What I Lost and Found

Judy and I still had to live. We had rent to pay and medication to buy.

The only way was to work nonstop, day and night, then catch up on sleep in class.

Maggie frowned again.

"That's his mom. Why are you the one taking care of her, buying medicine, and earning money to support her? He goes to Merinthia and just lives it up? No job, no income, and he doesn't give you a single dollar?"

I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I gave a quiet hum.

When Morris had just gone abroad, he called me every day. He complained about how expensive everything was, how he couldn't find a part-time job, and how he could barely afford food.

Courtney complained, too. She said life there was nothing like home, and that even our days in the foster home had been better than studying overseas.

I felt sorry for them. I squeezed money out wherever I could and transferred it to support their living expenses.

Over time, the calls grew fewer. Half a year later, they only accepted the money. They stopped replying.

At that point, Maggie's phone rang. She hurriedly clocked out and left work.

I took one last look at Zach's file and stood up to go home.

In the shower, I pulled off my silk scarf and exposed the ugly, twisted scar on my neck.

Morris had caused it.

Ten years ago, in the spring, I couldn't reach him. Courtney had disappeared, too.

I gritted my teeth and used the last bit of money I had to buy a cheap plane ticket to find him.

What I saw was Morris holding Courtney under a tree, kissing her deeply.

When they pulled apart, he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. They smiled at each other, their eyes sparkling.

A spring breeze drifted by. The streetlights glowed dimly. Maple leaves rustled overhead.

They looked like a painting, like a poem filled with tenderness.

I lost it. I rushed over, forced them apart, and hurled the cup I was holding at Morris's face.

When I turned to slap Courtney, the cup came flying back at me.

It hit my cheek squarely.

Scalding hot water splashed out and streamed down my neck.

I had forgotten that the lid had broken the day they met. It never sealed properly.

All this time, I hadn't even had the money to buy a new one.

Where the hot water flowed, the pain was unbearable. Morris acted as if he couldn't see it. He pulled Courtney behind him and looked at me coldly.

"Olivia, if you want to hate someone, hate me. Courtney didn't betray you."

I hated them.

Of course, I hated them.

Ignoring the pain from the burns, I broke down and demanded to know why they had betrayed me.

Courtney was crying, too. At first, it was quiet sobbing. When a crowd gathered around us, she suddenly exploded.

"Olivia, you have no idea how hard life has been for us over there! We only had each other to rely on. Of course, we got together!"

I couldn't accept that excuse.

"And do you think my life back home was happy? You had each other. What did I have? I had no one but myself!"

Morris stopped me when I surged forward and pulled her into his arms to protect her.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze distant and cold.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault. But Courtney didn't lie to you. We went through a lot together this past year. We didn't tell you because we didn't want you to worry."

My heart went cold.

I stared at him and spoke slowly, word by word.

"Just because you two went through a lot this past year, does that mean the seven years we went through together don't count anymore?

"Do you know that before I came to find you, your mom was still at home worrying about you, afraid something had happened?

"And yet for half a year, you didn't make a single call to check in. You took the money I sent you, then turned around and started dating my best friend!"