“Dad, I…”

I opened my mouth, only to realize that I couldn’t produce any sound. My throat felt as though it had been burned, painfully sore, as though it had been roasted by fire.

I wanted to tell my dad everything—about Jim and that bitch. I wanted to express all the grievances I’d been carrying these past days, perhaps to relieve the suffocating pressure in my chest.

I, Linda, have never been a fool, nor am I a weak person. But when it comes to Jim and Clarie, I was completely stunned. I didn’t know how to handle it. Seven years of love is not something that can be easily...