Chapter 3

3.

Maybe he felt a little guilty, because he woke up early and made breakfast.

He waved a sandwich at me. "Bacon, egg, and cheese. Your favorite."

This was his usual routine. A little trick after he messed up.

He thought a cheap gesture could cover up his betrayals.

In the past, I might have softened, but today, I wasn't buying it.

"I'm not hungry," I said coldly. "I'm heading to work."

As I walked to the garage, he came running after me, breathless. "Let's go to the office together."

I stopped and arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"I thought you wanted to keep us a secret?"

He was a major shareholder, and I was a project manager.

He had always forbidden me from making our relationship public.

At the office, he acted like we were total strangers.

He seemed to realize his own contradiction and coughed awkwardly.

"Nobody is in the garage to see us."

I didn't argue. I reached for the passenger door.

The seat was covered in stuffed animals, and there was a sticker that said "Macy's Throne."

He looked embarrassed and scrambled to throw the toys into the back seat.

"Macy hitches a ride often. She's just being childish," he mumbled.

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

In the past, he wouldn't even let a single strand of my hair stay in his car.

Once, I accidentally left my ID in his glove box, and he went into a rage.

He had thrown it at me and warned me that next time, it would go in the trash.

Now, he let another woman turn his car into a playroom.

"Don't bother," I said, feeling a wave of nausea. "I'll drive myself."

I turned toward my own car, but he grabbed my arm.

"I'll drive. We haven't spent time together in a while."

I glanced at the panic in his eyes but didn't say anything more.

I was late, and I didn't want to waste time fighting in the driveway.