Chapter 2

2

I went on a short business trip, hoping the distance would give her perspective. But when I returned, things had only gotten worse.

Gwen didn't come home that night. The next morning, a notification popped up on my phone.

She had posted a photo on Instagram. She and Caleb were at a theme park, smiling brightly and eating cotton candy.

The caption read: "Caleb is doing so much better today! He's finally opening up to the world."

I nearly shattered my phone in my hand. We were in the middle of a crisis, and she was out playing house with another man's son.

"Do I even matter to you anymore, Gwen?" I muttered to the empty living room.

I checked her GPS location. Since college, we'd both worn synced smartwatches for safety. She always told me she loved that we could always find each other.

Back then, she'd hug my arm and whisper, "Now I'll never be lost as long as I have you, Jasper."

Now, that same technology led me to her private clinic. I walked in, my heart heavy with dread.

I pushed open her office door and froze. Gwen and Caleb were sitting close together, watching a graphic adult video on her laptop.

Gwen was speaking in a clinical, detached tone. "This is the physical act between a man and a woman. It's natural and necessary for the species."

Caleb's face was red. "I think I understand, Auntie Gwen. Do you and Uncle Jasper do these things too?"

I couldn't take it. I slammed the door against the wall, startling them both.

"Gwen. Outside. Now. We are having a talk," I said, my voice shaking with suppressed fury.

Gwen looked up, her brow furrowed in immediate annoyance. "Jasper? You are being incredibly rude. Can't you see I'm working?"

"Working? Is that what you call watching smut with a teenager?" I yelled.

"If I hadn't walked in, would you be moving to the exam table for a hands-on demonstration?"

A sharp crack echoed through the room. Gwen had stood up and slapped me across the face.

"Don't you dare insult my profession! If you can't understand clinical therapy, then stay out of my office!"

My cheek stung, but the pain in my heart was worse. This woman was a stranger to me now.

We had been married for five years. She used to promise me she'd only ever have eyes for me.

Now, she was being led around by the nose by a manipulative boy.

"Auntie Gwen, it's my fault. I'll tell my dad to find a different doctor," Caleb said, grabbing her hand.

He looked at me over her shoulder. For a split second, the innocent act dropped. He gave me a cold, triumphant smirk.

He wasn't sick. He was a predator, and he had just stolen my wife.

"You little bastard!" I swung a punch, connecting squarely with his jaw. "You've been faking this whole time just to get close to her!"

"Ah! Uncle Jasper, please! Don't hit me!" Caleb collapsed to the floor, wailing like a child.

"Jasper, stop it!" Gwen screamed, trying to pull me away.

I was seeing red. I wanted to tear him apart. But then, a sickening thud sounded against the back of my head.

The world spun. I turned and saw Gwen holding a heavy ceramic vase. It was shattered in her hands.

Blood began to trickle down my forehead, blurring my vision. I collapsed before I could say another word.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. Gwen was standing by the window, talking on her phone.

"Don't be scared, Caleb. I'll be there tonight to check on your injuries. I promise."

"Gwen… do you even care if I'm alive?" I croaked out.

She spun around, her eyes flashing with anger rather than remorse. "Oh, so you're awake. Are you done with your tantrum?"

"You've lost your mind, Jasper. You attacked a patient! You could have killed him!"

I was the one in the hospital bed, and she was worried about the guy who provoked me. I felt a bitter laugh bubble up in my throat.

"Is he really that important to you? More important than your husband?"

"He's a child, Jasper! Stop being so pathologically jealous!" She looked at me with pure disgust.