Chapter 1

The day my father passed away, my husband, Chase Miller, was supposedly away on a business trip and couldn't make it back.

After the funeral ended, his childhood sweetheart posted a photo on Instagram.

"You're finally making all our childhood promises come true."

The picture showed her and Chase having a beautiful wedding ceremony.

Looking at the two of them looking so perfect together, I left a comment below.

"I hope you two grow old and gray together!"

When I refreshed the page, the post had already been deleted. Seconds later, Chase called me.

"Lana is practically on her deathbed! I was just fulfilling a final wish. Why do you have to be such a bitch about it? Marrying you was the worst mistake of my life!"

This time, I didn't scream or fight. I simply hung up the phone in silence.

1.

When I finished settling my father's estate and walked through the door, Chase was sitting on the living room sofa, his face dark.

"Where the hell have you been?"

I placed the paperwork on the table and didn't say a word.

He didn't even care if I answered. He just wanted to vent his frustration.

"Lana has a heart condition! She can't handle stress! Why did you have to leave that nasty comment and trigger her? Is it because your dad died that you want Lana to die too?"

"It was just a ceremony. We didn't sign any legal papers! Why are you being so damn petty?"

As his insults washed over me, my mind drifted back to three days ago.

That morning, the hospital called me saying my father was in critical condition. They told me to get there immediately.

On the way, I called Chase repeatedly. He never picked up.

When I arrived, the doctor shook his head at me with a look of pity. "Say whatever you need to say now."

I suppressed the crushing grief and entered the room. My father looked behind me, searching for Chase.

I squeezed his hand and lied through my teeth. "Chase is on a business trip. He's rushing back right now."

Because of that one sentence, my father fought for every breath until nightfall before finally letting go.

The moment the monitor went flat, I collapsed on the floor, sobbing until I blacked out.

When I woke up, I saw Chase's name flashing on my screen.

"Skye, I've been buried in work all day. I didn't check my phone."

I told him, through broken sobs, that my father was gone.

Chase went silent for a moment. But before he could speak, a familiar female voice called his name in the background.

"I have to get back to work. We'll talk later."

He hung up before I could even respond.

I sent him the details of the funeral via text, begging him to come back.

By the time the service ended, he hadn't replied.

He never showed up.

After the funeral, I saw a notification on my phone―a post from one of my Favorites.

I opened it to see Lana Larsen's post. It was a photo of her and Chase at their wedding.

The location was tagged in Maui.

That was when I realized Chase wasn't busy with work. He was busy marrying Lana.

Looking at the nine-photo grid of them looking so happy, my heart died instantly.

I meant every word when I commented, "I hope you two grow old and gray together."

But the post vanished a second later.

Soon after, Chase's call came through.

The moment I picked up, he started berating me.

"This was Lana's dream. As her friend, why can't I just fulfill it? She's dying, and here you are being a jealous brat."

"Stop acting like a stalker, obsessing over other people's lives! If I knew you were like this, I never would have married you!"

When he finished his rant, I didn't scream back like I used to. I didn't let my anger explode. I just quietly hung up.

Because of Lana, I had fought with Chase for two years.

Every single time, I was the one who ended up bruised and broken.

I'm smarter now. I've checked out. I don't want to fight him anymore.

Thinking of this, I looked Chase in the eye, ready to ask for a divorce. But the world went black, and I collapsed.