Chapter 1

Three days after the wedding, I found a hotel room card in my husband's shirt pocket.

The card read "Grandview Hotel, Room 1208," and the back carried a faint scent of perfume.

Not the one I wore.

I stood by the washing machine holding the card, my hands trembling slightly.

The sweetness of our honeymoon phase vanished without a trace in an instant.

*****

Three days after the wedding, I found a hotel room card in my husband's shirt pocket.

The card read "Grandview Hotel, Room 1208," and the back carried a faint scent of perfume.

Not the one I wore.

I stood by the washing machine holding the card, my hands trembling slightly.

The sweetness of our honeymoon phase vanished without a trace in an instant.

Michael was on the phone in the living room, his voice low. "Okay, I'll have tomorrow's proposal ready. Yeah. See you tonight."

My heart clenched. See you tonight? Who the hell was he meeting?

I crept to the living room doorway and found Michael already off the phone. The moment he spotted me, his face broke into a smile. "Hey babe, what are you up to?"

I held up the keycard. "What's this?"

Michael froze for a second, but he recovered quickly. "Oh, that? Left over from yesterday's client meeting. The client booked the room, and we used it to go over contract details."

"Which client?"

"Mr. Lewis. The one who's buying the villa." His answer came smooth and easy, like he'd rehearsed it ahead of time, but I caught the way his eyes flickered for just a moment.

"Why does the keycard smell like perfume?"

"Probably the front desk girl. You know how hotel staff are these days. They're always done up." Michael moved closer and reached out to pull me into a hug, but I stepped back.

"Michael, we've been married for three days."

"I know, and that's exactly why I'd never do anything to hurt you." His expression looked so sincere, and his voice was so gentle. If it weren't for that keycard in my hand, I might have actually believed him.

"So are you going out again tonight?"

"Yeah, same project. Mr. Lewis wants to confirm the final details."

"I'll come with you."

"No, no, you stay home and rest. I'll be back soon." Michael waved his hands and refused a little too quickly. That urgency only confirmed what I'd been thinking.

*****

At seven that evening, Michael left right on time. I waited 10 minutes, then headed out myself.

The Grandview Hotel wasn't far from our place, just a ten-minute drive. I parked across the street at a coffee shop where I had a clear view of the hotel lobby.

At eight-thirty, I spotted Michael's car. He got out, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the hotel entrance. But he wasn't alone.

A woman got out of the passenger seat. She had long flowing hair, a stunning figure, and wore a red dress. She linked her arm through Michael's, and the two of them walked into the hotel laughing and chatting like they didn't have a care in the world.

My heart sank completely. I knew that woman. She was Emma Johnson, a new hire at Michael's company who'd just graduated this year. She'd been at our wedding, sitting at the coworkers' table, smiling as she toasted us. Looking back now, that smile seemed so fake.

I sat in my car for an hour with my mind spinning in circles. We'd been married for three days, and he was already checking into hotels with another woman. So what did our wedding night mean? What about all those sweet words he'd said? What about all our plans for the future?

At ten, I drove home.

At eleven-thirty, Michael came home.

"Hey babe, I'm back." His voice was casual and light, like he'd just run out to grab something from the convenience store.

"How'd the project meeting go?"

"Really well. Mr. Lewis loved our proposal." He walked over and tried to pull me into a hug. That was when I caught the faint scent of perfume on him. The exact same one from the keycard.

"Did you switch colognes today?"

"No, I probably just picked it up at the restaurant."

Another lie.

I looked at his face, this face I'd loved so much, and it felt like I was staring at a stranger. "Michael, I'm pretty tired. I'm gonna head to bed."

"Okay, I'll just take a quick shower and join you."

I lay there in bed listening to the water running in the bathroom, and I didn't know what to feel anymore. Three days ago, we'd been standing in a church making promises to each other. Three days later, everything had fallen apart.

I grabbed my phone and sent a message to my best friend. [Jenny, are you free tomorrow? I need to see you.]

Her reply came back almost instantly. [Of course! What's wrong? Aren't newlyweds supposed to be blissfully happy?]

I stared at those words and felt tears sliding down my cheeks. Happy? What even was happiness anymore?