Chapter 1

My husband, Xavier Shepherd, who I'd known since we were kids, loved going fishing with his female coworker all the time. For the first three years of our marriage, we argued about it every single day.

By the fourth year, I was too tired to fight anymore. So I grabbed a fishing rod and tackle box, heading out early and coming back late just like he did.

At first, Xavier didn't care. But one night, he came home in the middle of the night and realized I still wasn't back.

He freaked out and begged me, swearing he'd never go fishing again and would stay home with me for good.

But I simply ignored his words.

After all, the catch I reeled in was Riverdale's newly arrived widower—Maddox Richmond, the richest man in town.

*****

I was pretty lazy, so instead of bothering to date around, I married my childhood friend, Xavier.

At first, everything was smooth. Our families knew each other well, and we'd grown up side by side.

He had a clean-cut look, never dated anyone, and I knew all his quirks—down to the tiniest detail.

After we got married, things were actually pretty good between us.

But then his parents got tired of him hanging around, so they set him up with a job.

There was an easygoing girl in his department who always asked him out.

At first, it was dinners and karaoke, but somehow, they got obsessed with night fishing, and sometimes he wouldn't come home until morning.

I was in my prime, young and gorgeous, but every night I was stuck alone in an empty house. Who could stand that?

I argued with Xavier, but he said I was being dramatic.

His coworker, Susan Lake, loved to stir things up, chiming in, "Come on, Xavier, you better head home. Looks like your wife might die without you."

Some of the other single guys snickered and threw in their own digs.

I couldn't be bothered with any of them, so I pulled Xavier away to head home.

But he pushed me so hard that I nearly hit the floor.

Xavier snapped, "Are you done making a fuss? Can't I have something I enjoy?

"I bust my ass all day to keep us going, and I even help out with the chores.

"I do everything you ask, and all I want is a bit of time for myself. Why do you always have to chase after me and stir up drama?"

I felt a sudden pang of hurt. "Is this your idea of 'a bit of time'? You haven't been home for a week."

His face went cold. "Don't talk nonsense. I come back every night."

"It's three in the morning by the time you get home, and then you're off to work the next day. Even on weekends, you're out with them. We barely even talk anymore."

"That's your own fault for not having any friends. Not my problem," he said flatly.

His face was set in a hard frown, clearly annoyed.

"Listen, Stella, we're married, but it doesn't mean I have to follow your every command," he snapped.

Xavier had always been calm and considerate, never gotten into trouble, and never raised his voice at me.

That was why I married him without a second thought.

We'd barely been married for a year, and he had already learned how to argue with me.

Seeing how he wouldn't budge, I got pissed off too and stormed out.

After that, it was like we were always at each other's throats.

He hated that I was always grilling him, and I couldn't stand that he was never around.

We started sleeping in separate rooms, and didn't even bother to talk when we saw each other.

Our big house felt colder than a freezer.

I felt so weighed down that I stopped caring about how I looked.

In those three years, I gained a lot of weight, and I always had this look of frustration on my face.

Then one day, Jenny, my best friend, was in town for work and invited me to dinner. When she saw me, she was totally shocked.

"Holy crap, Stella, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?" she blurted out.

"Like what?" I asked, confused.

"Look at yourself," Jenny said, then pulled out a mirror.

Staring back was a bitter woman with sallow skin and dead eyes, someone I barely recognized.

Startled, I smacked the mirror down on the table with a loud thud.

"Damn, what kind of creep is that?" I blurted out. "Jenny, do you think I've been possessed or something?"

Still feeling rattled, I told Jenny all about what happened with Xavier.

Jenny pursed her lips and stared at me for ages, like she was totally lost for words.

I was getting really impatient and jabbed her in the arm.

"Say something. Why are you sitting there not saying a word?" I pressed.

Jenny stared at me, speechless. "Honestly, it's like marriage scrambled your brains or something."

I blinked, totally confused.

She started breaking it down. "Look, Susan's obviously got an agenda. She knows you two just got married, but she's always dragging him out.

"And Xavier? He's playing dumb on purpose. Of course he knows he should be spending his nights with his wife. He's so sure that if he leaves you at home, you won't do a damn thing about it."

I blinked, totally confused. "No way. I'm so pretty, but he leaves me at home and doesn't even worry I'll hook up with some random guy?"

Jenny shot back, "Well, did you?"

I shook my head instantly.

"Nope. My grandma always said we gotta stay decent, and once I'm married, I don't fool around," I replied.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "See? You two grew up together, so you know him, and he knows you as well. He's totally sure you'd never cheat, not with your morals."

Suddenly, it all clicked for me. "Oh, that's why he's so confident about leaving me at home."

Jenny gave me a smug look. "Exactly. He was right all along. You two barely even act like a married couple anymore, and even so, you never thought about finding someone else. You're being straight-laced."

I clenched my fists, furious. "Holy crap! That's too much!"

Jenny sighed, "Oh, I'm not telling you to go do anything wild.

"But Stella, never let a guy brush you off. You need to love yourself, too."