Chapter 4No Room For A Third

At noon the next day, I took a break during lunch to head back to the apartment.

The moment I pushed the door open, I thought I had walked into the wrong place.

Seven or eight pairs of shoes were piled chaotically in the entryway, both men's and women's. The coffee table in the living room was littered with empty takeout cups and half-eaten pizza boxes.

On the couch, Giselle and two girls I didn't recognize were lounging in face masks, laughing out loud at a reality show on TV.

At the sound of the door, they all turned around.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Giselle reacted first. She peeled off her face mask, offering a sweet smile. "Nora, you're back!"

She pointed to the girls on the sofa. "These are my former coworkers. They had the day off today, so I invited them over to hang out."

I looked at the two girls. One of them was holding my newly opened jar of La Mer cream. She was scooping out a generous blob and smearing it onto her neck.

Seeing me stare, she didn't look embarrassed at all. Instead, she giggled. "Giselle, your roommate's moisturizer is amazing. Mind if I borrow a bit?"

Roommate.

In my own home, I had been demoted to Giselle's roommate.

I walked straight over and snatched the cream out of her hand. "Yes, I do mind."

The girl froze, her face flushing bright red. "What's your problem? It's just a little lotion, don't be so stingy."

Giselle quickly stood up, grabbing my arm. "Nora, don't be mad. She didn't know it was yours. I thought anything on the counter was open for everyone to use..."

I shoved her hand off me. "My electric toothbrush is on the counter too. Do you want to share that as well?"

"Nora!"

The master bedroom door swung open. Derek walked out in loungewear, his face twisted into a deep frown. "What kind of crazy fit are you throwing the second you walk through the door?"

I looked at him, surprised to see him home on a weekday. "I'm crazy?"

I gestured to the messy floor and pointed at the girl holding my cream. "Derek, this is my home. It's not Giselle's homeless shelter, and it's certainly not her lounge for playing hostess."

Derek strode over, pulling Giselle behind him. "It's just a bit of face cream! I'll buy you ten jars, alright?"

He glared at me with pure disgust. "Giselle finally had a good day and invited friends over. Who are you trying to intimidate with this 'lady of the house' routine?"

Lady of the house.

Coming from his mouth, those words felt like a slap in the face.

Looking at Derek's familiar features, he suddenly felt like a complete stranger.

Seeing Derek back her up, the guest chimed in with a sarcastic sneer. "Seriously. Giselle always says her bro is the sweetest guy, turns out he's henpecked by a girl who throws a fit over a jar of lotion. I don't know how Derek puts up with you."

Derek didn't dispute it. He accepted her framing as a badge of honor. He pulled a credit card out of his wallet and tossed it onto the coffee table.

"Take it. Go to the mall and buy a new one yourself. Stop embarrassing me."

That card was the one I used to pay the household utilities and condo fees. Every single dollar in that account came from my monthly transfers.

I stared at the card and let out a dry laugh. "Derek, you're using my money to play the big man?"

Derek blinked, realizing which card he had thrown down. A flicker of embarrassment crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by defensive anger. "We share everything anyway, why are you splitting hairs? Have I ever kept money from you?"

I didn't answer. I turned and walked into the guest room.

The room that should have been kept empty for my mother was now cluttered with Giselle's clothes and handbags. Unopened delivery boxes were stacked right on the bed.

I walked over to the desk, intending to retrieve a few important documents I kept there.

I pulled open the drawer. It was completely empty.

Frowning, my eyes scanned the desk. I noticed a thick stack of papers jammed under one of the desk legs to level it.

Those were my personal health reports, along with copies of my mother's medical charts from her initial diagnosis.

They were crumpled, creased, and stained with dried coffee, serving as a makeshift shim for a wobbly desk.

My heart plunged straight into ice water.

I yanked the papers out from under the leg and marched back into the living room.

Slap.

I slammed the stained documents onto the coffee table. "Who did this?"

Giselle jumped. When she saw what the papers were, her face drained of color. "Nora, I'm so sorry... I spilled coffee the other day and just grabbed some scrap paper to level the desk. I didn't know those were your mom's medical records..."

"Scrap paper?" I stared at her coldly. "My name and my mother's name are printed right on top. Are you blind?"

"Nora!" Derek snapped, completely losing his temper. He shoved me back hard. "Have you had enough?! She already apologized! It's just a copy, you can print another one!"

The force of his shove made me stumble back. My lower back slammed hard against the sharp corner of the dining table.

A sharp, agonizing pain shot through me.

I held my waist, refusing to make a sound. I just looked at Derek with dead eyes.

"Derek."

"Do you even know that my mother has a biopsy scheduled for tomorrow?"

Derek's aggressive expression froze. "A biopsy? You didn't tell me..."

"I tried," I interrupted. "Last night, I called to tell you. But you were busy catching a cat for Giselle, and you complained that I was bothering you."

Silence swallowed the entire living room.

The two visiting girls realized things were spiraling out of control. They grabbed their purses and slipped out the door like mice.

Giselle, eyes brimming with tears, tugged at Derek's sleeve. "Derek... it's my fault... You should go check on Auntie..."

Derek looked at me in a panic. "Nora, I'm sorry, I really didn't know. Tomorrow I'll go to the hospital with you. I'll take the day off."

I stared at him for a long, quiet moment. Then I packed the dirty documents into my bag.

"No need."

"Tomorrow at two in the afternoon. If you still consider yourself a human being, show up."

Without another word, I turned and left the apartment.