March, when you left me and went to the south alone, thats when it began.
I never meant to hide it from you, but you had just lost your mother. I didnt want to hurt you again, so I went along with your moods and kept the marriage going.
Leah has suffered enough. I couldnt stand seeing her live in fear because of me. I planned to wait until after your mothers death anniversary to ask for a divorce.
Now that you know, we might as well lay everything out.
Lets divorce. You can take whatever you want. I only want Leah.
It was only at that moment that I truly understood.
That slap I had given my mother back then, when I stood on Evrens side, just how heavy it had been.
Before divorcing Evren, I still made a complete scene.
Using my phone, I took photos of their shameful state in bed, printed countless flyers with those pictures and captions, and sent them to every employee in their company.
Outside the office building, the banners revealing their dirty affair kept increasing.
I went to the school to report Leah for inappropriate behavior.
The forum of the art academy where she studied was filled with indecent gossip.
At her graduation ceremony, I hired people to play a looping video of the three of us laughing together on the big screen.
The memories I once treasured turned into weapons for me to strike back at them, but Evren still managed to shield her.
She graduated successfully from the nations top art academy. And she was soon going to hold her first art exhibition.
To clear the path for Leah, Evren finally met my eyes.
Leahs dream is about to come true. It has nothing to do with what happened between us. Dont make things hard for her.
By that time, I was already consumed by anger.
How is that causing trouble? Im all set for it. The guests at her exhibition will be thrilled to see those masterpieces.
A folder suddenly landed in front of me.
If you want to keep your mothers resting place intact, behave yourself. Sign the divorce papers and stay far away from me and Leah from now on.
At the time of my mothers burial, I had been too overcome with grief, so he, her son-in-law, managed everything, including picking and buying the cemetery plot.
Maybe because land was limited, even the graves for the dead were being resold.
If Evren put his name on that document, my mother would never be able to rest quietly.
I flung a cup of coffee straight into his face.
That night, I wept myself to sleep beside my mothers grave.
The next day came, and I still went to the city hall, but what I faced wasnt what I had imagined, since Evren only gave me one of his familys old houses.
When you reported the companys financial issues, a large part of the funds got frozen. This is all I can give you.
If it werent for Leah pleading for you, you wouldnt get a single cent.
I had never been able to compete with Evren, not even when we were kids.
By nature, he was calm and composed, never reckless, and skilled at using tactics and influence to reach what he wanted.
I, on the other hand, was the kind who rushed forward without thinking, hurting the other side by eight hundred and myself by a thousand.
Quieting down, I did exactly what he wanted.
The house was sold, and before I headed south, I still went to Leahs art exhibition.
I decided at the last minute.
The giant screen in the city center showed the womans gentle, lovely face, and the exhibition was named The Key of the Soul.
That phrase had appeared countless times in the letters we once exchanged during our youth, a word that carried pure, innocent hope, a mark of the most genuine beauty between friends.
With the last bit of almost self-inflicted nostalgia, I wrapped myself tightly and stepped into the exhibition hall, like a rat sneaking a glance at someone elses happiness.
I didnt realize what I was seeing until my eyes landed on the painting called The Key of the Soul.
Two bare bodies.
The mole on the mans shoulder blade was one I had brushed my fingers over countless times.
The woman held the pillow so tightly that the fabric creased. The backdrop was a bed covered in pale purple sheets, and beyond the window, magnolias bloomed in full splendor.
That was the exact kind I had chosen myself at the flower market.
Pink petals, wide as cups, quiet in their beauty.
That had been my home.
It turned out to be the place where she and Evren first lay together.
So the soul belonged to her, and the key was his.
A rush of sickness climbed up my throat.
I threw up right there on the floor.
The noise startled the two of them as they greeted guests nearby.
Then a soft, delicate voice reached my ears.
Are you alright, young lady?
The brooch shaped like a heart on her chest shone so bright it almost stung my eyes, matching perfectly with the key-shaped cufflinks on the mans sleeve.
Like someone who had lost control, I grabbed that brooch and dragged it across the painting on the wall.
The sound of tearing canvas spread through the entire hall, and people around let out shocked gasps.
Everything turned chaotic at once, and the guards shoved me down to the ground.
My cheek pressed against the cold floor, and the man, holding the sobbing woman, met my eyes.
It was the look one gives to a rat crawling out of the gutter.
Call the police, he said.
I started laughing, louder and louder, so loud that everyone nearby backed away.
Because the damage amount went over ten thousand dollars, I was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay for property loss and emotional distress.
During my time there, I tried to take my own life several times, yet somehow I was always rescued by chance.
Later, for good behavior, I, Paisley, was released early, completely broke.
But I had already made up my mind.
When the car stopped at the destination, Leah went to the restroom to fix her makeup.
Standing beside me, Evren spoke in a low voice, apologizing.
Im sorry.
What happened back then was our fault. Ill tell Leah to be more careful next time.
I lifted an eyebrow. The Evren I knew before would never have lowered his pride to me.
Now he was the one choosing to apologize first.
Puzzled, I looked at him.
No need. Youre husband and wife. Seeing you two just reminded me of the past, thats all.
A brief sadness appeared in his eyes. I couldnt make sense of it, nor did I want to.
Luckily, Leah returned. She seemed to have completely brushed off everything that had happened in the car.
We three used to love pitching in for barbecue. Lets eat until we cant anymore today.
Evren didnt quite agree.
Back then, Paisley only ate barbecue because of us. Her stomachs sensitive, she cant handle too much spice. How could you forget that?
Its okay. My stomachs fine now.
Years of proper care had already brought both my body and mind back to their best condition.
My phone suddenly rang.
On the screen, the large words Husband showed.
I answered.
The mans clear, pleasant voice came with a playful complaint.
Wife, taking that little rascal on TV tired me out more than working ten straight days. When you see me later, youll definitely say Ive lost weight.
From the background came a young boys soft, childish voice complaining, No way! Mommy, Daddy got hit on by an auntie today, and they talked so happily
You brat, setting me up for your Dad again! That was the host!
Listening to their noisy chatter on the other end, I couldnt stop smiling.
When I lifted my head, the big screen in the mall showed the mans handsome face as he spoke seriously during an interview.
Beside him, a round, pink-cheeked child turned his head curiously, his wide eyes shining with innocence, looking almost too cute to be real.
After a bit more talking, I ended the call and snapped a picture of the screen.
Right as I sent it over, I noticed the two people beside me had frozen completely.
Paisley, youre married?
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