Chapter 1

I waited at the bus stop for three hours in the pouring rain, but Brandon Cruz never showed up like he promised.

Just as I was about to call an Uber, I noticed the text he sent five minutes earlier.

[Something came up. I can't make it.]

A minute later, his assistant posted a photo on social media.

I recognized the dashboard immediately. It was Brandon's car.

Her caption read, [Best boss ever. Thanks for the ride home!]

In the past, I would've blown up Brandon's phone, calling and texting him nonstop until he gave me an explanation.

This time, I just tapped the heart beneath her post.

Then I went home, packed my bags, and left without saying a word.

That was when Brandon finally panicked. He searched everywhere for me.

When he finally found me, he begged, “I can change! Just don't leave me!”

Chapter 1

Ardenville was hit by its worst rainstorm in a decade. After work, my coworkers gradually headed home, while I stayed behind to finish up some overtime.

Brandon Cruz texted me. [The rain's really coming down. I'll pick you up.]

I knew he was trying to make up with me.

It was our wedding anniversary ten days ago. I made reservations for dinner, but he never showed.

I waited until the restaurant was closing before I saw a post from his assistant, Stella Beck, on social media. Brandon was clearly visible in the photo.

Her caption read, [Best birthday ever. Thanks for dinner, boss!]

When I got home, I pulled up the photo and confronted Brandon.

He shoved my phone away impatiently.

"She was spending her birthday alone. What's wrong with me taking one of my employees out to dinner? Stop making such a big deal out of it. We can celebrate our anniversary any year."

Right. We could celebrate our anniversary any year.

So why couldn't the same be said about her birthday?

We stopped speaking the next day, and today marked ten straight days of giving each other the silent treatment.

In the past, I was always the one trying to patch things up. If Brandon had reached out first like this, I would've been overjoyed, maybe even a little flattered.

But now, I felt nothing. I simply replied, [Okay.]

We agreed for him to pick me up at 6 p.m. There was nowhere convenient for him to pull over outside my office, so I hurried to the bus stop nearby.

By 9 p.m., the rain was coming down even harder. Even under the shelter, the legs of my pants were soaked through.

Brandon still hadn't shown up.

I pulled out my phone to call an Uber and noticed a notification from an account I had added to my favorites.

I tapped it and saw a photo Stella posted a few minutes earlier. Her caption read, [Best boss ever. Thanks for the ride home!]

I recognized the dashboard immediately. There were only two cars like that in the entire city, and one of them belonged to Brandon.

Hanging from the rearview mirror was the small cross I gave him last year for protection.

When I first put it there, Brandon frowned. "That thing doesn't match the car."

I had to ask him several times before he finally agreed to leave it up.

As I thought about it now, something inside me finally snapped into place.

I liked Stella's post.

Brandon clearly wasn't coming. I opened the Uber app, but there were barely any drivers available, and the estimated wait was nearly an hour. By then, I was already soaked from the knees down, so I gave up and headed for the bike-share station instead.

-

Brandon still wasn't home when I got back.

I took a quick shower and some cold medicine, but by the time I crawled into bed, I was already feeling lightheaded.

At some point during the night, I stirred at the sound of the bedroom door opening.

It was Brandon.

Maybe he didn't expect me to go to bed without waiting for him, because he walked over and stopped beside the bed.

I could feel him looking at me, but I felt too awful to open my eyes or say anything.

A moment later, he walked away. Soon, I heard the shower running in the bathroom.

The soft sound eventually lulled me back into an uneasy sleep.

When my alarm went off the next morning, my head was still fuzzy, and it took me a few seconds to reach over and turn it off.

Brandon clicked his tongue in annoyance, and the sound jolted me fully awake.

I had a fever and a splitting headache, but I was supposed to lead an important meeting that day. I had no choice but to force myself out of bed, get ready, and head to work.

The moment I got to the office, the coworker sitting next to me took one look at my flushed face and asked if I was okay. She brought me some Tylenol and a cold compress.

Chapter 2

Brandon texted me. [Are you mad at me?]

I had no idea what he was talking about.

[Then why didn't you make breakfast?]

Ever since we got married, I made breakfast every morning before work. I even kept doing it during the ten days we weren't speaking, though he didn't touch it once.

That morning, with my head pounding, I honestly forgot. Still, the way he acted like making him breakfast was automatically my responsibility made me frown.

I replied, [I forgot. Just grab something on your way to work.]

The rest of the day was so busy that I barely looked at my phone.

It wasn't until I was getting ready to leave the office that I saw another text from Brandon.

[I'll pick you up after work.]

I didn't make a big deal out of it and agreed. After waiting outside for half an hour, there was still no sign of his car.

Then my phone rang. It was Brandon. "Are you outside yet?"

I glanced around. "I'm in front of the building. I don't see you."

On the other end, Brandon let out a slow breath.

I knew that reaction well. Whenever he got tired of waiting for me in the past, he would take a deep breath like he was trying to keep himself from getting annoyed.

He was probably still trying to make up for yesterday, because instead of snapping at me, he kept his voice under control and asked, "Did your building change entrances or something?"

A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Are you at the Fairmont Building?"

His voice immediately rose, as if I had insulted him. "Of course I am. You think I don't know where you work?"

He didn't, actually.

Our company had moved to a different office building two blocks away from Fairmont last year.

I sent him the new address the day we moved, but somehow, a year later, he still went to the wrong building.

"I'll just get home on my own. There are a bunch of one-way streets around here, so getting over to me will be a hassle," I said.

Brandon went quiet for a moment, then hung up.

By the time I got home, he was already sitting on the couch.

That alone felt strange. Ever since we got married, I was almost always the one who got home first, made dinner, and waited for him.

More often than not, the food would be cold by the time he finally walked through the door.

Whenever that happened, I would complain that the least he could do was text me if he was going to be late.

He would always look at me like I was being unreasonable. "Do you expect my entire life to revolve around you? Can't you just eat without me?"

"But dinner's already cold..."

"Then throw it out. Do you really have to turn something this small into an argument?"

After that, I stopped bringing it up. I just started setting his dinner aside for him before I ate. Then, I would have dinner by myself and wait for him in the living room.

The moment I walked in that evening, Brandon surprised me by coming over to greet me.

He stayed close as I took off my coat. "I've just been really busy lately. I wasn't thinking. I didn't go to the wrong building on purpose."

"It's fine," I said.

He watched my face for a moment.

"And about yesterday, it was late and pouring. Stella lives pretty far away, so I gave her a ride home. Then one of the lights in her apartment went out, so I stayed and fixed it for her."

I nodded calmly. "Okay."

"Are you mad at me?"

I looked up at him, genuinely confused. "No."

The moment he realized I meant it, the careful look on his face disappeared and was replaced by irritation.

"You are mad. I already explained everything, and you're still acting like this. You didn't even make breakfast this morning, and now you're barely talking to me!"

That was when it hit me.

In the past, everything that had happened over the last two days would've been more than enough to make me lose it.

We'd had scenes like that plenty of times over the past four years. Every time, Brandon would just stand there and watch me fall apart, as if my anger had nothing to do with him.

Looking back, I must've seemed pathetic. No wonder he started coming home less and less.

But this time, I really wasn't angry. I had forced myself through an entire workday while sick, and I was exhausted.

"If that's all, I'm going to take a shower."

He stepped closer and held my wrist. "I'll join you."

"No. I have a cold, and I feel awful."

I pulled my hand away and went straight into the bathroom.

Chapter 3

A moment later, the front door slammed shut. Brandon had probably gone out again.

Just like that, he was giving me the silent treatment again.

In the past, whenever we stopped speaking, I would get so anxious that I couldn't sit still. I would constantly look for some excuse to reach out and smooth things over.

Sometimes, I would even send him a message on purpose, then delete it right away and pretend it was an accident.

But Brandon almost never responded. He never even seemed curious about what I deleted.

If I called, he wouldn't pick up either.

Whenever that happened, I could barely concentrate at work. All I could think about was getting home as soon as possible and figuring out how to make things right.

This time, I actually felt relieved.

Especially since I was sick and desperately needed a full night's sleep. Brandon usually came home late, and no matter how quiet he tried to be, he always ended up waking me.

Now that he was sleeping in the guest room every night, I could finally sleep through until morning.

I stopped cooking and waiting for him, too. It wasn't like he would've eaten anything I made, anyway.

The project I was leading had reached a critical stage. I started grabbing breakfast on my way to work, eating dinner at the office, and staying a little later before heading home.

It saved me a surprising amount of time. I threw myself into work and felt more driven than I had in years.

Ever since we got married, I poured most of my energy into Brandon.

I would text him throughout the day, asking what he was doing, telling him I missed him, and reminding him how much I loved him. He rarely replied, but somehow, I never got tired of trying.

I almost never stayed late at work, either. The second the day was over, I would rush home to make dinner.

And yet, Brandon was hardly ever home. Between work and going out with friends, he only made it home for dinner a few times a month.

Now that my life no longer revolved around him, everything felt easier. I was more productive and more focused, and even the quality of my work improved.

When the project was finally finished, I let out a long breath of relief.

I opened the social media app I hadn't checked in ages and suddenly remembered that I had already taken Stella off my favorites list.

Still, I couldn't help wondering what she had been posting.

Sure enough, the entire time Brandon and I had been giving each other the silent treatment, he had been spending plenty of time with her.

They went camping by the beach, and she even tagged along to one of his get-togethers with friends.

He looked happy.

In the past, I would've blown up his phone the second I saw those photos, and it would've turned into another fight.

At first, he would try to explain himself. Then he would lose patience and tell me I was making something out of nothing.

It always ended the same way. Brandon would storm out and slam the door behind him.

But this time, I looked through the photos without feeling a thing.

I even had the patience to go through and like every single post.

The project had been such a success that the company offered me a promotion. The only catch was that the new position was in Hillside, and I had been going back and forth over whether to take it.

Now, I finally made up my mind.

When I stepped out of the office, I was surprised to see Brandon waiting there.

"I had some business nearby today," he said.

I opened the passenger door and found Stella sitting in the front seat.

She smiled sweetly at me. "Ellie, it's been a while. Brandon and I just had dinner, and he's giving me a ride home. You don't mind, right?"

I smiled back. "Not at all."

Then I opened the back door and climbed in.

It wasn't until Brandon got behind the wheel that he seemed to realize something felt off.

He glanced back at me and said, a little awkwardly, "Stella gets carsick. She does better in the front seat."

I nodded.

He looked at me again, then turned back around.

My reaction must have seemed strange to him. I didn't ride in his car often, but whenever I did, I always sat up front.

I once told him with a smile, "If I'm in the car, the passenger seat is mine."

He rolled his eyes. "It's just a seat. Why does it matter where you sit?"

But to me, it mattered. I just wanted to sit beside him.

Stella chatted with Brandon the whole way, mostly about things going on at work.

I couldn't follow most of it and had nothing to add, so I leaned back, closed my eyes, and pretended to sleep.

Then Stella turned around. "Ellie, why didn't you come to Jasper's birthday party the other day?"

Chapter 4

Jasper Hunt's birthday? I opened my eyes.

No one invited me. I wasn't about to show up uninvited and make things awkward.

"I didn't know he was having a birthday party," I said quietly.

Stella looked surprised. "How could you not know? Jasper and Mr. Cruz are so close."

I smiled, but didn't say anything.

Jasper and Brandon really were like brothers.

Last month, when Brandon came back from overseas, he didn't come home. Instead, he took Stella up into the mountains to go stargazing.

When I asked Jasper about it, he covered for his best friend.

What he didn't know was that I already saw everything on Stella's social media.

I cried and argued with Brandon over it, and he got so fed up with being at home that he stayed at a hotel for three days.

After Stella finished speaking, Brandon glanced at me guiltily through the rearview mirror.

I ignored him and closed my eyes again.

-

Our takeout arrived at the same time we got home.

I changed clothes and started eating.

Brandon came out of the bathroom and asked, "Where's mine?"

I looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you already eat?"

His expression froze for a second. Then he sat across from me, looking like he had something to say.

In the past, I would've immediately asked what was wrong.

Now, I just wanted to enjoy my food in peace.

Brandon called my name. "Ellie, when Jasper had his birthday party, we were still fighting, so I…"

I cut him off. "It's a small thing. It's already over, so there's no point talking about it."

For a moment, he looked stunned. He had said those exact words to me more than once.

The most recent time was over dinner with Jasper, when I asked why he helped Brandon lie to me.

Jasper glanced at Brandon first, then gave me a faint, knowing smile. "I was just trying not to cause problems between you two."

I was about to press him when Brandon finally lost his patience. He snapped, "It's such a small thing. How long are you going to keep dragging this out?"

After dinner, Brandon showed no sign of leaving.

I took the opportunity to pull the divorce agreement my lawyer had prepared out of my bag.

He glanced at the title and let out an incredulous laugh. "What's this supposed to mean? You're threatening divorce again?"

He tossed the papers at my feet.

I picked them up and held them out to him again. "I'm serious."

"Do you ever get tired of pulling this crap?"

I stopped talking. If I kept going, it would only turn into another screaming match.

Brandon stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

I couldn't be bothered wondering where he went or what he was doing.

I calmly left the divorce papers in his study, then went back to looking through the Hillside housing listings I hadn't finished earlier that day.

Brandon still hadn't come home by the time I went to bed, and I was perfectly happy to have the place to myself.

The next day, Brandon came to pick me up from work again.

I didn't refuse. He had hardly ever done this for me in the past few years, so there was no reason to turn it down now.

I opened the back door and got in.

Brandon gave me a strange look. "Why are you sitting in the back?"

I looked at him, confused. "You said it yourself. It's just a seat."

"Come sit up front."

I didn't argue and moved into the passenger seat.

Something small dug into me when I sat down. I picked it up and saw that it was a tube of lipstick.

Brandon immediately explained, "It might be Stella's. She's kind of careless. She's always leaving things behind..."

His voice grew quieter under my gaze, and he looked at me nervously.

I handed him the lipstick. "Then don't forget to give it back to her. That brand's pretty expensive."

"I really didn't know it was there. There's nothing between us…"

I cut him off, "Brandon, it doesn't matter."

"What?"

"I said it isn't important. Whether there's something going on between you and Stella or not, I don't really care anymore."

His face went pale instantly. I turned toward the window, ending the conversation.