- 2.
“Okay. Glad it’s cleared up.
36
Cody’s eyes were full of approval, and he
patted my hand.
L
I looked down, tears silently dripping onto my
clothes.
Later that night, Cody snuck out of the
bedroom and left the house.
I went down to the basement, and entered the
code: Ashley’s daughter’s birthday.
The walls were covered in photos of her and
her kid.
1095 days. Not a day missed.
I opened the computer, and the shopping
history was all kids‘ toys and baby formula.
I clicked on a file called “Beloved,” and it was
filled with letters to Ashley, each one written
at 5:20 in the morning.
No wonder Betty always rushed me back to
my room at night. Now I knew why.
The whole basement was dedicated to this
woman.
In a drawer, I found a stack of documents,
outlining the plan to get away with murder.
There were even four different ways to kill me
accidentally if I started to cause problems.
I was shaking, trying to control myself,
gasping for air.
I remembered the first time I went into his
room after the accident. His social media
name was “a.”
washed him The “99 tottes
<
The first time I washed him. The “a” tattoo
on his lower back, which his friend had told
me was in admiration of my love.
Now I realized I’d been living in a lie created
by everyone else. And I was the only one who
bought it.
I was numb with pain, and stumbled back to
the bedroom in the dark.
At least I hadn’t ruined my chances for
treatment because of some misguided sense
of gratitude.
I logged into an old social media account…
When Cody came back, he went into the
bedroom, tucked the blankets around me, and
lay down next to me, whispering, “If you play
L
The next morning, Cody came bursting out of
the room, acting like he was irritated that
he’d woken up.
“Why didn’t you….‘
He suddenly remembered and changed the
subject.
“You fainted the other day. You feeling
okay?”
I looked up at him, not saying a word.
“Betty told me, and I remember a little bit
about what happened before…”
“I’m fine.”
I looked down at my oatmeal.
く
“Sarah, I’ve got a surprise for you, but I can’t
tell you yet.
وو
Cody snuggled close to me, acting like a
spoiled child.
“Cody really depends on Sarah…”
وو
I’d fainted a few days ago and gone to the
hospital by myself, not wanting to worry them.
The doctor said I had early–stage ALS.
If I started treatment right away overseas, I
could slow it down.
But I’d refused, wanting to take care of Cody.
His phone rang, and he quickly turned it off,
nails fleshed sarees bie
unlocking it and a smile flashed across his
face.
“Sarah, I gotta go do some work. Gotta take
care of you, you know?”
He rushed out the door.
After he left, I went to the estate lawyer and
wrote my will.
The company might have gone bankrupt, but
my dad had left me enough money to live on.
I listed my house on a real estate website.
And booked a flight to go for treatment
overseas.
I went to the police station to ask about the
Г
They said Ashley had been cleared. Unless I
had some real evidence, they couldn’t reopen
the case.
I went home, and heard a kid’s voice inside.
I heard the housekeeper talking.
“Is that her in the pictures in the basement? I
heard she and the young master grew up
together.”
“Yeah, and she saved his life. Betty said we
can’t let Sarah know that.”
“The young master pretending to be mentally
retarded, it’s all for her. What a tragic fate…”
In the living room, Ashley and Cody were face
<
to face, and a two–year–old was playing
nearby.
“Are… are you happy?”
“Very happy. My husband and my daughter
are great. I feel bad that you have to suffer in
my place.”
“I’d do anything for you. As long as you’re
happy.”
