Chapter 1

Aria Sanders was still holding the glass of honey water she'd made for Cooper Reed when she overheard those words.

Cooper's friends were over for dinner tonight, and Aria had spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen, cooking up a feast.

Cooper liked it when she played the perfect girlfriend in front of his friends, so she always did her best to be the picture of domesticity.

Laughter and the clinking of glasses floated out from the living room as Aria carried the honey water over, hoping to help Cooper with his drinking.

As she reached the doorway, she heard someone mention her name.

"Cooper, Aria is really great. She is so gentle, and such a perfect homemaker, and her cooking is fantastic," Julian Carter said.

Aria paused, a small wave of happiness bubbling up inside her. She lingered by the door, wanting to hear how Cooper would respond.

"She's not bad," Cooper drawled, his voice casual and a bit slurred from the drinks.

"Not bad? Come on, what do you mean by that?" another friend chuckled, "Is she really worse than Sarah?"

Aria's hand trembled.

Sarah Bell was Cooper's first love, the legendary woman everyone in their group talked about.

Aria had never met Sarah, but she'd heard plenty. Sarah was gorgeous, smart, and exceptional, always the center of attention wherever she went, the one Cooper would always hold dear in his heart.

"Worse? In what way?" Cooper let out a laugh, and there was something in his tone Aria had never heard before. "Sarah is in a league of her own. And Aria? She's not the same. There's no comparison."

Aria froze.

"Hey, that's not fair." Julian jumped in, trying to smooth things over. "Aria's great, too. She's sweet, thoughtful, and absolutely loyal to you."

"What's the point of being sweet and thoughtful?" Cooper sounded careless. "Sarah? She's different, you know? She can stand there without doing anything, and everyone's eyes are on her. Aria? She's really the type to stay home, cook, clean, and wait on people."

Someone laughed, "Cooper, if Aria heard you say that, she'd be crushed."

"She won't hear us," Cooper said, his tone full of confidence. "She's too easygoing. Even if she did overhear, she wouldn't do a thing. I say a few nice things, and she'll be back to cooking and cleaning for me like always."

"Are you that sure?" someone asked.

"Of course," Cooper chuckled, "She can't live without me."

Aria lingered by the door, the honey water in her hand slowly turning cold.

"What about Sarah?" someone asked. "Isn't she coming back home soon?"

"Yeah, next month." Cooper's voice suddenly turned gentle. "Keep it quiet when she's here. She doesn't know about Aria and me."

"So, what are you planning to do?" someone asked.

"Once Sarah's back, Aria's got to move out," Cooper said, sounding as indifferent as if he were talking about the weather. "They can't run into each other. If they do, what would Aria be then?"

One of his friends chuckled, "So what about Aria?"

"I'll give her some money." Cooper was completely indifferent. "She's been good lately. I won't shortchange her."

Aria stood there, taking in every word.

She wanted to burst in and ask him, "Cooper, do you really mean what you're saying?"

But her feet felt nailed to the floor. She couldn't move.

She remembered all the times Cooper had been good to her.

He would hold her for a kiss when he woke up in the morning. He would bring her favorite cupcakes when he came home at night. When she was sick, he would stay by her bed and change the towel for her again and again.

'Was it all fake?' she wondered.

"Come on, let's drink," someone inside said, switching the topic.

Aria turned and walked away, honey water still in her hand.

She went to the kitchen, dumped the water out, and put the glass in the sink.

Then she pressed herself against the wall, slowly slid down, and wrapped her arms around herself.

She didn't cry. She sat there, hugging herself, for a long, long time.

That night, after his friends had left, Cooper stumbled into the bedroom and saw Aria sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Why are you still up?" He staggered over and pulled her into a hug, his breath heavy with alcohol against her neck. "Were you waiting for me?"

Aria didn't say a word.

Cooper pinched her cheek. "What's wrong? Not happy?"

Aria lifted her head and looked at him.

She wanted to ask, "Cooper, in your eyes, am I really sweet and thoughtful, never able to hold a candle to how dazzling Sarah is?

"Is it true you think I can't live without you? When Sarah comes back, am I really supposed to pack up and leave?"

But when she looked into his eyes, she saw that familiar tenderness, the way he spoiled her, and the tipsy haze clouding his gaze.

All those questions she wanted to ask suddenly slipped away.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm a little tired."

Cooper kissed her. "Thanks a lot, Aria. I'll give you a nice massage tomorrow."

He lay down and fell asleep almost instantly.

Aria lay beside him, listening to the sound of his breathing. She didn't sleep a wink all night.

When dawn broke, she made up her mind.

She was going to confront him and ask him to his face.

But before she could say anything, Cooper's phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, and a smile spread across his face, a smile Aria had never seen before.

"Sarah?" he answered, his voice impossibly gentle. "Why are you calling so early?"

Aria lay in bed, listening in as he talked on the phone.

"Alright, I'll come get you." After hanging up, Cooper glanced at her. The tenderness on his face hadn't faded yet. He froze for a second when their eyes met.

Cooper stood up and wrapped her in a gentle hug. "Aria, Sarah was my ex. She's coming back soon, and I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

He leaned in and kissed her. "Trust me. Once I drop her off, I'll come right back to you."

Aria watched him leave, catching his upbeat voice as he chatted on the phone in the hallway. "Sarah, I'll pick you up tomorrow. Yeah, everything's taken care of. Relax."

She closed her eyes. She didn't need to ask those questions she wanted to. She understood the answers now.

Aria didn't want to hesitate anymore.

That night, Cooper got a call, claimed it was work, and hurried out the door.

Aria lay alone in bed, spending the whole night staring at the ceiling.

When morning came, Aria got up and began packing up her things.

She didn't own much. She'd come here with a single suitcase, and after more than half a year, that was still all she had.

Cooper had bought her clothes, bags, and jewelry, but she never used any of them. Everything stayed untouched, neatly hanging in the closet.

As she dragged her suitcase downstairs, the front door swung open.

Cooper stood in the doorway, and when he spotted the suitcase in her hand, he was caught off guard. "Aria, where are you going?"

Aria looked at him and didn't say a word.