"Who's the lucky guy?"

"Can't you even recognize your boyfriend's voice?" came Ronald Richardson's passive voice over the phone.

"Fuck off, asshole."

Emily hung up the phone, wishing to smash the screen. Ronald was like a plaster that, once applied, was impossible to shake off.

No sooner had she hung up than the phone rang again. She didn't answer, staring blankly at it.

Suddenly, she remembered what Murray had said to her last night. He had mentioned he didn't mind sharing her with Ronald Richardson.

As she thought about it, a smile crept across her face, like a rose dipped in poison, beautiful on the outside but filled with deadly venom.

The phone kept ringing stubbornly, and Emily finally answered.

"Don't hang up; I need to talk to you," Ronald Richardson said, probably fearing she'd cut him off again. His tone was much more serious.

"Speak." Emily stirred the boiling noodle soup with her chopsticks.

"Where are you now?"

"At a friend