Chapter 1

He read out all three pages of wedding vows, and everyone was crying their eyes out.

Screens flooded with [Husband Goals].

When the staff handed me a tissue, I spotted the notes on his palm.

Not once did he say "I love you," but every word he spoke was full of love.

In that moment, I truly believed I was the happiest bride in the whole world.

But on our wedding night, he got a call and was gone for half an hour.

When he came back, there was lipstick on his neck.

He saw me staring at it and said, "Someone did it during the toast."

I didn't say a word.

After all, the toast had ended four hours ago.

And that shade was a limited edition I could never even buy.

*****

"Someone? You're not gonna say your family, huh?" I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Lucas Carter slip off his custom suit jacket.

I added, "Seriously, who would be wearing this Tom Ford gloss, this year's global limited release?"

His hand froze for a heartbeat while loosening his tie.Just a blink-and-you-miss-it pause. He casually draped the tie over the back of the chair and turned to me.

He wore the same gentle smile that had kept me hooked for three years.

"Viv, maybe you're worn out from today?" He crouched down in front of me, taking both my hands in his.

He added, "It was my distant great-aunt, you know, she loves to show off her style.

"She got a little tipsy and had to pull me in for a kiss to share the happiness.

"You won't buy that? Go check the hotel cameras."

Lucas's gaze was flawless. So genuine, so convincing. I couldn't find a single crack in his story.

If I hadn't remembered every detail. That so-called aunt was in a dark red dress, her lips painted with a matte true red.I almost let myself believe him.

"Oh, really?" I pulled my hands away, keeping the tone low."Then where were you for those thirty minutes?"

"The lobby. To walk a few important clients out." Lucas said, keeping his tone easy. He got to his feet and rubbed his brow, looking exhausted.

"I grabbed a smoke, but I didn't want you to catch the smell, so I took a walk downstairs to air out before coming back up," he leaned in, trying to plant a kiss on my forehead.

I don't want it. And that's what I do.

His lips grazed my cheek, and a subtle hint of perfume drifted in the air.

It wasn't smoke. It was White Tea by Belvoir. I've never worn that perfume.

"I'm going to take a shower," Lucas didn't insist. He straightened up.

"Today was really exhausting. You should get some rest too, honey." He walked into the bathroom.

The sound of water filled the air soon after.

I sat there, eyeing his phone. It's on the nightstand. There's no message. But I knew Lucas's passcode. It was my birthday.

I didn't reach for it. That would be way too obvious, and he'd catch on in a heartbeat.

Instead, I picked up my own phone and opened an app called PulsePath.

It was a surprise Lucas had given me at our wedding.

Matching smart rings that tracked our heartbeats.

Lucas slid it onto my finger, and then his.

With everyone watching, he spoke into the microphone, "Viv, from now on, you'll know every beat of my heart.

My heart only races for you."

My bridesmaids were all in tears, totally moved. My eyes got misty too.

Now, I stare at the pic on my phone. Totally don't know what's next.

For the past half hour, the exact time when he said he was downstairs "walking clients out" and "taking a stroll", his heart rate climbed from a steady 75 all the way up to a peak of 142.

And it stayed up there for a solid eighteen minutes. 142 beats per minute. What's that? He running a marathon?

Medically, that's straight-up intense cardio. I couldn't think of any "walk" that could get his heart racing like a hundred-meter dash.

Unless, of course, he was busy with a whole different kind of "exercise."

The shower's done. I locked my phone and placed it face down on the nightstand, keeping my composure.

He came out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry, only a towel wrapped around his waist.

He walked over to the bed, pulled back the covers, and slipped in.

He reached out, like he always did, trying to wrap his arm around my waist.

"Honey, time for our wedding night." There's the hint. For sex, maybe.

I shifted closer to the edge of the bed, widening the gap between us.

"I'm really exhausted today." I stared at the ceiling, my voice devoid of any emotion. "And I'm gonna puke."

Lucas's hand hung awkwardly in the air, frozen.

He withdrew it, and there was a barely noticeable edge of impatience in his voice.

"Viv, seriously? It's our big day, and you're going to get upset over a lipstick?"

"I'm not upset." I closed my eyes. "I just think that gloss is actually pretty nice."