Everything looked beautiful but strange. The small attic we used to rent was gone. Now a tall, shining office building stood there.
Wearing an apron, I stood awkwardly among a crowd of well-dressed office workers.
The receptionist looked at me, confused. “Excuse me, ma’am, do you have an appointment? This area is for employees only.”
I didn’t know what to say. I fiddled my fingers helplessly with a talking robot at the desk but couldn’t make sense of it.
When I tried to borrow a phone, I realized I didn’t even know how to use the ones people had now.
People were staring at me strangely. Panic started to rose.
Then, suddenly, I saw a very familiar face on a large digital screen.
Excited, I pointed at the photo and shouted, “Alexei! That’s my husband! Please, can you help me contact him?”
The receptionist gave me an awkward smile. “Ma’am, I know many women admire Mr. Durand, but our CEO is already married.”
My heart dropped. I turned around in confusion and there he was. Alexei was walking down the stairs.
Like a drowning person seeing a lifeline, I rushed toward him. But before I could reach him, two tall security guards stepped in and blocked my way.
Alexei turned around in complete shock. His eyes changed from dislike to surprise. Finally, he hesitantly called my name.
In that moment, my tears fell. It was like all my panic and fear finally had a place to go.
“Alexei, what’s going on?” I asked. “I had a fight with you this morning. I wanted to go back to my parents’ house, but when I opened the door, I ended up here.”
“I don’t know anyone here. I don’t understand anything here. I’m really scared. Can you please take me home?”
Afraid Alexei wouldn’t believe me, I started talking nonstop about our past.
When we were little, he climbed over the wall to bring me White Rabbit candies. When we grew up, he stole his mom’s gold necklace to confess his love to me.
“The scar on your head, you got it when you fell off my wall. The bruise on your butt, that’s from when your parents gave you a beating. And the cut on your hand… the red mark on your waist…”
The more I cried, the harder it became to stop. People started gathering around us.
Alexei frowned and took me to his office.
***
I sank into the soft sofa, looking at him sadly. “Alexei, you look so different now.”