Tenant's Secret Love

Chapter 8: Punishment for you

The car drove into the old neighborhood. I first lowered the window to see if Renee had taken out my luggage, and was satisfied with the result. Despite my failure to keep our agreement, there was no luggage downstairs, so it seemed that my last warning had worked.

I floated all the way upstairs, opened the door, and it was dark inside. I looked into Renee's room, but there was no light coming through the crack in the door. It turned out that she hadn't come home tonight. No wonder I didn't see her car downstairs, and no wonder she hadn't taken my luggage out.

It's better if she doesn't come back, I can stay here for another night. Maybe this is the only consolation the heavens have given me as the day comes to an end.

After a brief wash, I lay on the bed. The moment I turned off the light and closed my eyes, the world suddenly became quiet. I thought I would be able to fall asleep quickly in this state, but some fragments suddenly entered my mind.

These fragments are all about the past. Recalling the past brings out the emptiness and despair of the present. I don't understand why Harlan and Natalie were able to persevere after graduation and eventually get married, while Brittany and I ended so dismally. What exactly did I do that was not good enough? I really hope Brittany can tell me in person, but such a simple request has become a luxury!

So I have suffered for 2 years without knowing why, and I have wasted 2 years.

I wiped my face hard, sat up in bed, and sat there for a long time. I got out of bed, went to the cupboard and found the guitar that had been gathering dust for a long time. I wanted to sing a song, for myself...and for Brittany.

 I tuned the guitar, plucked the strings, and the tune "Lost" by Yinghao Ying came out of my mouth.

  "Who can see through this prosperity? Once again, my eyes are confused. Who can hide from this noise? Once again, it erodes you. Who has ever mentioned the past? Once again, forget you. Who will meet again in the afterlife? Once again, I can love you

I'm lost, I can't find the map, this emotional journey is so hard; I'm lost, I can't find a way back, how has the world become so numb; I'm lost, I can't find the way I came, everyone around me is a stranger; I'm lost, I'm treading water, while your heart has already flown far away..."

When I sang the last line, I felt a warm sensation in the corner of my eye. I was lost, really lost. I thought I had come a long way in the past two years, but I was just marking time on a map called love, while her heart had flown far away...

 I lit a cigarette and took a drag when the door suddenly slammed. I nearly broke the guitar strings in my fright. There was no one at home!

 Renee's voice came from outside the door: "If you're in the mood to sing, please find somewhere with no one around. This is a residential area."

 I put on my slippers and opened the door. Renee was standing in front of me in a camisole nightie. Her curvy figure was comparable to Natalie's, and her pretty face was so quiet in the dim light, which made her incomparable temperament.

 "Didn't you hear me sing: I'm lost? How can you find a place with no one around when you're lost?" I said with a smile.

 "That's a lame excuse!"

 I ignored Renee's displeasure and asked, "Why are you at home?"

 "I've always been here."

 "I didn't see your car downstairs!"

 "It's parked in the open space across the street."

"No wonder!" I exclaimed, immediately wanting to slam the door, for fear that Renee would mention moving, and it was almost one in the morning, so where could I move to.