Chapter 6
I got home and told the housekeeper to pack
up Mark’s stuff.
I wanted to ship it to his and his mom’s
crummy apartment.
As I was packing, I realized I’d bought most of
this stuff.
Since we were breaking up, I was taking it all
back.
I’d rather give it to a homeless person than to
that murderer.
While I was packing, Jessica waltzed right in.
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I forgot to change the code.
I hadn’t confronted Jessica yet, so I just
smiled. “Jess, perfect timing! I’m packing up
Mark’s stuff. One last time, cleaning up his
trash. It’s just this tiny bag, you can take it with you later, if you want?”
Jessica stared at the black trash bag,
cringing. “Ashley, how could you? You’re not
really going to let Mark die, are you? You
can’t be so cruel!”
I rolled my eyes and said, “You know me, Jess. I love him, but he doesn’t love me. I
can’t force it. I have to respect his decision.” Jessica, seeing I wasn’t kidding, pulled out her phone. “I didn’t want to show you this, but
listen to this recording.”
“Mark said this after you left. It’ll change your
mind.”
I snatched the phone and deleted the
recording. “I know what he’s going to say. I
don’t want to hear it. Please stop trying to
convince me.”
“If you keep trying, we might not even be
friends anymore.”
Jessica was shocked by my words.
After hesitating for a moment, she grabbed
the trash bag and left.
Before she did, she warned, “Think about it.
Mark loves you. He’s just afraid of hurting you. That’s why he said those things.”
The only reply she got was the sound of my
door slamming.
