Chapter 2

The cold rain hammered against my umbrella.

It wasn't until they turned, wrapped in each other's arms, and walked towards the visitor center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord that I finally snapped out of my daze.

My phone screen lit up.

It was Caleb.

[Just got my phone back from training. What's up?]

The sudden downpour had completely soaked my shoes.

A damp chill spread from my feet through my entire body. My legs felt like they were filled with cement, stuck to the pavement.

I pulled the olive-drab jacket he gave me tighter around myself. It was the same color as his combat uniform.

With a trembling hand, I dialed his number again.

It connected, but he immediately hung up.

A new text came through: [CO is right next to me. Can't talk. Text.]

I bit my lip, typing out each word slowly.

[In training? Or with another woman?]

Just as I was about to hit send, a screech of brakes echoed behind me.

"Watch out!"

Before I could react, I was knocked to the ground by an out-of-control scooter.

The world spun as I slammed onto the wet sidewalk.

The sharp, damp cold soaked through my clothes instantly. The searing pain in my knee was a half-second behind, crawling its way up to my heart.

The young soldier who hit me frantically helped me up. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

I saw his Army uniform and the panic on his young face, so I just waved my hand. "I'm fine. You can go."

My phone screen was shattered. The question I never sent was gone forever.

I found a motel near the base and took a scalding hot shower.

Downstairs, I bought a new phone at the convenience store and swapped my SIM card.

A new text from Caleb was waiting: [Got night training tonight. Can't video call. Talk tomorrow. Be good.]

I blinked my dry eyes, sitting numbly on the edge of the bed.

I just didn't understand.

Why?

Why would Caleb cheat?

And that girl, did she even know she was the other woman?

I opened Instagram.

Even without knowing how to spell her name, I found her in Caleb's follow list.

Her profile picture was taken in his barracks room.

The olive-green blanket on the bed behind her still had the perfect hospital corners I had taught him how to fold.

He had held me then, saying, "Grace's hospital corners are the gold standard. I have to look at them every day."

Scarlett was a travel influencer with a decent number of followers.

I scrolled through her posts.

The first one involving Caleb was from June.

Scarlett had her arm linked with a man's, the background a hiking trail in Mount Rainier National Park.

The caption read: [First date with my soldier boy, and I'm already falling hard! ?? #MilitaryRomance #MountRainier]

That was the trail we always walked whenever I came to Seattle to visit him.

He had promised me, "Grace, this path is ours. Every step I take here, I want it to be a memory with you."

In July, Scarlett and Caleb went to the Oregon Coast together.

That was my birthday. Caleb told me he was on a field survival exercise. But his post showed him with Scarlett, helping her try surfing for the first time.

My blood turned to ice.

Caleb never showed his face in any of the photos, but I recognized the scar on his arm―he got it years ago, from broken glass, while protecting me.

I opened my DMs and sent Scarlett a message.

[Hi. Do you know Caleb Hayes has a girlfriend? Or did he tell you he was single?]

Less than half an hour later, Scarlett posted a new Instagram story.

It was a picture of her in a skirt so short it barely covered her thighs.

[Tonight's weapon of choice ?? Sent him a preview, and he's obsessed. #DateNight #HeWontKnowWhatHitHim]

I clenched my jaw, shivering from a cold that had nothing to do with the weather.

Just last month, when I visited him on base, I opened my arms for a hug, but he gently pushed me away.

He frowned and said, "Grace, you smell like hospital antiseptic."

Just then, Scarlett replied to my DM.

[Dr. Grace Miller. I know exactly who you are.]