I hadn’t touched that account in so long. There was a chance that he wouldn’t notice the subtraction. But it was a small one. And, there was no way I could permanently keep my plans a secret. I knew that.

Even if he didn’t notice the considerable deduction from my account, it wasn’t like I could bike to school. I wasn’t even allowed to buy my own groceries anymore. I’d have to ask the day guard to get dropped off at school instead of Young Souls. And then the gig would be up.

Secrets could only be kept for so long from an all-seeing monster like Victor.

But our anniversary was in May. So that gave me a whole summer afterward until I’d have to come clean. Until then, I could hold onto the joy of having a second chance to go to my dream school.

I also didn’t prepare the monster dinner for our second anniversary. In fact, he found me eating Cheesecake Factory takeout while standing up at the island counter when he walked into the kitchen.

That was how he arrived. No knock. Just an opening of the front door, and then he came striding into the kitchen. I wondered if he entered every room like he owned the place. Or just this one. Because he did.

I stared at him, the food halfway to my mouth.

“Finish eating,” he signed. “I’ll wait.”

A command, not an invitation. But I set the fork down and told him the truth, “That’s okay. I’m not hungry anymore.”

His face held its usual stony cast, but something sparked behind his black eyes, hot and angry.

“Do I disgust you?” he asked.

It was a trick question, and I knew… I knew I shouldn’t take the bait. But year two of our marriage already felt like year twenty, and I had to ask, “Isn’t that what you want? To shame and disgust me?”

His shoulders shook, and his lips lifted slightly. Almost a laugh. Almost a smile. But not quite.

“Do you care about what I want now, D-liar?”

Okay, so he’d chosen a new name sign for me. D-Liar obviously wasn’t the one I’d given him back in Japan.

I made myself not react. Don’t give him anything. Don’t show emotion. Otherwise, he wins.

So I changed the subject by untying my robe. I let it drop to the ground, revealing my naked body.

Thanks to that lapsed gym membership, I’d regained 20 of the forty pounds I’d lost. Maybe it would turn him off. But no, his eyes darkened at the sight of me.

And just like that, it was on.

There was no bare-knuckle pre-fight this time. But Anniversary #2 went much the same as Anniversary #1. Marathon sex, lots of orgasms, and a roller coaster of intense shame and even more intense desire. Followed by a shower.