Chapter 1

The night before our wedding, I caught Dan Thompson cheating with a stranger.

Proud as he was, for the first time, tears streamed down his face.

He stammered, "I was drunk, I mistook her for you. It will never happen again."

The woman, blushing, admitted, "I've secretly loved Dan for years. I bribed the hotel staff to get a spare room key."

She knelt and apologized to me, swearing she'd stay far away from us.

I chose to forgive Dan.

After we got married, he truly seemed to love me.

Until Dan's thirtieth birthday.

I specifically took time off work and flew eleven hours on an international flight to surprise him.

On my way, I stopped at a convenience store for water.

The woman next to me was on the phone.

"You're so clingy! It's only been an hour, and my phone's practically exploded with your calls. Just wait, I'm going to drain you dry in bed tonight."

The voice was hauntingly familiar. I turned around and froze.

It was that woman—the one Dan had cheated with eight years ago.

After so many years, she didn't seem to recognize me. She turned towards the checkout.

I couldn't hear what the person on the other end said, but she playfully retorted, "I'm not cold, I'm wearing plenty, don't believe me? You can check later."

"You can reach your hand in, slide it along my waist, all the way to..."

On an impulse, I pulled out my phone and sent Dan a SnapChat.

"Dan, are you off work yet?"

No reply.

The woman reached for the shelf and picked up two boxes of condoms.

The same brand, scent, and size—the ones I knew, the ones Dan always used.

Her voice was sickly sweet. "Since it's your birthday, you get to decide how many times tonight."

I glanced down at my phone.

Still nothing.

After paying, I followed the woman out of the store.

She purred into the phone, "Don't rush me, I see your car."

The London rain hit my face, cold as ice.

I pulled my jacket tighter, my hands trembling as I pressed the call button for Dan.

A cold, robotic female voice replied, "The person you are calling is currently unavailable."

I understood. He had activated 'Do Not Disturb' mode.

This year, he'd told me his overseas branch was incredibly busy, and he couldn't answer calls once he was in the office.

Not being able to reach him wasn't new.

A Bentley pulled up at a nearby street corner.

"Dan!"

The woman hurried forward, opening the passenger door.

I turned my head slightly to look.

One glance, and I was rooted to the spot.

The car window was half-open. The man in the driver's seat looked calm and distinguished.

The woman swayed her hips and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

He gave a helpless smile.

"Still so demanding."

The streetlights were dim, but I saw his face clearly.

The owner of that face had been with me for my entire thirty years of life.

At three, we held hands and walked into kindergarten together.

He secretly slipped me the candy the teacher gave him. "I'll protect you, don't cry."

At sixteen, he imitated a scene from a movie, hiding my portrait inside a book.

When I found it, his ears turned crimson.

"So what? I like you."

At nineteen, our first love, our first kiss—he was so thrilled he paid for the entire restaurant bill.

"I can't wait to tell everyone I'm the happiest man alive."

At twenty-two, when he proposed, he swore in front of both our families that he would only ever love me.

Everything stopped the night before our wedding.

When I opened the hotel room door, he was tangled naked with a stranger.

That day was a blur of chaos.

Everyone said he was just drunk and mistook her for me.

As his childhood sweetheart, I should give him another chance.

Even the girl knelt and apologized, claiming it was all her fault, that she'd bribed the staff for the room key, just to fulfill a long-held secret crush.

Dan, who had always been so proud and strong since childhood, teared up for the first time.

Seeing my silent tears, he picked up a fruit knife and pointed it at his own heart.

"Ellie, it's come to this. I'm sorry for what I did to you."

"If you don't believe me, I'll tear my heart out and show you! You're truly the only one in there!"

Tears blurred his face.

His voice trembled.

"Don't leave me, Ellie, I'm begging you. You know I've loved you for so many years."

"If you leave me, I'll die, I really will die..."

Later, I sealed away that memory.

After all these years intertwined, I thought we were inseparable, that we'd go from childhood sweethearts to growing old together.

But in this moment.

Our thirty years.

Finally crumbled.