Chapter 5: Goodbye, Chicago

As expected, Derek didn’t come back last night.

Early the next morning, as soon as I stepped outside, I heard the neighbors gossiping.

"There was trouble in Maple Heights last night—a guy actually took a knife wound from a drifter to protect his wife. If only my man were so brave!" The woman's laughter was half-joking, half-envious, echoing off the brick rowhouses.

Sure enough, near noon, Derek returned, his hand wrapped in gauze. I wasn’t home and didn’t know how badly he was hurt, nor did I care. In the past, even a small cut on his finger would make me worry for half a day. I truly cared for him once. Now, my concern was as thin as the winter sunlight coming through the window.

When Derek first took me in, I paid rent by doing chores, though I wasn’t very good at it and he often helped me. Later, as my hands grew calloused and rough, I got better, and all the chores became my responsibility.

After eating, I changed clothes, grabbed my wallet, and went out shopping. The system said that after the mission was complete, I could take my lover back with me. I negotiated with the system to exchange my so-called lover for local specialties instead. The system agreed.

I made a long list in my head—even a gift for my distant Aunt Sarah was on it. After all, if I didn’t spend the money, I couldn’t take it with me. Better to let it benefit Aunt Sarah than Lillian. Maybe I’d even snag a Chicago deep-dish pizza for the road, something to remember this city by. I’d even grab a box of Frango mints and a Sox cap for Aunt Sarah—just to prove I’d really been here.

Not far away, I saw some local toughs standing in the alley. I nodded at Tyler, slipped him a folded twenty, and he tipped his head in that South Side way that meant I was safe, at least for today. Derek was always busy with work, and the rest of his time was given to Lillian. Of course he never saw how hard I worked just to survive. I’d learned the rhythms of the city—the way to walk with confidence, the rules of respect.

While he stayed up all night with Lillian, I slept with a kitchen knife under my pillow, never daring to sleep deeply. If even Lillian’s neighborhood wasn’t safe, how could ours be? I kept pepper spray in my purse, a baseball bat tucked behind the front door.

"Anna..."

Suddenly, Derek’s voice sounded behind me. His shoes scuffed against the icy sidewalk, that awkward shuffle I recognized from a mile away.