Chapter 1
The sex was good–it always was. [
But as Nathan Harrison rolled off her and reached for his cigarettes, Amelia knew something was coming.
She could feel it in the way he wouldn’t look at her, in the tension radiating from his shoulders.[]
“We need to get divorced.“[]
Just like that. No buildup, no explanation. Like he was asking her to pass the salt.[]
Amelia was still trying to catch her breath, her skin flushed and damp. She turned toward him, confused. “What?“]
Nathan lit his cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating his sharp features before darkness settled between them again. “She’s got stomach cancer. Six months, maybe less.”
She. Always she. Never a name, like saying it out loud would make it too real.
“Dying as my wife–that’s all she wants.” He took a long drag, exhaling slowly. “It would mean everything to her.“[]
The bedroom went quiet except for the distant hum of traffic from the city below. Their shadows stretched across the wall from the bedside lamp, and Amelia stared at them–two people who should be close but felt like strangers.
“It’s not permanent,” Nathan continued when she didn’t respond. “Just until… you know. Then we’ll get back together.“]
“Amelia, she’s dying.“]]
His voice was so calm, so reasonable. Like he was discussing weekend plans instead of asking her to give up her marriage.[]
Amelia studied his profile–the same face she’d been in love with since she was seventeen. God, had it really been seven years? Seven years of following him around like a lost puppy, taking whatever scraps of attention he threw her way.]
She remembered the night that started it all. Rain pouring down, her stepfather’s fist connecting with her ribs for the third time that week. Then Nathan appeared out of nowhere, soaking wet, gripping a broken piece of fence like a weapon.[]
“Back off!” he’d shouted, stepping between them. “You touch her again, I swear to God-“]
He’d saved her that night. Seventeen–year–old Amelia had fallen so hard she never got back up.[]
For seven years, she’d done everything he asked. Followed him to college, changed her major to match his interests, even turned down job offers in other cities just to stay close. And every time she succeeded, every time she made him proud, he’d ruffle her hair and say, “Good job, Mia.“]
It was never enough, but she’d convinced herself it was just how he showed love. Quiet. Reserved. Even when people called her pathetic for chasing him, she didn’t care. He was Nathan Harrison, and somehow, impossibly, he’d chosen her.[]
When his grandfather got sick last year and the family decided a wedding might bring good luck, Nathan had asked her almost casually: “Want to make it official?” She’d thought all those years of waiting had finally paid off.[]
But marriage hadn’t changed anything. If anything, he seemed more distant than ever.[]
“Are you even listening to me?” Nathan’s voice cut through her thoughts, sharp with irritation.[]
“Yeah, I’m listening.” Amelia sat up, pulling the sheet around herself. “You want to divorce me so you can marry your dying girlfriend.“[]
“She’s not my girlfriend.” The words came out too quick, too defensive. “Look, she’s going through hell, okay? And she’s never tried to break us up or anything. She could’ve easily made a move, but she didn’t because she respects our marriage.“[]
Amelia almost laughed. Respects our marriage. Right[]
“Every time I try to help her, she says no because she doesn’t want to hurt you.” Nathan’s voice took on that self–righteous tone she’d grown to hate.
Chapter 1
“She’s a good person, Mia. She doesn’t deserve to die alone.”
“And what about me?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.[]
Nathan’s jaw tightened. For a moment, he looked almost annoyed that she’d asked. “She’s dying, Amelia.“[]
“I get that, but–“[
“She loves me, okay?” The admission hung in the air between them. “And yeah, maybe I have feelings for her too. But we’ve never done anything about it because of you. We’ve never even kissed.“[]
Because of me. Like she was some obstacle they’d heroically overcome.[]
“She’s kind and selfless, and she’s running out of time.” Nathan’s voice went cold. “Don’t make me think you’re the kind of person who’d deny a dying woman her last wish.“]
There it was. The trap, perfectly set. Be the good wife and step aside, or be the heartless bitch who wouldn’t let a cancer patient die happy.
Amelia looked at him–really looked at him. When had he become this stranger? When had the boy who’d saved her turned into someone who could ask her to break her own heart and call it kindness?]
She knew exactly when. The day Vivian Hope walked into their lives.
“You’re sure about this?” she asked quietly. “The divorce?”
Nathan’s lips pressed into a thin line. He stared at the wall, not meeting her eyes. “Yeah. Look, you-“]
“Okay.”
ریز
The word stopped him mid–sentence. His head snapped toward her, eyes narrowing like he was trying to figure out her angle.[]
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.“]
Something flickered across his face–surprise, maybe
“I’m not up to anything, Nathan.“[]
suspicion. “You’re up to something.”
“Bullshit. You’re playing some game, trying to guilt me or–“[]
“I said okay.” Amelia’s voice was steady, almost eerily calm. “What else do you want?“]
J
Nathan studied her for a long moment, then stubbed out his cigarette harder than necessary. “Fine, Whatever.” He grabbed his clothes from the floor, pulling them on with sharp, angry movements. “I’ll have my lawyer draw up the papers.“]
He headed for the door without another word, like her feelings didn’t matter at all. Like asking your wife to divorce you so you could marry someone else was just another Tuesday night conversation.[]
The door slammed behind him, leaving Amelia alone in the sudden quiet.[]
Her phone buzzed against the hightstand. A text from a contact she’d labeled “Vivian’s Fake Account.“[]
He stopped by again tonight.?
Attached was a photo taken through a glass door–Nathan’s reflection, smiling in a way Amelia had never seen. Soft. Tender. Like he was looking at something precious.
She scrolled up through months of messages:
He told me he’s falling for me.
Rainy night but I’m not cold. He’s keeping me warm. 0
Chapter 1
The real mistress is the one who isn’t loved, Amelia. You’re just his convenient wife for the family. I’m the one in his heart.
Message after message, each one a small knife twisting deeper. Proof of every suspicion she’d tried to ignore.
She’d never seen Nathan look the way he did in these photos. Never heard his voice go soft like it apparently did when he talked to Vivian. With Amelia, he was always controlled, distant. With Vivian, he was alive.[]
The first message was from eight months ago: You know who this is. Did you like the flowers I sent for your living room? Nathan said they were perfect.[]
Vivian Hope. Instagram darling, Manhattan’s go–to floral designer for the wealthy elite. Amelia had shown Nathan these messages before, but he’d dismissed them.
“Could be anyone,” he’d said. “Where’s your proof it’s actually her? You probably sent these to yourself.“||
Most of the photos were generic–shots anyone could take from outside a building or across a restaurant. But tonight’s was different. Clear. Undeniable.]
Would it matter? Would showing him change anything?
Amelia set the phone aside and opened the bottom drawer of her nightstand. Hidden under old magazines was a manila folder containing the pregnancy test she’d taken that morning.
pregnanc
Positive.
She was carrying Nathan’s baby, and he wanted to divorce her to marry another woman.[]
Her tears hit the paper, smearing the medical print. She picked up Nathan’s lighter from the ashtray and held the flame to the corner of the document, watching it curl and burn.[]
He’d never know. This divorce would be the last favor she’d ever do for him.]
Seven years. Seven years of her life spent loving someone who’d never really love
her back.
But she was done now. Done chasing, done hoping, done being grateful
scraps.[]
Nathan Harrison had saved her once when she was seventeen and broken. Now, at twenty–four, she was going to save herself.[]
♡ (1)
