Chapter 1

1

My best friend was sobbing on my shoulder, crying about how her boyfriend was a total jerk. She kept saying how lucky I was to have that storybook romance―the kind that goes from high school sweethearts to a white wedding.

But a few seconds later, a sweet, honeyed confession drifted over from the booth behind us.

It was a voice I'd known for over a decade. I could recognize it even in a thunderstorm.

The perfect fairy tale everyone envied shattered right then and there.

Later, I would marry for real love and have beautiful children of my own. Gunnar, on the other hand, would become the laughingstock of the town.

People would whisper, "If he knew he'd regret it this much, why did he even step out in the first place?"

......

My best friend, Cora, had just gone through a messy breakup.

Her voice was raw from crying, and her eyes were bloodshot as she stared at me.

"Zia, why is my luck so bad? Out of five guys I date, four are trash, and the fifth is the king of trash."

"I mean, we were together for three years. We were about to get married, and now he says the spark is gone? It's a joke."

Cora was devastated, and I couldn't blame her. They were engaged, and the wedding photos were already hanging on the wall.

Then he just hit her with a cold, out-of-the-blue breakup. No one could handle that kind of shock.

Watching Cora struggle to breathe through her tears made my heart ache.

We grew up together and were more like sisters than friends. Even though she acted tough, I knew how much she had invested in that relationship.

Cora took a hard swig of her cocktail, her vision blurred by tears.

"At least you're okay. You picked the right one. High school sweethearts, all the way to the altar. Screw men, I'm going to start a new life."

I looked at her with pity, reaching out to wipe away her tears.

But in the next heartbeat, a familiar male voice rose from the booth behind us.

"Yara, the spark between Zia and me died a long time ago. We're more like roommates now―just family."

"You're the only one I truly love."

"Just give me a little more time. I promise I'll give you the answer you want."

It was the voice that had been by my side for over ten years. It was a voice I knew better than my own.

My heart skipped a beat, and a cold shiver raced down my spine.

Gunnar was supposed to be out of town on a business trip. Why was he here, in this dive bar?

It was impossible. I had to be hearing things.

Panic flooded my brain. I tried to calm myself down while slowly peeking over the back of the sofa.

The bar was designed for privacy, with high, circular booths that shielded each table.

Combined with the dim, flickering lights of the late-night crowd, it was hard to see clearly.

I stood up quietly, helped the drunken Cora lean against the wall, and crept toward the shadows.

Despite the low light, I recognized him instantly. The man passionately kissing another woman was my childhood sweetheart.

He was my husband of five years.

Gunnar Thorne was cheating on me.

Even now, he was wearing the custom wedding band we'd designed together. The diamond caught a stray beam of light, stabbing at my eyes.

In that moment, I felt the blood rush to my head.

My nails dug into my palms as the sharp pain of betrayal twisted in my chest. It hurt so much I could barely breathe.

Suddenly, the two of them stopped their heavy making out, both gasping for air.

I was standing in their blind spot, so they didn't see me watching.

That's when I saw the girl's face. She was an intern at Gunnar's company.

I'd met her before when I dropped off lunch for Gunnar. She had been so bubbly and polite back then.

"You must be Mrs. Thorne! You and the boss are such a gorgeous couple," she had said.

She was young, radiating energy and youth.

I remember feeling a tiny bit jealous and asking Gunnar why he hired someone so pretty.

He had just laughed and flicked my forehead with his long fingers.

"Don't overthink it, Zia. You're the only woman for me. If it makes you nervous, I'll fire her tomorrow."

"No, don't do that. She hasn't done anything wrong. I was just talking," I had replied.

After ten years together, I thought I had no reason to doubt him.

He had always seemed so transparent.

But seeing them now felt like a physical slap across the face.

"Gunnar, I don't care! You better deal with that boring wife of yours soon, or I'm ending this pregnancy!"

Yara's words hit me like a freight train.

My head spun, and it felt like a thousand voices were mocking my stupidity.

She was carrying Gunnar's child...