The day of the car crash, my wife, Chloe, reacted on pure instinct. The first person she pulled from the wreckage was my brother, Ethan, who only had a few scrapes. I was left pinned in the crushed backseat, trapped until the rescue team finally arrived and cut me out of a pool of my own blood. The doctors said the trauma was severe. I would likely never be able to have children. Worse, my brain suffered massive damage. My cognitive functions regressed to that of a three-year-old. When I woke up, I didn’t recognize my wife, nor did I recognize the brother she had shielded in her arms. Everyone called it a tragic accident. Chloe sat by my hospital bed every single day. She applied my medication, spoon-fed me my meals, and patiently taught me how to recognize people again. When she held me and cried, she always promised she would never, ever leave me. Clutching a stuffed bear, I would ask her in a small voice, “Are you my mommy?” Her eyes would turn red as she answered, “I’m your wife.” But every time Ethan called, she would step out into the hallway. It wasn’t until I accidentally saw a text she sent him that I understood. [As long as he never gets his memory back, we can be together forever.] Later, Chloe had a baby. Ethan asked her, “Can we just go to the beach to watch the sunrise, just the three of us?” Chloe glanced at me—I was sitting on the floor, playing with blocks—and agreed. She told me: “If you’re hungry, open the fridge. If you’re thirsty, drink water.” Then, they shut the front door, leaving me completely alone in the house. She didn’t know that it would be the very last time she ever saw me. … My brother Ethan stood by the front door, holding his one-year-old son, softly urging her: “Chloe, the Uber is almost here.” “Coming.” Chloe turned to look at me. I was sitting on the rug, tightly gripping a yellow building block, trying my hardest to balance it on top of my castle. She walked over and crouched in front of me. “Oliver, if you get hungry, open the fridge. If you’re thirsty, drink water. The food is all inside, okay?” I nodded. “Hungry, open fridge. Thirsty, drink water.” “Good boy.” She reached out and patted my head. “We’ll be back soon, and we’ll bring Oliver his favorite strawberry shortcake.” As she walked out the door, Chloe casually flipped the master breaker switch by the entryway. Click. The living room lights died. The TV screen went black. Not long after, I called Chloe. I whispered into the phone: “Chloe, the lights won’t turn on.” I could hear Ethan approaching the phone, the baby in his arms, his tone dismissive: “He’s starting again.” I looked up. “It’s true.” The baby in Ethan’s arms started to fuss and cry. “How much longer are you going to humor him? He pulls this stunt every single time just to keep you around.” I stared at the block in my hand. “I didn’t… I…” “Oliver.” Chloe’s voice dropped, growing stern. “We are just going away for a few days. Don’t throw a tantrum.” “How long is a few days?” “We’ll be back soon.” “Are you coming back today?” Ethan didn’t say anything else, but I heard a faint scoff over the line. Chloe didn’t answer. I asked again: “What about tomorrow?” She let out a heavy sigh. “Can you please stop asking that?” I heard a car honk in the background on her end. Chloe read off the four-digit passcode to the smart lock to Ethan, then spoke to me, her tone much harsher than before: “If you keep acting like this, I really am going to consider separating from you.” The block slipped from my fingers and fell into my lap. “If we separate… does that mean you won’t come home anymore?” Ethan leaned closer to the phone. “Chloe, just ignore him. He’s just scared you won’t give him attention.” Chloe cleared her throat. Her voice was laced with exhaustion and impatience. “Oliver, behave.” She added one last command: “Do not open the door yourself. It’s not safe outside.” I nodded. “I’ll wait for you at home.” “Mhm.” I lowered the phone. The house fell completely silent. I sat on the rug, staring at the front door. A long time passed. I picked up the phone and dialed Chloe’s number again. She answered quickly. “What is it now?” “Chloe, the house doesn’t have any electricity. I’m scared.” “I know, you’re going to tell me the lights are broken again.” “The lights aren’t broken. The fridge is still glowing, but everywhere else is dark.” The line paused. Ethan’s voice drifted through: “Chloe, he just wants you to come back.” “Oliver.” Chloe’s voice was now thick with annoyance. “I just walked out the door, and you’ve already called me twice. Can you stop being so clingy?” “I’m really not.” “If you call me again over nonsense like this, I’m sending you back to the assisted living facility.” I looked at the black TV screen, trying desperately to explain: “I don’t want to go there. I just want to turn the lights on.” “Then leave them off.” “Chloe…” “I said, stop throwing a tantrum.” The call disconnected. I held the phone, sitting in the dark. After a while, I whispered to myself: “Oliver won’t throw a tantrum.” The sun outside the window was incredibly bright. But inside, the only light came from the faint glow seeping through the crack in the refrigerator doors. Chapter 2 At noon, my stomach grumbled loudly, over and over. I opened the fridge. Inside were Tupperware containers, milk, fruit, and the little cupcakes Chloe had bought beforehand. I took out a container and, doing exactly what Chloe had taught me, placed it inside the microwave. I pressed the red button. No sound. I pressed it a few more times. Still no reaction. I called Chloe. “Chloe, the red button is broken.” “What button?” “The button to make the food hot.” Ethan’s voice echoed in the background: “He’s making up excuses again.” Chloe sighed. “You don’t need to heat it up. Just eat it.” “But the food is cold.” “You can eat it cold.” “I want to eat it hot.” “Oliver, you are not a child anymore.” I looked down at my hands. I knew I wasn’t a child. Chloe always told me I needed to learn to be a good boy. I opened the container and scooped a spoonful into my mouth. There was no steam. The rice was hard and stiff. I took two bites. Suddenly, a kite drifted past the window. It was bright red, trailing a long tail. It flew right past the glass, looking like a beautiful bird. I instantly dropped my spoon and pressed my face against the windowpane. The kite flew higher and higher. I followed it, running from the kitchen to the living room. But I forgot that the refrigerator doors were still open. A sliver of white light spilled across the kitchen floor. I stood by the window watching for a long time. The wind carried the kite away until it disappeared behind the neighboring apartment building. By the time I turned back around, I had completely forgotten what I was doing. That afternoon, the refrigerator made several deep, shuddering noises. I thought it was just doing its job, so I ignored it. That evening, I took out a carton of milk. The carton felt bloated and swollen in my hands. I poked the straw in and took a huge gulp. A violently sour taste flooded my mouth. I scrunched up my face and spat the milk into the trash can. “It went bad.” I dialed Chloe’s number. This time, it rang for a very long time before she answered. “Oliver, what is it this time?” “The milk went bad.” “How could it go bad?” “The box puffed up, and it tastes sour.” Ethan let out a laugh in the background. “We’ve only been gone half a day, and he’s already making up stories.” “I’m not making it up.” “Chloe, don’t go back. He knows you have a soft spot, he’s just creating drama on purpose.” I pressed the phone tight against my ear. “I don’t want to create drama.” Chloe’s voice dropped to an angry whisper. “Oliver, can you please show some maturity?” “Ethan finally managed to get the baby out of the house for a vacation, and you insist on calling and ruining it?” “My tummy is hungry.” “There’s food in the fridge.” “The food is cold.” “Then eat it cold!” “Chloe, I’m scared.” The line went quiet for a few seconds. I thought she was going to coax me, like she used to. But she only said: “If you’re scared, go to sleep.” “When are you coming back?” “In a few days.” “When is that?” “I’ll tell you when we head back.” “Can I come find you?” Her tone instantly hardened into a threat. “No.” I shrank back, terrified by her voice. “Why?” “If you dare run out of that house by yourself, I will never, ever come back for you.” Ethan added from the background: “Chloe, stop wasting time on him. The baby needs to sleep.” “Do you hear me? Do not call me again.” The call disconnected again. I sat on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. In the kitchen, the refrigerator doors were still open. The white light illuminated the half-eaten container of food. I remembered Chloe saying, the food is all inside. So I crawled over and gave the fridge door a push. The doors didn’t seal shut. But I thought they did. That night, I had a dream. I dreamed Chloe came home. She was holding a massive kite in her hands. Ethan was standing next to her, holding the baby. Chloe looked at me and said: “Oliver, look, the kite is flying so high.” I reached out to grab it. But the kite flew further and further away. I couldn’t catch it. Chapter 3 The next morning, I woke up because my stomach hurt. It was drizzling outside the window. There were no lights on in the house, and my phone was at 30% battery. I crawled into the kitchen and opened the fridge. All the food inside smelled rotten. The milk carton was bloated even larger, and a layer of fuzzy white mold was growing on the fruit. Holding my nose, I pulled the doors wide open. A wave of putrid stench hit my face. I dry-heaved and collapsed onto the floor. I didn’t know what to eat. There were no crackers in the pantry, no bread on the dining table. I found a packet of sugar, ripped it open, and poured it into my mouth. The sugar melted quickly, but my stomach was still agonizingly empty. I called Chloe. “Chloe, the food went bad.” I could hear the sound of the ocean wind through the speaker. And the sound of a baby laughing. Chloe answered quickly. “Oliver, why are you calling so early?” “I can’t eat the food.” “Did you grab the wrong container?” “No. The food smells like garbage.” “Hasn’t the fridge been working fine?” “The fridge isn’t cold anymore.” Chloe was silent for a moment. “Are you trying to get me to come back again?” “I’m not. My tummy is hungry.” Ethan took the phone. “Oliver, you are really crossing a line.” I was stunned. “How am I crossing a line?” “Our family of three finally goes on a trip, and you call from morning till night. Do you get some sick pleasure out of forcing Chloe to come running back to you?” “You aren’t a family of three.” As soon as the words left my mouth, even I froze. The other end of the line went completely silent. Ethan’s breathing grew heavy and sharp. Chloe called my name: “Oliver.” I gripped the phone tightly. For the very first time, I didn’t immediately apologize. “I am your husband. You told me I am your husband.” Ethan said quietly: “But you can’t even take care of yourself right now.” “I can take care of myself.” “Then why don’t you even know how to heat up your own food?” I opened my mouth. But no words came out. Chloe interrupted: “Ethan, please, just stop.” Then, she spoke to me: “Go find something you can eat. Stop obsessing over calling me.” “There’s nothing in the house.” “Then drink water.” “There’s no water either.” “How can there be no water?” “The faucet won’t give me water.” There was a soft rustle on the other end. Chloe’s voice sounded strained. “Go to the water dispenser. Just turn the knob, the water will come out.” “There isn’t any.” “Try turning it again.” I crawled over, twisted the knob, and held my hand under the spout. “No water.” Ethan said: “Did he turn it on and then immediately turn the valve off?” “I didn’t turn anything off.” “Chloe, are you listening to this? Every time, he claims he has nothing. He’s just trying to manipulate you into coming back.” Chloe’s voice went dead cold. “Oliver, stop this right now.” “If you keep acting like this, I am truly going to leave you.” My fingers went limp, almost dropping the phone. “You’re going to leave me?” “I just want you to learn how to be independent.” “Do you not want me anymore?” “I didn’t say that.” Ethan whispered in the background: “Don’t give in. He knows exactly how to use that line to guilt-trip you.” Chloe was silent for a long time. “Oliver, stop calling.” “But I’m hungry.” “Wait until we get back.” “When?” “In a couple of days.” “Can I open the door and ask someone for help?” “No.” “It’s dangerous outside.” “Then what am I supposed to do?” She didn’t answer. The call disconnected again.
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