Chapter 2

2.

Damon froze, the carefully crafted excuses caught in his throat.

He looked at me, shocked. "Aren't you going to open it?"

In the usual script, I would be tearing up by now, begging for a hug, and then forgiving him for forgetting our anniversary because of "work."

I thought facing Damon’s cheating would make me break down, that I would scream and demand answers.

But the reality was―I felt as calm as a stranger watching a movie.

On the day of our anniversary.

I saw that plane ticket to Iceland in the drawer, and my heart actually skipped a beat.

I roasted a Beef Wellington, opened a bottle of our best Napa Valley red, and even lit a Jo Malone candle.

Then he stormed in like a hurricane, barely looking at me as he headed straight for the closet to pack a bag.

He threw "There's an urgent project on the West Coast" over his shoulder and left.

He took the ticket with him.

So, it wasn't a surprise for me.

So, he didn't even remember it was our seventh wedding anniversary.

I stared at the over-aerated bottle of red wine on the table, my appetite gone.

I curled up on the sofa, watching the snow fall outside, and sat there until deep into the night. Then I saw Cora's post.

Location: Iceland.

In the photo, the aurora was brilliant, and my husband was kissing another woman.

My phone slipped from my hand and fell onto the carpet.

So, Damon had gone to make Cora's dream come true.

I should have known. A gut feeling never lies.