Chapter 1

"Has your husband been acting a little weird lately?" Raelyn Lynch bit her straw, her eyes flickering with some emotions.

I was a bit stunned. "What do you mean?"

"I heard there's a new intern at his company. She's super cute and fresh-faced." Raelyn lowered her voice. "You'd better keep an eye out."

I smiled and didn't say anything.

Three days later, at 2 AM, I came back early from my business trip and unlocked the door with my key.

The living room was dark, and the bedroom door was slightly ajar.

I pushed the door open and saw someone lying on the bed.

She was wearing my silk pajamas.

Raelyn had given me those pajamas for my birthday last month. And the person wearing them was Raelyn herself.

I froze in the doorway, my hand still gripping the doorknob. Everything in my head went blank.

Raelyn heard the noise and bolted upright in bed. "Sai? Why are you back?"

Her voice was shaky, her eyes full of panic, and she instinctively shrank back into the blankets.

I didn't say a word, just let my eyes sweep over the room.

There were two glasses on the nightstand. A man's shirt was lying on the floor. The air was thick with a mix of perfume, my perfume, and Raelyn's usual scent.

"Where's David?" My voice was so calm that even I was surprised.

Raelyn's face went pale. "He's in the shower."

Right as she said it, the sound of water from the bathroom cut off and the bathroom door swung open.

David Miller stepped out, wrapped in a towel.

He froze when he saw me. "Honey? Weren't you supposed to be back tomorrow?"

I looked at him. His hair was still dripping wet, and the hickey on his neck was obvious.

"My flight got moved up," I said. With that, I turned and walked out to the living room.

"Honey, please, hear me out." David reached out and grabbed my wrist. "It's not what you think."

I turned to look at him. "Then what is it?"

He opened his mouth, but couldn't get a single word out.

Raelyn followed him out, now wearing a jacket, her panic replaced by a look I couldn't read. "Sai, I—"

"Don't call me Sai," I cut her off. "My name is Saige Warren."

Raelyn froze.

I shook off David's hand, walked to the entryway, and grabbed my bag. "Don't let me stop you."

"Honey!"

"Saige!"

Both David and Raelyn called behind me at the same time.

I opened the door and walked out without looking back.

In the elevator, I leaned against the wall, watching the floor numbers drop one by one. 15, 14, 13...

I reached up and touched my face. It was dry. No tears at all.

'Maybe I'm too exhausted,' I thought. 'Or maybe I feel it's so absurd.'

Ten years as best friends, and five years of marriage. And like that, everything came crashing down over a pair of silk pajamas.

I walked out of the apartment complex and stood by the curb for a long time.

It was 2:30 AM, and only a few taxis passed by.

I flagged one down and gave the driver an address. It was my mom's place.

Once I got in, the driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Hey, it's pretty late. What's a girl like you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Just got back from a work trip," I replied.

"Oh." After that, the driver fell silent.

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.

All I could think about was Raelyn, wearing my pajamas.

That pink silk pajama set was a birthday gift from Raelyn last month.

She'd said, "Sai, this color really brings out your skin tone."

I was so touched back then.

Thinking back now, she must've bought two sets, one for me, one for herself. So, she could slip into hers whenever she stayed over at my place.

How considerate.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from David. [Honey, where are you? Please, let me explain. It's not what you think.]

I didn't reply.

Another message popped up. [Raelyn drank too much and was going to stay over for a night. That's all.]

I looked at the message and couldn't help but laugh.

Crashing for a night, huh? In my pajamas, in my bed, and my husband fresh out of the shower. Nothing else, right? Totally innocent. Oh, and that lovely mark on his neck.

He might say it must be a mosquito bite. Yeah, because mosquitoes were everywhere in March.

I put my phone on silent and tossed it into my bag.

When I got to my mom's building, I paid the driver and got out.

Standing at the entrance, I hesitated.

It was 3 AM. If I woke my mom up now, she'd definitely start asking a million questions.

I didn't feel like talking right now. So, I turned around and walked back out.

There was a 24-hour convenience store on the corner.

I walked in, bought a bottle of water, and sat down by the window.

The clerk, a young guy, glanced at me but didn't say a word.

I took a sip of water and tried to sort out my thoughts.

I needed to calm down. I really needed to calm down.

David and Raelyn. My husband and my best friend.

I always thought this kind of thing only happened in TV dramas.

I'd never thought that, tonight, it was happening to me.