Chapter 1
Today was Raegan Sutton's and my sixth wedding anniversary.
It was also the tenth day since Raegan and I stopped talking to each other.
That night, she called me, "Something came up at work. I won't be home tonight."
She didn't bother with a greeting, her voice cold and distant.
I said flatly, "Okay, got it."
It had been six years. Every anniversary before, no matter how busy we got, we always found a way to be together.
Even if it was just grabbing a quick meal, we'd make sure to spend that day together.
After I finished speaking, the line went quiet.
"Let's..." I started.
"You..." Raegan spoke up first. "You go first."
I took a deep breath and said, "Let's get a divorce."
Raegan fell silent again.
Ten days ago.
Raegan told me she was going to a high school reunion and asked me to come along.
That was where I ran into Snyder Lane, her first love.
At first, everyone kept to themselves.
He didn't acknowledge me, and I acted like he wasn't there.
But after a few rounds of drinks, Snyder, sitting in the middle of the crowd with a glass in hand, started teasing in front of everyone, "Raegan is a brilliant woman.
"Some guys have it easy, kicking back while everything's handed to them. Classic kept man."
His mocking gaze suddenly locked onto me. "Hey, you're pretty good-looking. Ever had any work done?"
He didn't bother waiting for my answer and then turned to the others. "So, women who chase money are called gold diggers. What about guys? Should we call them gold grabbers?"
The whole table burst out laughing.
Suddenly, everyone was staring at me, giving me those mocking, dismissive looks.
I wasn't planning to pay Snyder any attention. But if he wanted to act like a jerk, I wasn't about to let him get away with it.
First, I called him out on his messed-up family and health issues.
Then, I checked if his brain was still working.
And while I was at it, I suggested he work on his morals.
Snyder's face went pale, then flushed. He was so stunned that he couldn't get a word out.
Humiliated and furious, he slammed his glass down.
With his face grim, he stormed out in a rage.
The whole room went dead silent, and the awkwardness was suffocating.
Raegan's face was full of anger as she snapped at me, "Honey, Snyder didn't mean any harm. He was being straightforward, messing with you.
"Why are you being so harsh? When did you start talking like this? You went too far. Don't you think you owe Snyder an apology?"
At that moment, I felt both absurd and deeply hurt.
I couldn't help but wonder if Raegan was out of her mind.
When Snyder started acting up and trash-talking me, Raegan pretended not to hear and never once defended me.
But the second I finally stood up for myself, she immediately got upset.
I didn't get it. Snyder openly mocked her partner right in front of her, and wasn't that basically saying he looked down on her?
I shot Raegan a cold look. "Because you say it's a joke doesn't mean I find it funny. He can be blunt, but that doesn't mean he gets to talk crap.
"If he wants to piss me off, I'll make sure he's as miserable. Apologize? Not a chance."
Raegan looked more pissed off.
All our old classmates started sticking up for Snyder, acting like he was the victim and I was the villain.
"Without Raegan, you'd be nothing."
"If Raegan hadn't married me, she and Snyder would've been the perfect couple."
"You are a lucky jerk who got everything handed to you and still wants more."
Raegan shot me a look full of disappointment, too. "You're impossible."
With that, she stormed off without looking back.
The whole reunion ended on a sour note.
From that day on, Raegan never came back to our place.
Her assistant came to deliver a message. "Mrs. Sutton said if you're ready to apologize, she'll set it up."
Apologize to Snyder? Not a chance.
If she didn't want to come back, then I was done with her.
After I brought up the divorce, Raegan fell silent again.
After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice full of disbelief, "Quincy, are you really divorcing me because I asked you to apologize to Snyder?"