Chapter 2

My mind suddenly snapped back to a similarly freezing afternoon, five years ago.

It was our third wedding anniversary.

I had wrapped up my quarterly corporate meetings early. By 4:00 PM, I was walking through our front door with a strawberry shortcake and a bottle of wine.

As I turned the key in the lock, I still felt a childish flutter of excitement in my chest.

Should I surprise him?

The door swung open.

In the entryway sat a pair of unfamiliar high heels.

I froze, the hand holding the cake box trembling slightly.

Then, I heard the sound.

A woman's laughter drifting down from the master bedroom on the second floor.

"...Ethan, stop it, you're so bad..."

My feet felt nailed to the floorboards.

The cake box slipped from my fingers, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

I walked up the stairs, step by step.

The wooden steps creaked softly beneath my feet. Every sound felt like it was crushing my own heart.

The master bedroom door was ajar.

Through the crack, I saw two people in our bed.

Ethan's back was to the door. The woman pinned beneath him was my cousin, Natalie.

All the blood rushed to my head in an instant.

I pushed the door open.

Creak—

The two figures on the bed went rigid.

Ethan whipped his head around. When he saw me, all the color drained from his face.

He frantically yanked the duvet up to cover Natalie.

"Claire." His voice was shaking. "What are you doing home?"

I didn't say a word.

I just stared at Natalie.

"Claire..." Natalie whimpered, shrinking against Ethan's chest.

That single, pathetic movement finally ignited the rage inside me.

"Claire, let me explain—"

Ethan tried to get out of bed, but Natalie grabbed his arm.

"Ethan, I'm scared..."

Her tears fell right on cue.

Ethan immediately turned back and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, I'm right here."

Only then did he look back at me, his tone actually laced with reprimand.

"You're scaring Natalie. Can't we talk about this like adults? Did you have to just barge in?"

I laughed.

"I want a divorce."

The air in the room solidified.

Ethan's eyes widened, like he couldn't comprehend the words.

Natalie's crying hitched. She peeked out from under the covers, a flash of something unreadable in her eyes.

"What did you say?" Ethan asked.

"I said, divorce."

I turned and walked toward the walk-in closet.

"I'll have my lawyer draft the papers tomorrow. I'm keeping the house, and the company shares will be split according to marital assets. As for Lily's custody—"

"Don't even think about getting custody of my child."

Ethan scrambled out of bed and grabbed my wrist.

"Lily is my daughter! I am not giving her to you!"

His fingers dug into my skin, squeezing until my bones ached.

But I didn't struggle. I just looked at him.

"The second you fucked my cousin in our bed, you lost the right to call yourself a father."

"I didn't cheat!" he roared. "I'm only human, I made a mistake! It meant nothing!"

"Oh?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"And Natalie? Was she just making a mistake too?"

I ripped my arm out of his grip.

"This marriage is over."

Ethan stared at me, his chest heaving.

I walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" he demanded at my back.

"A hotel."

I didn't look back.

My phone rang again, yanking me out of the memory.

It was the same lawyer.

"Ms. Bennett, Ethan would like to meet you tomorrow. Face to face."

I pulled the car door open and slid into the driver's seat.

The heater blasted over me, chasing away the bone-deep chill.

I looked in the rearview mirror and smoothed down my wind-blown hair.

"Tell him if he wants to talk, I set the location."

"We meet at—"

I paused, staring into my own dead-calm eyes in the mirror.

"Seattle Children's Hospital. Pediatric Hematology Inpatient Ward. Third floor, right outside the ICU."

"The time is exactly 10:37 PM. Not a minute early, not a minute late."

"If he can be there on the dot, we'll talk."

I hung up and started the engine.

Over the roar of the motor, I took one last look at the dark water of the bay.

You want custody, Ethan?

Fine. Then we start talking from that night...

Chapter 2

My mind suddenly snapped back to a similarly freezing afternoon, five years ago.

It was our third wedding anniversary.

I had wrapped up my quarterly corporate meetings early. By 4:00 PM, I was walking through our front door with a strawberry shortcake and a bottle of wine.

As I turned the key in the lock, I still felt a childish flutter of excitement in my chest.

Should I surprise him?

The door swung open.

In the entryway sat a pair of unfamiliar high heels.

I froze, the hand holding the cake box trembling slightly.

Then, I heard the sound.

A woman's laughter drifting down from the master bedroom on the second floor.

"...Ethan, stop it, you're so bad..."

My feet felt nailed to the floorboards.

The cake box slipped from my fingers, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

I walked up the stairs, step by step.

The wooden steps creaked softly beneath my feet. Every sound felt like it was crushing my own heart.

The master bedroom door was ajar.

Through the crack, I saw two people in our bed.

Ethan's back was to the door. The woman pinned beneath him was my cousin, Natalie.

All the blood rushed to my head in an instant.

I pushed the door open.

Creak—

The two figures on the bed went rigid.

Ethan whipped his head around. When he saw me, all the color drained from his face.

He frantically yanked the duvet up to cover Natalie.

"Claire." His voice was shaking. "What are you doing home?"

I didn't say a word.

I just stared at Natalie.

"Claire..." Natalie whimpered, shrinking against Ethan's chest.

That single, pathetic movement finally ignited the rage inside me.

"Claire, let me explain—"

Ethan tried to get out of bed, but Natalie grabbed his arm.

"Ethan, I'm scared..."

Her tears fell right on cue.

Ethan immediately turned back and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, I'm right here."

Only then did he look back at me, his tone actually laced with reprimand.

"You're scaring Natalie. Can't we talk about this like adults? Did you have to just barge in?"

I laughed.

"I want a divorce."

The air in the room solidified.

Ethan's eyes widened, like he couldn't comprehend the words.

Natalie's crying hitched. She peeked out from under the covers, a flash of something unreadable in her eyes.

"What did you say?" Ethan asked.

"I said, divorce."

I turned and walked toward the walk-in closet.

"I'll have my lawyer draft the papers tomorrow. I'm keeping the house, and the company shares will be split according to marital assets. As for Lily's custody—"

"Don't even think about getting custody of my child."

Ethan scrambled out of bed and grabbed my wrist.

"Lily is my daughter! I am not giving her to you!"

His fingers dug into my skin, squeezing until my bones ached.

But I didn't struggle. I just looked at him.

"The second you fucked my cousin in our bed, you lost the right to call yourself a father."

"I didn't cheat!" he roared. "I'm only human, I made a mistake! It meant nothing!"

"Oh?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"And Natalie? Was she just making a mistake too?"

I ripped my arm out of his grip.

"This marriage is over."

Ethan stared at me, his chest heaving.

I walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" he demanded at my back.

"A hotel."

I didn't look back.

My phone rang again, yanking me out of the memory.

It was the same lawyer.

"Ms. Bennett, Ethan would like to meet you tomorrow. Face to face."

I pulled the car door open and slid into the driver's seat.

The heater blasted over me, chasing away the bone-deep chill.

I looked in the rearview mirror and smoothed down my wind-blown hair.

"Tell him if he wants to talk, I set the location."

"We meet at—"

I paused, staring into my own dead-calm eyes in the mirror.

"Seattle Children's Hospital. Pediatric Hematology Inpatient Ward. Third floor, right outside the ICU."

"The time is exactly 10:37 PM. Not a minute early, not a minute late."

"If he can be there on the dot, we'll talk."

I hung up and started the engine.

Over the roar of the motor, I took one last look at the dark water of the bay.

You want custody, Ethan?

Fine. Then we start talking from that night...