Chapter 1

My wife, Ally Martin, is a CEO who's convinced that every man who married her only wanted her money. Any expense of mine over a hundred dollars has to go through her for approval first.

I loved her enough to become the man standing quietly behind her empire.

But the day I got into a car accident, she turned down my three-thousand-dollar surgery request.

"Do you have any idea how many people live on three thousand dollars a month? I don't make money so you can leech off me!"

The surgery came too late. My hand was left permanently disabled.

I'd only just come off the operating table when her childhood friend, freshly back from abroad, posted on Instagram. The photo showed off a watch worth five million dollars.

The caption read: [Guess some girls never really grow up. She's still willing to give me the best of everything, just like when we were kids.]

He'd tagged Ally.

I didn't blow up the way I used to.

Instead, I liked the post and left a comment of my own: [Good for you two. Spend the rest of your lives like this.]

Chapter 1

"Robby, what did you mean by that comment you left for Zack? Everyone was having a great time. Because of one thing you said, he's still beating himself up over it!

"He just got back from abroad. What's wrong with me giving him a gift? We grew up together. Can't you stop jumping to conclusions and acting so..."

Ally Martin never got the word "jealous" out. I cut her off first.

"Is that right? Sorry. It won't happen again."

Silence fell on the other end.

Every time we fought over Zack Malone, I used to push for an explanation, demanding Ally prove herself to me. No matter how badly it always ended, no matter how much I was the one left hurting worse, the next time it happened I still couldn't help wanting the same thing from her.

This was the first time I hadn't argued back at all. I just let her accusation stand.

She had no idea the accident had already gotten me rethinking what we even were to each other.

I hung up before she could say anything else.

I'd just deleted the comment when Ally called again. Her tone was much softer this time.

"I wasn't trying to blame you. It's just... never mind. Where are you?"

"The hospital."

"Okay. You probably don't have cash for a cab, right? I'll come get you."

The hospital hallway had no lights on and no heat, and outside it was snowing on New Year's Eve. The cold crept into everything.

I tightened my grip on the phone with my hand, red from the chill, and felt a bitter little laugh rise up in me.

"Aren't you even curious why I'm at the hospital?"

Zack's voice came through the line instead.

"Ally, is Robby still mad at me? I never thought he'd take it this hard... I don't know what to do. Can you stay with me?"

My voice went cold.

"Ally."

She'd just told me she was coming to get me.

There was a brief pause on the other end.

"I'll send the driver for you."

Then the line went dead.

I listened to the hollow beeping, closed my phone, lowered my head, and let out a long breath.

No surprise there. In the end, I was still the one left behind. Same as it always was.

For some reason, though, not a single tear came. I wasn't even sad. Just a little sorry for myself.

I stood outside the hospital, the cold wind cutting straight through the one long coat I owned, needling through me in the dark.

A cab driver hurrying home slowed down and rolled his window down.

"Heading home? I'll take you for free so you can make it for New Year's dinner!"

I gave him a small smile.

"Thanks. Someone's already coming."

Cab after cab passed by. Ally's driver never showed.

She'd probably forgotten about me again.

I didn't blow up her phone the way I used to, demanding she come get me that instant. Instead, I raised a hand and flagged down a passing cab.

Chapter 2

I knew I didn't have a cent on me.

But going back to make a scene with her again? I couldn't do it anymore.

The car pulled up to the entrance of the neighborhood, and the sky erupted in a massive burst of fireworks, lighting up half the night.

I froze. The cab driver explained with a grin.

"I heard it's for Ms. Martin's husband. He's back from abroad, so she threw this whole fireworks show just for him."

"Ms. Martin's husband?"

I turned to look at the driver. He nodded.

"Yeah, apparently he just got back today. There was some kind of misunderstanding between Ms. Martin and another man, so she's spending a fortune to prove her loyalty. I heard this fireworks show alone runs ten thousand dollars. And she bought out the whole thing! Unbelievable."

So I was the other man...

I lowered my eyes and gave a silent little laugh. The driver kept rambling to himself.

"Guess it's not so bad when rich people waste their money. At least us regular folks get to watch the fireworks too."

I looked out the window.

"Yeah."

A love this grand made it hard to tell who Ally's real husband even was.

No wonder picking me up wasn't worth mentioning next to winning a smile from him.

"Sir? Sir?"

The driver's voice pulled me back. He gave me an apologetic smile.

"You still haven't paid."

"Oh."

I slid off my wedding ring and set it on the dashboard.

"Keep the change."

"Wait, sir! This is way too much! Sir!"

He kept calling after me. I walked into the neighborhood without looking back.

Just as I was about to step into the pitch-dark mansion, a huge burst of light bloomed behind me.

I turned around. An even more dazzling shower of sparks gathered into a giant rose, blooming across the sky. A formation of drones spelled out a message overhead:

[Love like it's young again, no matter the cost]

I figured her childhood friend, wherever he was, must be thrilled.

The blazing fireworks lit up half the city and left me standing in the one patch of shadow they missed.

I took a few steps forward, into the light the fireworks could actually reach.

This was the warmth my wife had built for another man.

I borrowed a little of that leftover glow, laced my fingers together, and said to the fireworks filling the sky, "Happy New Year, Robby Greene."

Back in the empty, silent mansion, I curled up on the couch and called my friend Clayton Jones. He picked up right away.

"Short on cash again? How much do you need?"

Something in my chest ached.

Every time Ally turned down one of my important expense requests, Clayton was the one who covered it for me.

I shook my head.

"No. I wanted to ask, is the company still hiring?"

There were a full five seconds of silence on the other end.

Then Clayton asked disbelievingly, "Are you finally coming back? Have you come to your senses?"

"Yeah."

Clayton and I had started the company together right after graduation. Business was taking off when I met Ally, who'd come to negotiate a partnership with us. She was also the woman I'd secretly liked since college.

Those days were good ones. Ally had a weak stomach, and mine was the only cooking she'd eat more than a few bites of. She barely slept, and the only place she'd fall into a deep sleep was in my arms.

For her, I agreed to give up my job.

Clayton warned me more than once that a man shouldn't walk away from his own career, especially not when the company was in the middle of taking off. He painted the picture for me, over and over, of the company's future, of me worth over a hundred million someday.

But back then, I just smiled.

"If it's for her, I'd give up everything."

I handed all my shares over to Clayton and threw myself completely into taking care of Ally.

And every time, I still ended up abandoned, left with no one to turn to.

Chapter 3

"Of course!" Clayton's voice jumped an octave. "You're serious about this, right? This isn't just you blowing off steam after a fight with her?"

I laughed. "I swear it."

"I want to open an overseas branch, and I need exactly your kind of pioneer instincts! You in for going abroad together?"

"Of course."

"Perfect! Take the foreign language test, then. A 60% score is all you need. I'll be right there with you. We leave next month!"

After I hung up, I dug out my old foreign language practice tests, the ones that had been gathering dust for years.

I should have taken the test long ago, but then I'd met Ally.

My fluency in that language was only average, so I needed to start putting in real effort right away.

Still weak from the surgery, I sat in the study dabbing menthol balm on my temples while I worked through essay structures. Since my right hand no longer worked after the accident, I had to try over and over again with my left.

Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep face down on the desk.

Half-asleep, I thought I heard a noise outside the door.

"Robby won't be mad at me for sending you home, will he?"

Then came Ally's voice, faintly slurred with alcohol.

"He won't. He'll just cry and beg me not to leave him."

"Careful, Ally!"

A startled cry rang out, and the study door was shoved open hard, jolting me fully awake.

Ally was leaning against Zack, reeking of alcohol, his arm around her waist. She looked up and spotted me sitting at the desk.

"You're back?"

I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

Zack let go of Ally at once, flustered.

"Sorry, Robby! Ally had too much to drink. There weren't any cabs around, so I..."

"Oh. Thanks for that."

I didn't bother asking where Ally's driver had run off to. Instead, I gave a soft laugh and walked over to pat him on the shoulder.

"Your face is frozen red. Thanks for bringing her home safe."

Zack froze. Even Ally's brow furrowed.

"Robby, what's with the attitude?"

"Hm? I don't know what you mean."

"Robby, I really didn't mean for this to happen," Zack suddenly grabbed my arm. "If you want to blame someone, blame me. Don't let this come between you and Ally over..."

I pressed a hot water bottle into his hands.

"Here. Don't catch a cold."

Zack's words died in his throat. He clutched the hot water bottle in silence, a hint of resentment in the look he gave me.

I turned and headed for the bedroom on my own.

"If you don't mind, you can sleep in the guest room next door. I'm tired, so I won't keep you two company. Good night."

I went into the bedroom and shut the door behind me.

Outside, the two of them stood frozen in place.

I'd barely closed my eyes when the bedroom door opened behind me.

"Robby."

A few soft calls came first. I was tired and didn't want to answer.

"Robby, I know you're not asleep."

There was an edge of anger in Ally's voice.

I forced my eyes open. "Need something?"

"I sent him home."

"Oh. Didn't want him staying the night, then?"

Her brow creased.

"Robby, he and I grew up together. I need you to stop being so unreasonably jealous."

"Jealous of what?" I laughed. "It just snowed tonight and the roads are icy. I didn't think it was safe for him to drive home, that's all."

Ally went still.

I closed my eyes and drifted off again.

Her warm skin pressed against my back, her breath grazing my ear.

"You don't have anything else to say?"

I kept my eyes shut. "Say about what?"

"Isn't this usually when you'd have a lot to say?"

I opened my eyes.

Right. Every single time she was with another man, I had to pick a fight and make her prove herself to me.

Chapter 4

"You two grew up together. Why would I be jealous?" I said.

Ally's hand tightened on my shoulder.

For the first time, in one of our clashes, she was the one left speechless.

Half-asleep, I felt her hand slide over my stomach. I jolted awake and grabbed it at once.

"I don't want to."

She wrapped her arms around me.

"But it's been so long since we..."

I tightened my grip on her hand.

"Are you really not even curious why I went to the hospital today?"

My expense report had clearly stated it was for surgery, but from start to finish, she hadn't asked me a single question about how I was doing.

She laughed.

"I know, it's probably nothing more than a headache or a little fever. Let your wife make it up to you now, hm?"

"I don't want to."

I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself.

"I told you, I'm tired."

In my relationship with Ally, I was always the one who tolerated everything from her. I was always the one begging her for things. Refusing her like this had never once happened before.

Behind me, her hand tightened little by little.

"Robby, it's always you begging me for this."

"Is that right? Then you won't have to anymore."

She didn't say another word.

A moment later, the bedroom door slammed shut so hard it jolted me right as I was about to drift off. I turned around. She was already gone from the bed.

She'd slammed the door on her way out of the house, and moments later I heard a car engine start up outside.

I didn't chase after her. I didn't text her an apology the way I always did after upsetting her.

Instead, I could finally lie back down and sleep peacefully.

Ally didn't come home all the next day.

I didn't check up on her like I used to, either. Instead, I met with Clayton to work out the next steps. When he found out I wanted a divorce, he got so excited he nearly set off firecrackers.

"I knew you'd come around eventually! You were never cut out to be some house husband, having to report every hundred dollars you spend to her!"

I laughed. Then Ally called.

"It's dark out. Where are you?"

I was surprised. "You're home?"

Usually, after a fight, she'd leave me hanging at home for at least a week before her temper cooled enough to come back.

Just as I reached the front door, brilliant fireworks bloomed across the night sky again, the same as the night before.

While I stood there, caught up in the sight, a Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of me. A familiar figure stepped out and opened the door.

Ally smiled at me.

"Do you like it?"

"Is this for me?"

"What, did you think I'd forgotten you?"

She stood beside me, looping her arm through mine as we watched the sky together.

"I had a bit too much to drink last night. I'd sent my driver home early for New Year's dinner, so I had Zack drive me back instead. Don't read into it..."

"It's beautiful."

I stared at the fireworks, transfixed.

"Robby," Ally called.

I turned my head. "Hm?"

A flicker of displeasure crossed her face, but in the end she just sighed.

"I know you're upset that I threw him a fireworks show, but he'd only just gotten back, and with that comment you left before..."

"Why would I be upset with you?" I chuckled. "I got to see the fireworks you gave him too. Isn't that nice enough?"

"Robby..."

She went still.

"Anyway, thank you. This one's even better than last night's."

She studied my expression carefully.

"You're not angry?"

"Angry about what? You two grew up together, and he just got back from abroad. Isn't it only natural you'd give him something?"

Chapter 5

Ally just stood there, stunned.

A moment later, something that almost looked like guilt crept into her usually cold expression.

She tightened her grip on my arm.

"Let's go on a trip. You've been cooped up at home long enough."

I thought of the foreign language exam I still had to prepare for and shook my head.

"No, I'm fine here."

Her arm went rigid around mine.

"But I already booked it."

"Then take someone else."

"Robby," she frowned. "It's a couples' retreat. Customized for us."

I lowered my eyes. Fireworks bloomed in her irises.

If I'd heard this even a few days earlier, that she'd actually put thought into planning a couples' retreat just for us, I'd have thrown my arms around her without a second thought. I'd always loved playing the part of her husband so much that I wanted the whole world to know we were together.

But now, I just smiled faintly.

"Thanks for the thought. But I really can't go."

Disbelief washed over her face.

I gently pushed her hand away.

"It's freezing out here. Let's go back inside."

I turned and opened the door. When I looked back, Ally hadn't followed.

Instead, she climbed into her car, slammed the door hard enough to echo through the street, started the engine, and drove off.

She always did this. Whenever we disagreed, she'd leave me standing there, then block every way I had of reaching her and wait for me to burn through all my own frustration before I came crawling back, ready to "let bygones be bygones," too worn out to fight anymore.

But this time, I didn't send a single message.

I opened the door and went inside.

Ally didn't come home for an entire week.

I didn't ask about it either. Every day, I just had tea with Clayton, drilled vocabulary, and practiced my speaking. I'd also officially started my new job, and Clayton had already advanced me part of my salary.

"The share transfer still needs a little time, but you'll get it all back eventually. Our equity's actually gone up a lot since you got married."

Clayton filled me in cheerfully on how the company had grown over the years.

The more I listened, the more it stung.

"You've worked hard all these years."

Just as I said it, my phone chimed with a notification from Instagram, from someone I'd marked as a close follow. It was Zack.

I used to always be bothered by how close Ally was with her childhood friend living overseas, since she made a point of visiting him every single time she traveled abroad. Part of me hated the thought of them being so close, and part of me couldn't help wanting to know exactly what went on between them. So, more out of my own discomfort than anything, I'd marked Zack as a close follow.

His latest post showed him in sunglasses, sitting in a helicopter, his arm around someone's shoulders as he snapped a happy selfie. The caption read: [Who says childhood friends can't go on a couples' trip?]

The person beside him wore sunglasses and a mask too, but I recognized Ally at a glance.

I didn't call to demand an explanation for why she'd taken Zack along. I just gave the post a like and unfollowed him.

The moment I set my phone down, Ally called.

"I'm coming home for dinner tonight."

"Oh," I said, not quite catching her meaning. "Should I save you a plate?"

There was something restrained in Ally's voice.

"Robby, you really don't know what I mean?"