Chapter 5

Estrella suddenly picked up her fork. Without saying a single word, she shoved a few bites of food into her mouth, though she barely ate anything. Just as Hunter was about to encourage her to eat more, she leaned back against the bed and closed her eyes, exhaustion written all over her face. However, he did not seem upset. Instead, he muttered to himself, as if convincing himself it was fine. "Yeah… Eating too much at night isn't good for your health anyway." He had long since gotten used to the silence in the house, to the feeling of talking to himself without getting a response. As he picked up the plate and turned to leave, Estrella suddenly sat up. She quickly signed, her movements sharp and rushed. Hunter almost missed it. "Honey, slow down. I didn't catch that. Can you sign it again?" Estrella bit down on her lip. The old Hunter would have blamed himself for not remembering sign language fluently rather than asking her to repeat herself. "Where did you send my cat? I miss it. Can you bring it back for me?" Hunter's expression suddenly changed. "Why are you thinking about it now? Honey, you need to focus on your health, remember? "We agreed that I'd bring it back once you were feeling better. Don't worry. Its new owner is taking good care of it." Estrella stared at him quietly. Then, out of nowhere, she laughed softly. Naturally, Rowan was taking good care of it. She had not neglected it at all. A year ago, Estrella's immune system had weakened considerably. During that period, she had fallen sick frequently. She lost her appetite, grew thinner, and had to be put on IV nutrition for a while. Hunter had been devastated, scrubbing down every inch of the house over and over again. Estrella could not bear to watch him do that anymore and wanted to hire a cleaning service, but he refused, claiming that he would not trust anyone else. Later, Hunter suggested that she temporarily give her cat to a friend until her health improved. Estrella disagreed. That was the first time Hunter had ever lost his temper with her, though to call it losing his temper was not quite right. It was more that he was frustrated with himself. Estrella did not want to hurt Hunter's feelings, so she eventually gave in. However, she saw Rowan's social media post from a year ago with her beloved cat clearly visible in the latter's arms. The caption read, "Just because I mentioned liking you, your owner went to great lengths to bring you to me. If that's not love, then what is?" Estrella thought that it was ridiculous. All this time, Hunter had been lying to her from the very beginning. She lay in bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Before long, tears slid down the sides of her face and disappeared into the pillow. For the first time, she thought that she had made the dumbest decision of her life by choosing to stay for Hunter. Five years of marriage had revealed both Hunter's betrayal and her own stupidity. She realized then that even the most deeply etched love could fade completely with the passage of time. ... Even after a long while, Hunter still had not returned. He was on the phone, hiding in the kitchen. Since Estrella could not sleep, she decided to get up and see just how many more "surprises" Hunter had in store for her. The living room was empty, but she could hear the soft sound of a woman crying through the quiet. "I think I'm traumautized from what happened today… Every time I close my eyes, I see the plane shaking again. Hunter, I just… I just wanted to hear your voice," the woman said. "I'm sorry, Hunter. I shouldn't have called at this late hour and disturb your rest." The dim kitchen light cast a soft glow on Hunter's face. His sharp nose and high cheekbones were tense, his brows deeply furrowed.