Chapter 1

On our wedding anniversary, my wife's male assistant posted a photo sitting in my Ferrari on his Instagram.

The caption boasted, "Big sister's love!"

I simply gave it a like.

Seconds later, my wife called me, screaming through the phone.

"Weston! Why are you so damn petty?"

"What's wrong with letting an employee borrow my car for a couple of days? Did you really have to hire internet trolls to cyberbully him?"

From the other end of the line came Sawyer's pitiful, whimpering voice.

Nadine's heart was clearly breaking for him.

She refused to hear a word of my explanation and hung up on me.

Later, Sawyer posted another video of picking up a brand-new luxury car.

Once again, he loudly bragged about Nadine's affection for him.

None of it mattered to me anymore.

1.

When Nadine got home, it was already two in the morning.

She flipped on the lights and frowned, annoyed that I was sitting in the dark.

"It was pitch black. I thought you weren't even home!"

I shielded my eyes from the glare and answered flatly.

"Who sleeps with the lights on?"

Nadine paused while hanging up her coat.

In the past, no matter how late she worked, I would wait up for her on the living room couch.

If she wasn't home, I couldn't sleep. I would anxiously call her non-stop.

This time, though, I had been sound asleep.

Her banging around had just woken me up.

I had only gotten out of bed to grab a glass of water.

Nadine didn't notice anything off. She tossed a takeout container onto the dining table.

"I brought you some late-night takeout."

With that, she took her phone and went into the bathroom.

I looked at the clear plastic box. It was unmistakably leftover scraps from a restaurant.

A few hours ago, I had scrolled past Sawyer's Instagram story about saving food.

The photo showed him packing up their dinner leftovers.

I was a little hungry, but I wasn't desperate enough to eat someone else's trash.

I went to the fridge and pulled out two slices of bread.

I had no idea who Nadine was texting in the bathroom.

When she came out, a radiant smile lit up her face.

Seeing that I hadn't touched the takeout, she only asked if the food wasn't to my taste.

In the past, she would have thrown a temper tantrum.

I guess a woman in love is unusually patient.

I ignored her.

I finished my bread and went straight back to the bedroom.

Nadine followed me in.

She leaned against the doorframe, a flicker of irritation in her eyes.

"Are you throwing a fit? I brought you food. Don't waste it!"

I didn't look at her and replied coldly.

"Whoever packed those leftovers can eat them."

Nadine froze for a second before sneering.

"Stop being so dramatic! It's not like you've never eaten my leftovers before!"

Right.

In the past, I had always happily finished whatever food Nadine couldn't finish.

Even if it wasn't something I liked, I had eaten it without complaint.

That was the old me.

Starting today, that would never happen again.

Nadine glanced down at her phone, muttered two annoyed sentences, and headed for the kitchen.

"Fine, I'll cook for you myself!"

"I swear I owe you my life every single day!"

A sarcastic smirk pulled at the corner of my lips.

Did she owe me?

No, she owed Sawyer.

Just a moment ago, I had glanced at my feed again.

Sawyer had posted a screenshot of his chat with his female boss, saying he was craving hot noodle soup.

Even though the profile picture was blurred, I recognized Nadine's avatar instantly.

I lay in bed and rubbed my aching eyes.

My vision had been acting up recently.

The doctor told me to rest and stay away from screens.

Yet, to help Nadine meet her design deadlines for her clients, I had pulled all-nighters staring at my laptop.

I suffered the physical toll.

Another man reaped the sweet rewards.

Thankfully, I was finally awake.

From now on, I would put myself first.

I turned off the bedside lamp and closed my eyes.

A moment later, Nadine barged in and yanked me out of bed.

She demanded that I get up to eat.

Having my sleep interrupted repeatedly made my temper flare.

"Are you done yet?"

Nadine froze.

When she recovered, she started yelling.

"Are YOU done yet?"

"You said you wouldn't eat leftovers, so I cooked fresh for you. I come in here to be nice, and you give me attitude?"

Nadine rattled on about how generous and considerate she was being.

Finally, she snapped.

"Stay here by yourself and think about your attitude!"

Through the crack in the door, I saw her hurry out of the apartment, carrying the freshly packed hot food.

I realized that had been her true goal all along.