Chapter 2

I pulled myself out of the memories.

As darkness slowly crept up outside the café, a chill brushed across my face.

I knew it wasn't just me who was facing the end.

What was between Edward and me was coming to an end, too.

My chest throbbed with pain, and I rummaged through my bag for some painkillers.

With no water nearby, I forced down a fistful of pills, swallowing them dry.

When I got home, Edward was in the kitchen cooking.

He'd brought Emily Winters with him.

She stood beside him, much shorter, clinging to him as she washed vegetables at the sink.

They were chatting and laughing, totally oblivious to me standing right behind them.

I grabbed my work laptop from the coffee table and was about to leave.

But Emily came after me, insisting I stay for dinner.

Her voice was all sweet. "It's so late, Sarah. Why are you still heading out?"

Edward and I had been married for over seven years.

But Emily always put on that innocent act every time she saw me.

I forced a smile. "No. I've got things to do."

Edward poked his head out of the kitchen, giving me an indifferent look.

"We won't be having many more meals together. Do you have to be like this?" he said.

He was probably talking about the divorce, but my mind wandered to something else.

For a second, I couldn't help myself, and I felt tears prick at my eyes.

He was right. We wouldn't have many dinners left together, so I decided to stay.

Edward's cooking skills were top-notch; in no time, he served up two meat dishes, a veggie, and a soup.

Emily liked her food on the mild and sweet side. Spicy dishes weren't her thing.

But I was all about the heat, so this meal might as well have been water to me.

Edward sat across from me with Emily, ladling soup into her bowl and placing a pork chop on her plate.

For a split second, it felt like I was getting a glimpse of what their married life would look like.

I couldn't taste a thing the whole meal.

It was late at night when Emily finally left.

I needed to pick up some meds, so I drove over to the hospital.

As I headed out, Mila, the cat I'd had for years, padded after me, sticking close to my feet.

I brought her along, realizing I wouldn't be able to care for her much longer.

After I got my meds, I ended up giving her to my attending physician, Samuel Stone.

Samuel ran a pet shelter and was crazy about animals.

*****

On my way home, I passed by a clothing store.

In the front window, there was a gorgeous long white gown on display.

I almost never wore dresses that looked so gentle.

But since I thought it was beautiful and I didn't have much time left, I decided to get it while I still could.

Without a second thought, I got out of the car and bought it.

When I got home with the dress, I suddenly remembered why it looked familiar.

It looked like the one Emily had worn a couple of days ago.

At that moment, I realized I was kind of jealous of her.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The living room was completely dark.

Suddenly, Edward came at me like a ghost, charging out of the darkness.

He was furious as he demanded, "Did you give Mila away?"

I fumbled for the light switch and turned on the lights. "Yeah," I answered.

He stared at me like I was a total freak.

"Sarah, you gave away a cat you've had for five years to some guy? That's seriously heartless," he said.

I stayed silent and headed upstairs to the bedroom.

But Edward noticed the bag I was carrying.

He snatched it right out of my hand.

My face went pale as I tried to grab it back, but he'd already yanked the dress out.

I heard him scoff. "A white dress isn't your style. But I bet Emily would look great in it."

Feeling embarrassed, I didn't bother arguing. I headed upstairs.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him toss the bag straight into the trash.

He chased after me, taunting, "What, you're trying to copy Emily now? You think you measure up to her?"

Humiliated and furious, I spun around and glared at him, eyes blazing.

"Then get lost. Go find her," I snapped.

He looked stunned for a second, while I turned and hurried upstairs.

I went into the bathroom to wash my face, but the little one who always followed me around was gone.

I couldn't hold it back. My eyes stung with tears.