Chapter 1

In the fifth year of our marriage, Garrett's ex-girlfriend, Joyce Bennett, came back into his life. A single "Long time no see" from her completely shattered his composure. He swore she was nothing more than a memory, yet he abandoned me for her time and time again.

On our anniversary, he did not come home at all. When I opened my phone, I saw Joyce's latest post―a photo of their hands intertwined. "Not everyone will wait for you forever, but someone always will." In that exact moment, my heart finally died. ...

1 On our fifth wedding anniversary, Garrett stayed out the entire night. I sat alone at the dining table until dawn, watching the gourmet meal turn ice-cold. The anniversary cake I spent all afternoon baking had melted into a sticky, unrecognizable puddle.

The front door clicked open. Garrett walked in, yawning, and paused when he saw me sitting in the dim room. "Why are you up so early?" he asked casually.

His eyes swept over the cold dishes and the melted sugar number five on the cake. He pinched the bridge of his nose, softening his tone. "I'm sorry. I had a client dinner last night that ran until morning, and I forgot to call you. It won't happen again."

I didn't say a word, only staring at him in silence. Under my steady gaze, his guilt quickly turned into irritation. "What more do you want from me? I already told you I was entertaining clients. Do I need to send you photos to satisfy you?"

"Jocelyn, you know I hate unreasonable women. Don't turn into one of them." It was always like this. Whenever an issue came up, he would claim the moral high ground and accuse me of being crazy.

Disappointment settled deep in my chest. "Garrett, I didn't say anything." He let out a cold sneer. "Then keep it that way! You need to calm down and think about your attitude!" He turned around and slammed the door shut behind him.

The house fell completely silent. Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed with an Instagram notification from Joyce. "Not everyone will wait for you forever, but someone always will." Attached was a photo of two hands locked together.

On the man's wrist was the luxury watch I had given Garrett just yesterday. Of course. If I hadn't seen her post, maybe I would have believed his pathetic excuse. Now, all I felt was deep, hollow exhaustion.

Between me and Joyce, he would always choose her. Even five years of marriage couldn't beat the one year of college romance he shared with her. There was no point in dragging this marriage out any longer.

I arrived at the office at nine o'clock. My coworker looked at me in shock when I walked past her desk. "Didn't you take the day off today? Why are you here?" she asked.

"Who told you I took time off?" "Mr. Cole did!" I looked up toward Garrett's corner office and caught his gaze through the glass wall. He frowned, clearly not expecting me to show up.

I sat down at my desk calmly. "He must have been mistaken. I never requested time off." My coworker muttered an okay and gave me a suspicious look.

For the rest of the day, Garrett didn't come to my desk, though he bombarded my phone with text messages. In the past, his sudden attention would have made me thrilled. Now, it only filled me with disgust. I muted his notifications, along with Joyce's account, refusing to let them control my mood.