Chapter 2

Three months ago, I accidentally saw her post on Twitter.

She had shared a picture of the two of them with the caption: *The one that got away.*

In the thread, she wrote: *"Our love was always just an inch short of forever. Our parents opposed us, forcing our paths to split.

My marriage now is dull and lifeless. I have zero desire to keep going. But thankfully, he came back into my life. He feels like my salvation."*

Chloe and I had actually been great together once. Our marriage was never as worthless or dull as she made it out to be. Everything fell apart the second Nathan stepped back into town.

She started avoiding coming home, working "overtime" constantly, and never walking through the door until past midnight. To accommodate her schedule, I stayed up late every night just hoping to talk to her for a few minutes.

Even so, our conversations grew rarer by the day. Everything she talked about revolved around Nathan—her so-called "salvation."

Gradually, I realized Chloe's heart wasn't with me anymore.

Her gaze, her smile, even her tone of voice—none of it belonged to me.

Back then, I kept lying to myself. Maybe I was overthinking. Maybe she was just confused.

But reality slapped me in the face over and over again. That post shattered any illusions I had left.

One day, while she was in the shower, I glanced at her phone screen and caught snippets of her text thread with Nathan.

The flirtatious, intimate banter made my stomach churn.

When I confronted her, she just gave a dismissive laugh. "It's just banter between close friends."

To be honest, I was pathetic back then. I couldn't let Chloe go. Every little smile of hers still pulled at my heartstrings.

Maybe it was toxic possessiveness, but I desperately wanted her to come back to me instead of running to him.

I even blamed myself, wondering if I hadn't been a good enough husband.

I started treating her twice as well. I bought her designer bags, a new luxury car—anything she pointed at, I bought.

She accepted every gift without hesitation, tossed me a few sweet words like she was petting an obedient puppy, and went right back to being distant.

Nathan and Chloe had known each other since high school. Chloe had never gotten over him, but her parents hated him.

Nathan came from a shady background. His father had been sentenced to federal prison for running an illegal predatory lending racket, and his mother remarried and took off.

Chloe's family owned a decent local business. Naturally, they looked down on a deadbeat like Nathan.

Her parents forced them apart, but their relationship truly ended because Nathan dumped her.

He left for another city, and they lost contact for years.

Around that time, my family's tech company was booming, and lots of small business owners wanted to build connections with us.

Chloe's parents were among them.

I fell for Chloe at first sight. I kept it to myself at first, but she was the one who took the initiative to get my number.

Her parents were thrilled and pushed our relationship forward.

We started dating, tied the knot, and lived what seemed like a happy, peaceful life.

The only regret was that we still didn't have kids. She always claimed she wasn't ready.

I respected her decision. Even without kids, I still planned to cherish her for the rest of my life.

Yet everything shattered the moment Nathan came back.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I watched Chloe stare at the divorce papers on the table.

She looked stunned for a second, but then her face twisted into realization.

"Ethan, are you seriously trying to play mind games with me? How old are you, twelve?

You're just jealous of Nathan! You're so petty! Fine, drop the act, stop making a scene!"

She swept the divorce papers off the table, slammed her bag onto the floor, and stormed into the bedroom.

As she brushed past me, the sharp scent of expensive men's cologne hit my nose.