Chapter 1

My cousin, Lexi Huffman, had hijacked my phone. She uploaded a cozy selfie of her and my husband, Tyler Foster, right into the family WhatsApp group.

She even added a nasty caption: [Tyler says I'm the one who really knows how to be a woman.]

When I woke up and saw that disaster on my screen, my mind just went blank.

The space beside me in bed was cold and empty.

I stormed into the guest bedroom, only to find Tyler curled up in bed with Lexi.

She had been crashing at our place for a while.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Lexi pleaded, "Audrey, I was wasted last night. I sent that by mistake.

"Tyler saw I was in bad shape and came in to take care of me. That's literally the only reason we're in the same room."

Just then, my phone started buzzing with a call from my mom.

She didn't even say hello. "Delete those messages from the chat right now. You can't even keep a leash on your own man, and now you have to drag the whole family down and humiliate us?"

In the background, I could hear my dad roaring at me. "How the hell did I raise such a good-for-nothing?"

I glanced over at Tyler, who was wearing earbuds and playing dumb. A smug, hidden smile played on his lips.

In that instant, the boiling rage inside me suddenly went ice cold.

I said, "Drop the act.

"You two make me sick."

Tyler glared at me. "Audrey, do you have to be so harsh?"

I let out a dry, humorless laugh and shoved my phone screen inches from his nose.

"Am I the one being harsh? Or is what you two did just plain dirty?" I asked.

Tyler frowned and pushed the phone away.

"Give it a rest, will you, Audrey?" he said. "Lexi just posted to the wrong group by mistake. Why are you being so dramatic about it?

"It's a tiny mistake, and you're acting like the world is ending just to upset everyone."

Lexi immediately tucked herself behind Tyler, turning on the waterworks.

"Tyler," she sobbed, "I swear I didn't mean to.

"I just wanted to prank Audrey. I never thought she'd flip out like this."

"Didn't mean to?" I snapped. Do you think I'm blind, or do you just think I'm an idiot—"

Tyler cut me off, his voice rising. "That's enough! You heard Lexi. It was just a joke.

"Audrey, take a look at yourself. You're acting completely unhinged."

My phone started buzzing again. It was my mom.

I barely answered before her scream blasted through the speaker. "Are you dead or something? Why are those messages still in the group chat when I told you to delete them?"

My dad chimed in from the background, loud and clear. "So a man has a little fun on the side. So what? Can't you get over your own insecurity for once?"

Lexi leaned toward the speakerphone, voice trembling. "Uncle Richard, Aunt Diane... Please don't be mad. This is all my fault..."

My mom immediately turned her fire on me.

"Audrey, listen to that," she scolded. "Look how sensible Lexi is. Now look at you.

"Delete those messages right now. And you better apologize to Tyler and Lexi."

I stayed silent and just hung up on them.

Lexi held her phone out to me. Her lock screen was that exact intimate selfie of her and Tyler.

"Audrey, I know I messed up," she pleaded, eyes wide. "I'm deleting the photos. Just forgive me this one time, please?"

The gesture was twisted. She wasn't apologizing. She was forcing me to look at that stabbing image one more time.

Tyler looked at me, his voice softening. "See? Lexi deleted the photos and apologized. Audrey, just let it go."

In his eyes, Lexi was the sensible one, and I was just being difficult.

Watching them gang up on me, the fight suddenly drained out of my body.

I took out my phone and took clear screenshots of every photo and message Lexi had sent to the group. Then, I backed everything up to the cloud.

"Tyler, remember this moment," I said. "I won't forget it."

I turned and headed to my room, slamming the door behind me.

Tyler followed, banging on the wood a moment later. "Audrey, open up. We need to talk this out."

"There's nothing to talk about," I shot back. "I need space."

"Oh, come on. Lexi said she didn't mean it... Do you really have to make everyone miserable?" he argued.

With the door between us, I could picture the impatient look on his face. I knew he was cursing me in his head for being unreasonable.

I leaned against the door. "Tyler," I said, keeping my voice dead calm. "Do you honestly believe that no matter what Lexi does, I should just shut up and take it?"

He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke. "Lexi's your cousin, and she's a guest here. Can't you just be the bigger person?"

"Fine," I said. "Whatever floats your boat."