Chapter 1

In the three years we’d been married, my wife’s mentally unstable ex-husband, Daniel, had attacked me thirty-eight times.

Number thirty-eight was supposed to be a heavy-duty corrosive cleaner. He grabbed the bottle off the kitchen counter and hurled the liquid right at my face.

It turned out to be vinegar.

I reached for my phone to call the cops, but Claire’s hand clamped over mine.

"It wasn't acid," she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "Just go change, Ev. Wash it off."

She looked at my soaked shirt, her eyes pleading. "Daniel still thinks we're married. Give me some time to explain it to him, okay? Let me get him to his treatment first."

She paused, taking a breath. "Also... his kidney failure is getting worse. He needs a transplant. Could you go to Harborview and do a preliminary compatibility test for him?"

I just stared at her. She kept going.

"Lily is still having a hard time accepting you. I want to go stay with them for a while. Just bear with it a little longer."

My heart sank, turning to lead in my chest.

She had never truly let him go.

I didn't argue. I just pulled out my phone, opened an app, and booked a train ticket out of the city.

"Let's get a divorce," I said. "If you want to go back to Daniel and keep revolving your life around him, go. Lily needs a mother. And I'm done being the guy who just waits around."

Claire’s head snapped up.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, I want a divorce."

"Ev, don't say things you don't mean when you're mad—"

"I'm not saying it out of anger." I cut her off. "This is a decision I've been thinking about for a long time."

She froze.

I let out a hollow laugh. The sound was ice-cold. "I've always known, Claire. You can't cut ties with Daniel, and you can't let go of Lily. Between the three of us, I am always going to be the one who gets sacrificed."

"That's not true, Ev..."

"Enough."

My voice finally cracked, the anger bleeding through. "I am sick of being a punching bag for your ex-husband. I'm sick of being the villain to your daughter while I stand there and pretend it's fine."

"I am sick of Daniel going on local drama channels, crying about the homewrecker who stole his wife while he was sick. Strangers tear me apart in the comments, and I just have to keep my head down and take it."

"I'm sick of you leaving me in this empty apartment to wait for you while you take them camping and hiking. I am drowning in your guilt, your responsibilities, and your endless emergencies. I'm done."

I turned and walked into the bedroom.

"Ev!" Panic finally spiked in Claire's voice. "Don't do this. Let's talk—"

I shut the door in her face.

A long time passed. The apartment went dead silent. I buried my face in my pillow and wiped the dampness from the corners of my eyes.

Six months ago, Claire had linked her arm through mine, looking up at me with absolute sincerity. “Once Lily adjusts a bit more, maybe we can think about having a baby. I’ll set her up with a child therapist to help her prepare.”

I thought she was actually planning our future.

Now I understood. She was just selling me a future she never intended to build.

The next morning, I opened the bedroom door. Claire was standing right outside.

She hadn't slept. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her shirt was a wrinkled mess.

"Ev."

"I'm going out," I said.

"I'll drive you." She answered almost too quickly, then lowered her voice. "After you run your errands, we can swing by the hospital for the crossmatch test. Daniel is running out of time."

She said it so casually. Like she was asking if I wanted to grab coffee.

My chest tightened so hard it hurt. "I'm not going."

Claire frowned. "Ev, how can you be so cold? He really doesn't have time. If my blood type was a match, I wouldn't be begging you."

"What does his illness have to do with me?" I looked her dead in the eye. "I'm not going."

She fell silent. A shift happened in her eyes. A decision.

She glanced toward the front door, a brief flash of hesitation crossing her face. "I wasn't asking, Ev."

Two bodyguards stepped into the apartment.

I took a step back, but they had already blocked the doorway and the hall.

"Move," I ordered.

Neither man flinched.

Claire stood to the side, refusing to look at me. "They'll take us to the hospital," she said. "After the test, you can go wherever you want."

In that moment, it hit me. She didn't care if I was willing. She was going to force me.

I didn't want to get into a physical altercation here, and I didn't want the neighbors hearing the commotion. Jaw tight, I walked past them toward the elevator.

The two bodyguards flanked me the entire way down.

They didn't back off until we were parked outside Harborview Medical Center.

Claire sat next to me in the back seat, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Ev, don't hate me. I owe you for this. Once Daniel gets better, I'll make it up to you."

I stared at her. "Make it up to me? Anything I want?"

Claire looked relieved, clearly thinking I was caving. "Whatever you want. I'll do everything I can to give it to you."

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"I want a divorce."