Chapter 2

Belle noticed the tension between us and tugged on his arm. "Oh, you two know each other? Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Fred said nothing. He just stared at me, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

I stood up and smiled politely at Belle, extending my hand. "I'm Fred's cousin, Alice."

We had been married for five years. He started cheating in our second, but he'd always kept his women away from me. So now, I was helping him save face.

Fred's expression darkened further, but he didn't argue. He didn't want to upset Belle because of me.

Belle shook my hand, still smiling. "Hi, I'm Belle—Fred's girlfriend. We've been together for almost two years now. My birthday's the day after tomorrow. Do you want to come?"

Almost two years. So this time he was serious. If I remembered right, none of his other relationships had lasted more than two months.

"Leo and I already have plans that day," I said with a polite smile. "I'm sorry. I can't make it."

Belle said she understood. We chatted casually for a bit, while Fred stood beside her with a face like thunder.

Soon, Leo came out in clean clothes. He looked effortlessly handsome in a plain white shirt.

He walked straight to me, laced his fingers through mine, and greeted Belle and Fred with a warm smile.

Fred's eyes dropped to our joined hands. He let out a cold snort, turned around, and walked off without a word. Belle quickly ran after him.

Leo watched them leave, frowning. His grip on my hand tightened. "Alice, I saw that guy staring at you. Do you know him?"

I met his gaze and nodded.

"Yeah," I said calmly. "He's the husband I told you about—the one who cheats on me."

Leo knew I was married. I'd never hidden that from him.

It was because of Fred that I met Leo in the first place.

The day I ran into Fred and Belle on the street, I followed them onto the school campus.

Fred's eyes held a joy and tenderness I hadn't seen in years. He was carrying all of Belle's shopping bags, trailing obediently behind her. He didn't look the least bit annoyed. "Baby, please forgive me," he kept saying. "I've been shopping with you all day. Are you still mad at me?"

Belle stood with her hands on her hips, her chin tilted up, her expression full of pride. "It's your fault for tearing my favorite dress. Even if you bought me a hundred new ones, I wouldn't forgive you."

Fred smiled and leaned closer, rubbing the tip of his nose against her forehead. "Okay, okay. Tell me how you want to punish me. I'll take anything."

I couldn't listen anymore. I rolled up my car window to shut out their voices, buried my face in the steering wheel, and let the tears fall.

Even though I'd known about Fred's affair, seeing him so in love with someone else right in front of me still cut deep.

From the butterflies of our first love as teenagers to the broken pieces of our marriage now—after more than ten years—Fred still had the power to hurt me.

Bang! A basketball slammed against my car window.

I wiped my tears, rolled the window down, and looked out with red eyes.

Leo stood there, looking guilty and a little helpless. He scratched the back of his head. "I'm so sorry. Can I buy you dinner to make up for it?"

For some reason, I said yes.

After that, we swapped numbers. Leo started asking me out, and I never said no.

It went on like that until the day he told me he had feelings for me. I told him I was married and explained everything about Fred.

He lowered his eyes and stayed quiet for a long time. Then he just got up and walked away. I could see how sad he was as he left.

I thought that was the end of us. But two weeks later, he stopped me in my company's parking garage.

His lips were pressed together, and his face was set with stubborn resolve. "If he doesn't treasure you, then he can't blame me."

Thinking about the past made me drift off for a moment.

Leo thought I was thinking about Fred and squeezed my hand tighter, his voice full of hurt. "Can you please not think about him?"

I ruffled his messy hair and teased him, "I wasn't thinking about him. I was thinking about you—back when you first found out about him. You struggled with it for so long, remember? Come on, I'm all yours today."

*****

It was almost midnight when I got home.

I turned on the lights and saw Fred sitting on the couch, surrounded by a haze of cigarette smoke. He didn't say a word, just sat there quietly, and it startled me.

I changed my shoes and walked right past him.

When he saw I wasn't going to stop, he stubbed out his cigarette and called after me. "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

I was exhausted after spending the whole day with Leo. All I wanted was a shower and some sleep. "Say what? Wasn't the open marriage your idea? Don't tell me you're upset about it now."

Fred stood up slowly and stepped in front of me. There was a storm brewing in his eyes. He started stroking the side of my neck, over and over. "You two—"

I slapped his hand away. "Why do you care? I never said a word about you and Belle, did I?"

With that, I went straight into my room and locked the door.

A moment later, I heard a loud crash from the living room. Fred was smashing things.

I lay in bed and pulled the blanket over my head, blocking out the noise. He was being ridiculous.

He was the one who'd told me to see other people, and now he was the one throwing a tantrum about it.

And even after all this, he still refused to get a divorce. How insane was that?