Chapter 2

2.

Kade and I had been married for years, and Holly had been a shadow over us the entire time.

I had asked him countless times to set some boundaries with her.

He always insisted she was just a friend.

She, in turn, called him her "male bestie."

Male bestie.

The very phrase made my skin crawl.

It was just a fancy term for two people enjoying an emotional affair without the label.

And because of that, I was expected to accept a third person in my marriage.

For Hazel's sake, I chose to endure it.

I didn't want her childhood to be defined by her parents fighting.

No matter what the argument was about, I was always the one to bow my head and apologize.

That changed one day when I came home from work early.

I found Holly lying in our marriage bed, wearing my favorite silk pajamas.

I lost it and kicked her out of the house.

Kade came running out of the study when he heard the commotion.

He accused me of having a filthy mind while he shielded Holly.

"Holly came over to help me clean the house! That's supposed to be your job!"

"Instead of thanking her, you're throwing her out?"

"She worked so hard she was sweating. Her clothes were in the wash, so she borrowed yours. What's the big deal?"

"If you keep acting like a psycho, we're getting a divorce!"

He was using the threat of divorce to force me into submission again.

But that time, I fought back.

He slammed the door and left.

He hadn't spent a single night at home since.

Even when Hazel cried for her daddy, he would only grant her a brief FaceTime call.

Those calls happened maybe a handful of times.

Thinking back on everything, I realized I had been such a fool.

When I reached Holly's house, I hammered on the door like a woman possessed.

The moment it opened, before I could even see who it was, a heavy slap landed on my face.

It was Kade.

His eyes were full of irritation and rage.

"Jade, are you freaking kidding me? You came all the way here to throw another tantrum?"

His brow was furrowed with a disgust so deep it felt like he was looking at trash.

When I didn't speak, his tone turned into a cold command.

"Since you're here, go inside and grab Holly's suitcases. We're leaving for a trip."

I noticed that the side wall of Holly's house was covered in spray-painted threats.

Debt collectors were clearly looking for her.

My daughter was suffering in a hospital, yet he was busy taking his bestie on a vacation to escape her debts.

"She's in debt, isn't she? Why are you going on a trip?"

I stared into his eyes, searching for a hint of guilt.

All I saw was annoyance.

"None of your business!" he snapped.

"Just do what I told you and stop talking!"

I grit my teeth. "You took the money I raised just to pay off her gambling debts?"

"You have the nerve to bring up that money?"

His eyes widened in fury.

"If those thugs weren't breathing down her neck, I wouldn't have had to step in!"

"I'm not done with you for using our daughter's name to scam people!"

He turned to head back inside.

I grabbed his arm, my voice cracking with desperation.

"Hazel really needs that surgery. If you don't believe me, just come to the hospital once..."

Slap!

He swung his hand and hit me again.

The force was so great that I collapsed onto the pavement.

Kade looked down at me with nothing but warning in his eyes.

"Have some dignity, will you? You made our kid pretend to be sick just to trick our relatives?"

"How do you think that makes me look? I work myself to the bone for this family!"

"Now that you've run out of relatives, you're calling my coworkers? Are you trying to get me fired?"

He looked righteous, as if he were the victim here.

"I'm telling you, I won't let your behavior ruin Hazel's future."

"If I find out you're out there begging for money again, I'll kill you myself!"