Kylie looked deeply into Ethan's eyes. She asked him about his relationship with Dora and what they did when they were alone. He gave her a dark look, but she didn't back down. "I have explained it to you before," he replied. "I have no desire to revisit the matter."

Kylie nodded. Indeed, Ethan had told her much, and yet she sensed that he was still holding a lot back. She knew that she couldn't push him too hard, though. He was defensive now. If she wasn't careful, he would either shut down or go on the offensive. "At least tell me what you do when you visit her," she said, "so that I don't have to be jealous all of the time…"

​​

Ethan smiled, and he said, "We watch movies and chat. Dora helped me a lot once. We have known each other for a long time, and we are the best of friends. In the future, I will tell you when I am going to visit her – and maybe I will ask you to join us so that you won't be so worried all of the time."

"If I trust you,��� Kylie wondered, "would you trust me?"

Ethan nodded and said that he would.

Kylie smiled, and she said, "Stars has returned, and he is not doing well. I would like to stay with him for three or four days and take care of him."

Ethan frowned. He could not imagine letting her go for one day, let alone three or four. He didn't speak, though. He knew that after all that he'd put her through, he needed to be careful about what he said and how he responded. Finally, he said, "I am fine with that, but why don't we help him together?"

Before Kylie could reply, Ethan's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. Looking up at Kylie, he said, "It's Dora. She's hungry, and she's asked me to bring her an egg with fried rice."

Kylie sighed and raised her hand to call a waiter over so that she could order the food for Dora.

"You can put your hand down," Ethan said. "She prefers the food from The Alley Restaurant."

Kylie frowned. She didn't mind that Ethan had his friendship with Dora. Often though, it seemed like her marriage to Ethan took a back seat to his relationship with Dora, which was unacceptable to her. She understood what they'd been through a lot together, but a part of her no longer cared.

Kylie wanted her husband, and she didn't think that that was unreasonable.

"Go and get food for your friend," Kylie sighed. "It sounds like she's hungry, and besides, I still have some work to finish."

Ethan touched her hand tenderly, and he said, "I'll pick you up when you're done."

"Don't worry," Kylie replied. "I've got a ride."

The sense of loss that Kylie felt in her heart as Ethan drove away was unbearable. Once he was out of sight, she meandered over to her own car, unlocked the door, and climbed in. It wasn't until the door was closed that she began to cry. Day by day, she felt little pieces of her soul, breaking away and dying as they flittered and flew away with the wind.

Once she had her emotions under control, she dried her eyes and began to drive. She had a hard time paying attention to the road, though, and she ran through at least two red lights. Other cars honked at her but, luckily, she didn't cause any accidents.

Once Kylie was back in the office, Faith brought her a glass of milk tea. She took it, opened the lid and took a good sniff "It smells delicious," she said as she took her first sip. "You're so sweet. Thank you."

Faith's face turned red, and she said, "Don't thank me, thank Ken. He's the one who bought it for you."

Hearing this, Kylie leaned over and spat the tea that was in her mouth into the garbage.

Faith frowned, and she asked Kylie what her problem was. "Is it too hot?" she wondered.

"It's not too hot," Kylie replied. "I just don't want anything from that lying piece of shit! You weren't with him today, were you?"

Faith sighed and said, "He is not as bad as you make him out to be. I met him earlier; yes. He gave me some stock market tips, and he even bought you this drink. And I think that he's in love with you!"

Kylie tossed the tea into the garbage and sat back into her chair. She looked around the room as if she were looking for something. Then, when her eyes returned to Faith's, she said, "Like you, I once trusted Ken, but I regretted it. He often does good things and wins people's trust, but he never stops scheming. Whatever he does that is good is always a part of some nefarious plan. You can't trust him. I can't order you to stay away from him, but I hope you take my warning very seriously.

"Just recently," she continued, "he actually tried to ruin my marriage…"

***

By the time Ethan reached Sunshine Garden, Dora was hungrier than she'd been in a very long time. Before she sat down to eat, though, she served him a cup of coffee. "I just made it," she said. "You will like it. There is a hint of hazelnut."

Ethan took it as he sat down at the table, across from where he'd placed the food.

Dora sat down, had a bite of the food, and then she looked at Ethan. "I only have one day left," she said. "Could we talk about our history together? There are still so many gaps in my memory that I feel like a brick of Swiss cheese.

Ethan nodded, took out a cigarette, lit it, and placed it in his mouth. He took a drag and frowned. "I am a little bit afraid," he admitted. "I haven't even thought about those times in ages. I have pushed them so far back that, when the images come to me in my sleep, I am able to convince myself that they never actually happened. If I talk about those times, now, I wonder, will they be real again? Will I wear the events on my chest like a scarlet letter? Will Kylie be able to read the events in my eyes when I look at her as if they were words in a book?

"I don't know," he admitted. "When I speak my fears out loud, they sound crazy…" He frowned. "I can't do this, and it isn't fair of you to ask me to!"

Ethan crushed his cigarette in Dora's bowl of food and removed himself from the table.

Dora watched him as he paced the living room. Occasionally, he ran his hands through his hair. At this moment, he looked like a madman. She said, "Every time I see you, no matter how excited I am, I have to pretend to be nothing more than a friend of yours. All you think about is Kylie, and you act as if we never had anything special between us…"

Ethan sat down on the couch, but he didn't say anything.

Dora: "The first time I saw you, we were only nine, but I fell in love with you. I wanted to be close to you. I wanted to protect you, and I wanted to hurt anyone who had already hurt you."

Dora put her hands over her face, and she began to cry. She sat down in front of him and took comfort from his proximity to her. "Do you remember when I bathed you?" she continued. ��I always squatted outside of the bathtub. I was afraid that you would see my abnormality and that it would frighten you."

Dora's hand touched the leg of Ethan's jeans and slowly inched up. It wasn't until they reached his groin, that Ethan stood up and brushed her off. "If this is the way that you are going to be," he hissed, "I cannot be with you!"