Chapter 1

The seventh car.

That' s what Olivia promised.

Another shiny apology parked in the driveway tomorrow.

Our seventh wedding anniversary.

She' d be with Julian, of course, like every year.

A week-long "trip."

I knew the routine.

This year, though, I had my own plan.

A one-way ticket to Austin, Texas, tucked inside my old copy of "On the Road."

Flight leaves the day after she' s supposed to be back.

The day after the new car arrives.

I looked at the packed suitcase near the door. Not mine. Hers.

Full of things for him, I was sure.

She was humming, zipping it up.

She didn' t even look at me when she said, "Don't forget to check out the new car, Ethan. It's a beauty."

A quick, cool kiss on my cheek.

Like always.

This time, I didn' t feel the usual sting.

Just a dull, flat line.

The countdown had begun.

I had booked that flight three months ago.

The day she told me Julian needed her for "moral support" during our anniversary week. Again.

The absurdity didn't even register anymore.

It was just a fact, like the sun rising.

But this year, the sun was setting on this life.

My life.

I watched her leave, the click of her heels fading down the hallway.

The silence in the condo was heavy, but not uncomfortable.

It felt like anticipation.

I walked to my own closet, pulled out a duffel bag.

Essentials only.

No room for seven years of baggage.

Not the emotional kind, anyway.