The days before her discharge were peaceful. Sydney's provocative messages occasionally popped up, but Ivana treated them as regular spam.
Her flight was scheduled for ten days later. The first thing Ivana did upon being discharged was head home to pack her things.
The moment she opened her apartment door, she realized everything had changed. The small apartment, which could be seen entirely with one glance, felt foreign. The photos of her awards on the wall were gone, replaced by Sydney's graduation photos.
Her pictures with Ernest had disappeared, replaced by photos of Ernest and Sydney. Even the polaroids stuck to the fridge were now shots of Sydney and Ernest.
The sticky note she'd left on the fridge before leaving used to say: [There's light cheesecake in the fridge that you like. Don't eat too much, you'll get a stomachache.]
Now it read: [Sydney and Ernest's love-preserving fridge,] with a big red heart drawn beside it.
The couple mugs she'd bought for herself and Ernest had been shoved into the furthest corner and mold had even grown inside them.