Chapter 1

After three months of the silent treatment, I finally go to Dominic with a positive pregnancy test, ready to end this stupid fight.

The second I walk in, I see two fresh kiss marks on his neck.

Before I can say anything, he looks at me and says coldly, "Annelise, aren't you sick of pretending to love me?"

I just stare at him. "What?"

"Three months ago, I suddenly started seeing people's Love Scores."

"We've been together for ten years. Your score is only 59."

"Even my own mother, the woman who abandoned me as a kid, is over 70."

"But Verity has only known me for three days, and she's already at 100."

Then he slides a separation agreement across to me.

"Sign it."

"You're still my wife on paper."

"But Verity really loves me. I can't just walk away from her."

He says it like it's the most reasonable thing in the world.

What he doesn't know is that I can see the numbers too.

He thinks 100 means someone loves him completely, and 59 means they don't love him enough.

He has no idea that's not how it works.

Everyone has a different Love Threshold.

Mine is 59.

Verity's is 10,000.

And there's one more thing he doesn't know: the woman he thinks loves him more than anyone else is seeing a whole list of other men on the side.

He's just one of them.

"So that's it?" I ask.

"This is why you've been giving me the silent treatment for three months?"

My grip loosens, and the paper bag slips from my hand into the trash, the pregnancy test falling in with it.

I'm not telling him now. He doesn't get to know about his own child.

Dominic frowns, then laughs at himself.

"I cheated on you, and you're still asking why I gave you the silent treatment?"

"I told you I didn't think you loved me, and you didn't even try to explain. I used to think you were just cold."

"Then I saw your score. Now I know, you just don't love me enough."

I take a step closer, my eyes fixed on the marks on his neck.

"So you really think I've been faking it for ten years?"

"Yeah." No hesitation. Just one word.

Fine. That's it.

Whatever was left in me just died.

"Okay. Then believe it. I've been faking it for ten years. And today I finally realize what a damn idiot you are."

He goes quiet, clearly not expecting that.

Then he gives me a cold smile.

"So you admit it now?"

"Admit what?" I fold my arms. "That you trust a woman you've known for three days more than the wife who took a knife for you?"

His face changes.

I pull up my left sleeve and show him the scar on my wrist.

"Look. When it happened, nobody even had time to react. I did. I jumped in front of you."

Then I lift my shirt and show him the scar on my stomach.

"And this? This is from the kidney I gave you. You were holding my hand back then. You told me you'd love me forever."

I drop my shirt.

"Tell me, Dominic. Does your little score show any of that?"

For a second he looks shaken.

Then he looks away.

"Even if all of that is true, that doesn't change one thing. Your score is 59. Everything you did for me could just be duty, or responsibility. But Verity is different."

I cut him off.

"Verity? She's the part-time barista from the café downstairs, right? She's only known you for three days, and she's already at 100? And then?"

He hesitates, his voice quieter now.

"Three months ago, I was away on a business trip. Someone slipped something into my drink."

"Verity happened to be in the same city. I was barely conscious when she found me. She helped me, and we ended up sleeping together."

He pauses.

"It was her first time."

"I offered her money to settle things and move on, but she wouldn't take it."

"We argued, and things got so heated we nearly got into a car accident. She stepped in front of me."

"That's when I saw her score. 100. That was the first time I knew what it felt like to be loved completely."

I almost laugh. Completely, huh?

Three months ago, the worst thing on my mind was that he'd forgotten to kiss me that morning.

He doesn't say anything. He just leaves for a business trip.

Then he disappears. No texts, no calls. He doesn't even tell me where he is.

For three months, I do everything I can to find him. I can barely eat or sleep.

My hair starts falling out in clumps.

Every day, I keep asking myself, "What did I do wrong?"

Then I find out I'm pregnant.

When Dominic finally comes back from his "business trip," I plan to tell him.

I want to surprise him, to give this marriage one more chance.

Instead, I get this.

Dominic touches the braided bracelet on his wrist. His expression softens.

"Verity learned to make this just for my birthday. She spent three days on it. She even had a fever, and she still finished it before my birthday."

"She told me it was the first time she'd ever loved someone this much. She said she'd give me everything she had."

I glance at the simple braided bracelet.

I know exactly where it came from.

Some cheap online marketplace.

Verity bought a hundred of them. A hundred identical braided bracelets.

She even sent me the referral link and asked me to use it so she could get the reward.

And somehow, one of those hundred ended up on Dominic's wrist.

He has no clue.

Years ago, when Verity worked part-time at that café, she followed my personal account because she wanted to drive more traffic to the café's social media page.

I guess she forgot about me. Or maybe she just never cared.

Either way, she never blocked me.

So I could see everything.

She'd post private Stories for different men, always making each one feel special.

"This is just for you."

Later, she even added me to her private girls' group.

She thinks I'm one of her girls.

She has no idea I'm Dominic's wife.

And the man I've loved for ten years can't even tell when he's being played.

He sees a performance and calls it love.

I'm done arguing.

I take the separation agreement and push it back to him.

"Forget this. Let's just get divorced."

"You think Verity really loves you? Fine. I'll get out of your way. Go be with her."

Dominic's brows pull together.

"Annelise, what the hell are you doing? You didn't even read the agreement. I'm not asking you for a divorce. I'm just asking you not to interfere with me and Verity."

"We've been together for ten years. Even if there's no love left, we're still family. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

"Or what? Did I hit a nerve? You don't love me, so now you're suddenly in a hurry to leave?"

That does it.

"Dominic, I honestly didn't know you could be this shameless."

I point at the marks on his neck.

" Those are proof you cheated on me. I'll take pictures. If we actually go to court, you're the one who cheated, and you might end up with nothing."

He's about to argue when his eyes suddenly lock on the number above my head.

His expression changes.

"Your score... it's 40 now? How did you lose 19 points that fast?"

I look straight at him.

"You stand in front of me and tell me you love another woman. What do you think? Should my score go up?"

He opens his mouth to answer, but nothing comes out.

Before he can say anything, his phone rings.

He picks up, and his expression changes again.

Then he turns to leave.