Chapter 3

Donna froze, her expression stiffening. We turned to see a man in a white shirt, smoking, leaning against the car door. Donna hurried over to him, "Brother, why are you out here? I'm almost done, go back inside..." But the man didn't seem to care.

He pulled Donna aside, holding a cigarette between two fingers, and walked toward me. His thin lips curled into a mocking smile, asking, "Car washer, do you remember who I am?"

I rubbed my eyes, taking a long time to connect the person in front of me with the face in my memory. "Jessica?"

"Oh, you remember. I thought you'd forgotten." Jessica's almond eyes curved, and he naturally pulled Donna into his arms. His smile was exactly the same as it was a year ago.

I met Jessica last year while delivering takeout to make ends meet. He was one of my customers. Because I was five minutes late, he poured a whole bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall on me. Jessica observed my expression, as if confirming my memory. He placed a large hand on Donna's shoulder, pretending to be surprised. "Donna, you went too far. I just complained about an annoying delivery guy, and you actually dealt with him for me. Amazing..."

Jessica glanced at me and couldn't help but laugh. "Playing with this fake noble Dan is just like playing with a dog." Donna's expression was unnatural. I covered my eyes, holding back tears. My rough palm rubbed against my eyelids, and my heart felt as if it were being cut. Those moments I thought were genuine were just seasoning for their wealthy couple's relationship. Hardworking ordinary people like me were like stray cats and dogs to them, ignored and kicked aside when they were in a bad mood.

So I didn't want to stay any longer. I wiped the tears spilling from my eyes and turned to leave. Jessica suddenly raised his voice, asking me, "Dan, do you know why Donna told you she has bipolar disorder?"