Chapter 2

Tenants had posted dozens of videos showing Building 11 on fire.

The blaze was huge. When the firefighters arrived, it took them over three hours just to get it under control.

Lily's fingers trembled as she scrolled up through the chat. Her heart only settled when a resident noted that the fire had started in the maintenance storage shed right next to Building 11.

I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

Lily had no idea that to cover his tracks, the killer had dragged my body into that very storage room. It was packed with clutter, making it the perfect spot to torch a corpse without raising immediate suspicion.

"What's wrong? You look pale."

Lily shook her head and muttered that it was nothing. She refreshed her SnapChat over and over, her expression growing darker by the second.

She and I had never gone this long without talking.

Right now, she was probably wondering why the man who had called her in desperation earlier hadn't sent a single text since.

"Are you waiting for Logan's message?"

"Did you two fight because of me?"

Julian looked guilty, playing the victim like an expert. "Technically, this trophy and certificate should belong to him. I get why he's mad. Maybe I should go apologize to him."

"Apologize for what? None of this even matters to him. Don't feel guilty. I know Logan better than anyone. He'll come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness within three days."

Julian opened his arms and pulled her close, whispering a soft "thank you" into her ear.

The sight burned my eyes.

A faint smile touched Lily's lips. "You never have to thank me. Oh, and to celebrate your big win tonight, I set up a surprise for you."

In all the time I had been with Lily, I was the one who planned every single anniversary and birthday.

She never cared.

She wouldn't even bother buying me a cake.

I used to make excuses for her, telling myself she was just forgetful, or too busy with work. Now I saw the ugly truth: she just didn't care about me. I wasn't worth her time.

Lily led Julian to an open rooftop. She covered his eyes, and the second she pulled her hands away, dazzling fireworks erupted across the night sky.

Julian's eyes turned red with emotion.

He spun around and pulled Lily into a crushing embrace. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Seriously, I don't even know how to begin thanking you!"

Lily cupped his face in her hands, tenderly wiping away the tears on his cheeks.

"Silly. I'm going to give you so many more surprises in the future."

Their eyes locked. Julian leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"Lily, divorce Logan and be with me."

"You've done so much for me. Logan might love you, but he's definitely going to resent you now. I can't stand seeing you walk on eggshells around him."

"I love you. I cherish you. I'll give you everything I have. To Logan, you'll never be as important as his career. But with me, it's different. Lily, please... give me a chance, okay?"

Lily stared at him, her gaze burning with emotion.

I knew right then that his confession had completely swayed her.

At that moment, I was nothing more than a pathetic joke, forced to watch my wife fall into another man's arms.

It felt like my chest had been hollowed out. Every sweet memory I had ever shared with Lily shattered into dust.

Before Lily could give him an answer, her phone suddenly rang.

It was my mom.

She frowned. She clearly didn't want to answer, but out of basic respect for an elder, she picked up.

Pressing the phone to her ear, Lily's voice dripped with annoyance. "Mom, what is it? I'm at the office working overtime. I'm busy."

She lied straight through her teeth without even letting go of Julian's waist.

"Lily! The police just called me! They said there was a fire at your apartment complex!"

"I know," Lily said, her voice freezing cold. "If that's all, I'm hanging up."

My mom broke down sobbing on the other end. "They said they found a body in the fire... They think it's Logan!"