Betrayal at the Altar

Synopsis

The crystal chandeliers of Le Bernardin cast a warm glow over our corner table as I studied Greyson across from me. Six years together, and I still found myself noticing new things about him—the way his fingers tapped against his wine glass when he was thinking, how his eyes crinkled slightly at the corners when he smiled. Tonight, though, something felt off. "I'll have the sea bass," Greyson told the waiter, then added, "And could you bring extra chives on the side?" I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth. "Chives?" Greyson's eyes flickered away from mine. "Yes, extra chives." "But you know I hate chives," I said carefully, setting my fork down. "I've never been able to stand them." His fingers moved to his watch—that platinum Patek Philippe I'd given him on our third anniversary—fidgeting with it in that nervous way I'd rarely seen before. "They're not for you," he said, his voice carrying a defensive edge I couldn't quite place. "They're for a friend I'm meeting later." "A friend?" I repeated, watching as his eyes darted around the restaurant, avoiding mine. "Yes, a friend." He took a long sip of his wine.