Chapter 4

Michael was still the same good Michael I'd always known. He got off work early, brought my favorite strawberry cake, cooked several dishes I liked, and filled the whole table.

When the lights went out, he lit the candles for me with a gentle smile. "Make a wish."

I closed my eyes. Last year, my wish had been simple: I just wanted to be a little closer to Michael. Maybe heaven had heard me. The road had been messy, but in a way that wish had come true. This year, I wanted to wish...

Michael's ringtone cut through my thoughts. He answered it right in front of me, and the moment he heard the person on the other end, his brow knotted.

While changing shoes, he said in a tenderness I'd never heard before, "Go to your room and lock the door. Don't go out yet. I'm on my way. Don't be scared. Close your eyes and count to ten."

The instant his hand touched the doorknob, he suddenly turned back and met my stunned eyes. "Some creep followed her home and found where she lives. She's alone and can't handle it by herself."

I understood at once. He was explaining himself to me.

I shot to my feet and urged him on. "Then go. What are you waiting for?"

Michael's step faltered for a second, but the next moment I shoved him out the door and shut it behind him.

I stood in the entryway, listening to his running footsteps fade away, then dragged my slippers back to the table. The candles had already burned down, leaving only hardened wax on the cake.

I replaced one, lit it, clasped my hands, and made a wish: may Michael get everything he wants and spend forever with the person he loves.

I blew out the candle, and the room went dark.

Michael came back the next morning, having changed clothes and washed his hair, a faint gardenia scent still clinging to him.

I woke groggily to find him standing by my bed and nearly jumped out of my skin. He said flatly, "I knocked for an hour, then got the spare key from building management."

My foggy brain cleared at once. I really had locked the door out of habit, and there was no easy way to say I just hadn't expected him back so early.

So I changed the subject. "How's she doing? Did they catch the creep?"

The expression that had just softened on his face went tense again. "No. The guy's slippery. He's been lurking around that area for a long time."

"Then until they catch him, you'd better stay over there and keep an eye on things.

"It's too dangerous for a woman to live alone like that." As I said it, I got up and opened the closet, then awkwardly remembered his clothes were in his own room.

Seeing him still standing there like an idiot, I snapped, "What are you waiting for? Go grab some clothes and get over there already."

Michael finally moved, but not toward the door. He came straight at me until I was pinned in the corner. I pushed at him, but he wouldn't budge.

I looked up at him. "I can handle my parents. They promised they won't just show up anymore."

When he still didn't budge, I added, "I can handle your parents too. If they don't believe you, they'll believe me. And if all else fails, I'll just keep them from coming over..."

His body nearly pressed against mine, heat seeping through the thin fabric between us. In a low, rough voice tinged with displeasure, he asked, "Are you trying to send me away? Trying to shove me toward another woman?"

The strength drained from my resisting hands, and I let him pull me into his arms. "We're married, Emily. We're husband and wife.

"Even if there was something between me and her before, that doesn't mean I'd betray you or this marriage." The dead part of my heart stirred back to life, and I hated how powerless I was against him, and how good he could be.