All his clothes, food, and daily essentials were completely gone! Natalie had swept through his home like a plague of locusts, leaving nothing behind. In just a blink of an eye, the whole place had turned into an empty shell. She had left the TV, computer, cell phone, and game consoles behind for him. But since there was no electricity in his apartment, what good were those things? He couldn't even trade them for a single sausage. He slumped down on the floor in despair. The only useful thing left in the living room was the couch—at least he could rest on it. But even the bed in his bedroom was gone. He couldn't shake the suspicion that the only reason the couch was left was that Natalie needed somewhere to rest when she got tired from all the moving. He was so mad that he couldn't get a word out. But no matter how angry he was, there was nothing he could do about her. He couldn't stand what she'd done, yet he couldn't beat her or get rid of her. The frustration just sat in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He felt miserable. Absolutely miserable. He regretted provoking her today more than anything. His own greed had brought this on—he'd lost everything he owned. He was absolutely full of regret. As Braxton went over everything in his head, he couldn't help but marvel at how powerful Natalie was. She'd managed to move everything out of his apartment and take it to hers. But then he realized something didn't add up. He lived on the eighth floor, and she lived on the fourteenth. How could she have carried all those heavy cabinets up six floors? And why would she do that, when most of that stuff was useless to her?A thought struck Braxton. He ran to the window and leaned out to look down. He saw all sorts of things floating on the rippling surface of the water. He'd guessed it right. She'd tossed everything out the window. A lot had already sunk, but the lighter stuff was still bobbing along on top of the water. His eyes lit up, and he immediately wanted to go downstairs and get the remaining stuff back. But just then, the old lady who was always rooting through the dumpsters in the apartment complex paddled over in a big red plastic tub, her eyes shining. She picked up Braxton's kayak, plopped herself into it, and started piling the rest of his things in. Braxton was furious. He yelled, "Put that down! That's my stuff!" The old lady glanced up but didn't say anything—she just started working even faster."You old hag! I said put it down!" Braxton raced downstairs in a rage, but when he got to the stairwell window on the seventh floor, he had no idea how to get across. He couldn't tell if it was Natalie's strength or the current, but all his stuff had drifted far away, floating close to the opposite building. He didn't have a boat, and he couldn't swim well, so he could only stand there and yell helplessly. "Are you deaf? If you touch my stuff again, I'll come after you and make you pay!" The old lady just gave him a look, then kept fishing more of his clothes out of the water. She didn't even spare his boxers or his thermal socks! Braxton was both humiliated and furious, but even after shouting until his throat was raw, he couldn't stop her. All he could do was watch as the old lady rowed away with his things.Before leaving, she even flashed him a toothless grin. "Bye-bye, you fatty who doesn't respect your elders!" Braxton was fuming. Did she just call me a fatty? He'd been working out for years, and he hadn't eaten enough lately to gain a pound. How could she call him fat? It took him a while to realize that Natalie had punched his face so hard that it had swollen up. He'd almost forgotten about his injuries amid all the chaos. Now that he was thinking about it, he realized his face was burning, and the rest of his body was aching too. The knife wounds on his arm and shoulder were still bleeding. He clutched his wounds and trudged home, feeling totally defeated. What was he supposed to do now? The apartment was empty—even his medicine was gone. Braxton slumped onto the couch, not even bothering to fix the door. Why bother? Even the rats would look down on a dump like this. Tiffany kept giggling away next to him, only adding to his frustration. No! He had to think of something—he couldn't just sit here and wait to die. He straightened up and sighed at Tiffany's silly grin. "Stop giggling. Come with me." ... Meanwhile, Natalie, who had just left Braxton's apartment, headed over to Olivia's place. When she knocked, the person inside was immediately on guard. Once Olivia heard Natalie's voice and saw her through the peephole, she quickly opened the door. "Natalie, what brings you here? Come in!"Natalie had a good impression of Olivia, but she stayed cautious, gripping her knife in case she needed to fight. She stepped inside and glanced around. Olivia's home was cozy and full of life. Every surface was packed with knick-knacks, vases of flowers, a record player, and a photo board covered in pictures. Even though everything was dusty now, it was clear the owner had once loved life. The living room wall was lined with bookshelves, packed with novels, classics, and tons of medical books. A big poster of a baby with huge, round eyes hung on the wall behind the couch.