Chapter 1

The rain was pouring down, and I'd been stuck at the bus stop for three hours, waiting for Samuel to pick me up as promised.

Just as I was about to call a cab, I noticed a message from him, sent just five minutes ago, [Something came up. I can't make it.]

Soon after, I saw Natalia Porter, his secretary, had just posted on social media. The photo was of a dashboard I knew all too well.

The caption read, [Thanks for the ride home.]

If it were before, I would've blown up Samuel's phone, calling and texting nonstop and asking him what the hell was going on.

But now, I just gave her post a like with a flick of my finger.

After I left without a word, suitcase in hand, Samuel was in a panic, looking for me like crazy.

He said, "I can change. Just don't leave me."

*****

The kind of storm that happened once every ten years was pounding Alekrain. After work, everyone else had already headed home, leaving me alone at the office, burning the midnight oil.

Samuel texted me, [The rain's insane. Let me come pick you up.]

I knew he was trying to patch things up.

Last weekend was our wedding anniversary. I'd made a reservation at the restaurant, but he never showed up.

I waited until closing time, then checked my phone and saw Natalia had just posted on social media. The photo showed Samuel's sharp profile.

The caption read, [This year's birthday was perfect. Thanks for the treat.]

When I got home, I showed Samuel the photo and demanded an explanation.

He impatiently pushed my hand away. "She's just a young girl spending her birthday alone. What's wrong with me taking care of my employee? Don't make a fuss about it, okay? We can celebrate our anniversary any year, can't we?"

Anniversaries could be any year. Same for birthdays, right?

Ever since that night, it had been nothing but silence between us. It had been ten days already.

Back then, I was always the one bending over backwards to make things right between us. If he ever reached out first, I'd feel flattered and thrilled, almost like I couldn't believe my luck.

But it didn't even bother me anymore. I just replied, [Okay.]

Six o'clock rolled around, and it was the time we'd agreed on. Since there was no way to park out front, I made my way quickly to the bus stop.

By nine, the rain was coming down even harder. Even huddled under the billboard, my pants got drenched by the downpour.

But Samuel was still nowhere to be seen.

I pulled out my phone to call a cab, but then a notification popped up from someone I kept tabs on.

I tapped it and saw that Natalia had just posted a photo with the caption, [Thanks for the ride home.]

The photo showed a dashboard I knew all too well. There were only two of these limited-edition cars in Alekrain, and one of them was Samuel's.

Hanging above the dashboard was the cross I'd gotten for him at the church last year.

When I first hung it up, Samuel frowned and complained, "This thing is so out of place. It totally clashes with my car."

I practically begged him over and over before he finally caved, and even then, he did it grudgingly.

Suddenly, I felt at peace with it all, so I hit like on her post.

Samuel wasn't coming. The ride-hailing app said there were over a hundred people ahead of me. I looked down at myself. There wasn't much left that was dry, so I turned and headed for a bike share.

By the time I got home, Samuel wasn't back.

I jumped in the shower and took some cold medicine, but right before I went to sleep, I could still feel myself getting a little dizzy.

Half-asleep, I was jolted awake by the sound of the door opening.

Samuel had come home.

He probably hadn't expected me to be asleep already, so he just stood quietly by the bed.

I could feel his gaze lingering on me, but I was just too unwell to respond.

After a moment, his footsteps faded away, and then I heard the water running in the bathroom as he started to wash up.

The soft sounds from the bathroom were almost hypnotic, lulling me right back into a drowsy sleep.

The next morning, when my alarm blared, my head was still spinning, and I couldn't even reach for my phone at first.

Samuel let out a frustrated tsk, and that jolted me fully awake.

I was burning up with a fever, and my head was splitting, but I had a big meeting to run today. So I forced myself to get ready for work, dragging myself out the door even though every step felt like a struggle.

When I got to the office, one of my coworkers took one look at my flushed face and immediately started fussing over me, handing me some medicine and a cold compress, asking if I was feeling alright.

Samuel texted me, [Are you mad at me?]

Honestly, I didn't get it.

He sent another message, [Then why didn't you make my breakfast?]

Ever since we got married, I'd made breakfast every single morning before heading to work, even when we were barely speaking. But he never bothered to eat it.

This morning, I was so out of it from the fever that I totally forgot. But the way he texted me, like it was my job or something, made me frown.

I replied, [Forgot. Go get your own breakfast.]

The rest of the day, I was so swamped with work that I didn't even glance at my phone.

It wasn't until just before I was about to leave that I finally saw Samuel's message, [I'll pick you up after work.]