Chapter 1

On the flight back to the States, I ran into the woman my husband Nathan Cross called his "best friend."

First class was so quiet you could hear the click of a lens cap.

She was sitting right next to me, though she clearly hadn't noticed.

Selena Vail—that face that sparked heated debates whenever it appeared online—was less than three feet away. She held up a compact action camera, smiling at it with practiced ease.

"Hey everyone, I'm back! Last day of my birthday trip, and I wanted to capture a little moment on the plane."

I took a sip of my hot cocoa and kept listening to her monologue.

"This is my favorite part—let me give you guys a sneak peek." She angled the lens toward her phone screen. From the speaker came Selena's bright laughter... and Nathan's voice.

I couldn't ignore that.

But wasn't my husband supposed to be in Paris on business?

Before I could process this, Selena was already showing off an elegant gift box to the camera.

"Limited edition," she whispered, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. "Only ten sets in the whole country. Mr. Cro said I deserved it."

Mr. Cro.

Cross.

Nathan Cross.

My husband.

Something lodged in my throat—I couldn't swallow it down or cough it up.

The irony was suffocating. Two months ago, for my birthday, Nathan had given me an identical box.

Even the same line: "Only ten sets in the whole country. You deserve it."

I'd thought it was something special, meant only for me.

Turns out it wasn't special at all.

I set my cup back on the tray.

Selena was still talking: "This trip meant so much to me. You guys know how hard my life used to be... no family, no one to rely on. Everything I have, I built myself."

Her voice suddenly caught, and she sniffled before summoning another smile. "Anyway, I don't want to be a downer. I just hope all of you get to live the life you want someday."

I smiled to myself and opened her profile on my phone.

Five hundred thousand followers.

The moment the page loaded, my blood ran cold.

Photo after photo. Post after post.

So Nathan's "business trip" was actually a Roman holiday with Selena.

I couldn't ignore my husband's lies anymore.

"Last day of birthday week, still being spoiled."

"He doesn't like me staying up late. I'll be good."

"Thanks for all the love. I'm so happy."

His face never appeared in the photos.

Always just his back, his wrist, or a sliver of profile.

I'd been with Nathan for seven years. I knew every inch of him.

The comments were a flood of well-wishes:

"Oh my God, Mr. K is SO in love with you! You two are perfect together!!"

"I'm so jealous. THIS is what love looks like."

"She deserves all the good things. You don't know how hard her life was before."

"Good people always get rewarded by fate."

Rewarded.

They called gifts from someone else's husband a reward.

Before closing the app, I left a comment: "So happy for you."

Selena was still beside me, quietly filming detail shots.

She never once realized I was there.

The plane landed, and I took a cab straight home.

The moment I stepped through the door, I heard Nathan's voice from the living room, deliberately hushed.

"Are you out of your mind? Why would you post my photo on a public platform?"

Nathan was on the phone.

With Selena.

I stood in the foyer, listening.

"I don't care what kind of content you're making." His tone sharpened. "Delete it. Now."

Muffled sobs came through the line.

Nathan paused for a beat, and his voice softened instantly. "Don't cry."

He sighed. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just... worried about you."

He kept coaxing her: "I'll handle it. So she left a comment—it's not a big deal... Don't overthink it. Be good, okay?"

"Next time I'll be more careful. I won't let her see." Just before hanging up, Nathan murmured that last line.

I let out a breath. So that was his choice.

Not that he'd stop crossing lines.

Just that he'd stop letting me see.

I didn't confront him. I didn't fall apart.

Because over the years, this had happened countless times.

I was exhausted.

Too exhausted to keep getting tangled up with them.