Chapter 1

A strange man showed up at my law firm today, insisting that I give him a legal consultation.

"Joshua Platt, you know that money a wife spends on another man behind her fiancé's back can be recovered, right?

"No matter how much she spent, that money doesn't belong to the man she's having an affair with, does it?"

His questions came out of nowhere and left me puzzled, but I answered him patiently anyway.

He nodded, satisfied. After running some numbers on a calculator, he held his hand out to me.

"Good. You're a lawyer, so you know how this works, and I won't waste my breath.

"If you don't want this to blow up, hand over the 560 thousand dollars my wife spent on you."

Chapter 1

The man in front of me propped his head on one hand and held out the other, demanding 560 thousand dollars.

His tone was offhand, with a hint of a threat beneath it. "Give the money back and stay away from my wife for good, and I'll let this whole thing go.

"Otherwise... you're a lawyer, so you should know that as her fiancé, I have plenty of ways to get that money back.

"When that happens, your reputation won't survive it. Since we're both men, I'd rather not make this too ugly."

I glanced at the hand stretched toward me, and only then did it dawn on me what he meant.

He thought I was his wife's lover?

No wonder he'd waited outside so long, just to consult me on a legal matter. This was the misunderstanding he'd had waiting for me.

But I'd been married for five years, and my life ran like clockwork: work, home, and back again. When would I ever have had the chance to get involved with someone's wife?

I pushed his hand back and tried to reason with him. "Mr. Myer, I'm sure you've got the wrong person. I've been married for years, and I've never even had the chance to meet your wife.

"There has to be some misunderstanding here. Ask me whatever you want, and I'll cooperate, as long as it clears this up."

I figured once I explained, that would be the end of it. As soon as the misunderstanding was cleared up, I could show him out.

Instead, Eddie Myer shot to his feet, pulled out a stack of photos, and hurled them right in my face.

"Quit playing innocent! How could I have the wrong guy? The man in these pictures is you!

"You're married, and you still go after someone else's wife? Have you no shame? And you're supposed to be some famous big-shot lawyer!

"You can't even keep your own nose clean. What gives you the right to handle other people's cheating cases?"

The photos hit my face before I could react. When I opened my eyes, I picked up one of the scattered pictures and took a closer look.

The man in the photos really was me.

I was stunned. By the looks of it, he'd been secretly investigating me for a long time.

Puzzled, I asked him, "What's your wife's name? How long have you two been married?"

"Ashley Steiner." He paused for a few seconds. "Right now, she's still my fiancée, but we're getting married in a few days.

"Don't look so confused. A while back, I found out my fiancée kept going to see you, so I followed you around. As her fiancé, I don't see anything wrong with that.

"It's insurance, in case anything ever goes wrong between me and my fiancée down the line. So I'm dealing with you ahead of time."

A vague unease stirred inside me.

Ashley Steiner? Wasn't that my wife's name?

Since when was she getting married again? How did I not know about this?

Just then, my phone screen lit up. It was a text from Ashley.

Ashley: [Honey! What do you want to eat today? Which restaurant? What time do you get off work? Want me to come wait for you?]

Ashley: [Hmm, let me guess. My darling husband definitely wants me to come pick him up!]

Ashley: [Today's our fifth wedding anniversary, and your surprise has been ready for ages. You're allowed to get just a teeny bit excited!]

Her messages put my mind at ease.

Ashley was still as in love with me as ever. I knew there had to be a misunderstanding. It was probably someone with the same name, and he'd gotten the wrong person.

Ashley and I had dated for three years and been married for five. Everyone around us envied what we had.

There was no way she'd find another man on the side, let alone betray me.

Chapter 2

After all, I handled cheating cases like this for other people all the time. I could understand how Eddie felt right now.

So I kept my cool and explained patiently, "Ashley and I have been married for five years. How could she possibly marry you? The county clerk's office would never allow it.

"Mr. Myer, I really think you've got the wrong person. I'm not the man you're looking for. Besides, you two aren't married, so you're not her rightful partner. You can't get the money back anyway.

"Why don't you take my contact information? If anything comes up, you can reach me, and I'll give you one free consultation."

I thought I was being more than reasonable.

Eddie sat back down, crossed his legs, and leaned back in his chair with a scoff. "You think you can play me for a fool?

"I've told you so many times. You're exactly the guy I'm looking for!

"560 thousand dollars! That's my future wife's money, and I'm getting it back!

"Either you pay up and cut off all contact with my wife for good, or I'll destroy your reputation today!"

He seemed completely incapable of understanding a word I said.

I rubbed my temples. My head felt ready to explode.

What kind of day was this? How had I ended up with a lunatic like him?

There were still clients waiting outside to consult with me, and I wanted to leave work early tonight to celebrate our fifth anniversary. This was supposed to be a beautiful day, and I wasn't about to let him ruin it.

Not wanting to waste any more time on his nonsense, I called security and had them take him out.

Eddie clearly wasn't having it as they dragged him away. "Joshua Platt, I gave you a chance! Don't blame me for what happens next! By the time you come begging for mercy, it'll be too late!"

Accusing me out of nowhere was one thing, but now he was threatening me too?

I was so angry I actually laughed.

I gave him a faint smile and returned the threat. "Don't forget, Mr. Myer, I'm a lawyer. Whatever dirty tricks you try, you won't escape the law."

Before he could say another word, the guards hauled him out.

Peace and quiet at last.

When I got off work, Ashley was already waiting for me downstairs.

She gave me her usual big hug, then looked at me with a mysterious smile. "Have you guessed your anniversary present yet?"

I was about to shake my head when a small box appeared in front of me.

All right, I already knew what was inside. Probably the latest watch from some brand again, like every anniversary gift before it.

I felt a little let down, but I didn't show it.

I opened the box and looked.

Sure enough, it was a watch.

But... this watch looked very familiar.

If I remembered correctly, Eddie, the man who'd stormed into my firm today, had been wearing this exact model.

How could it possibly be the very same one by coincidence?

A sudden wave of nausea hit me.

I quietly closed the box.

Chapter 3

Ashley noticed I wasn't happy with the gift and asked if something had upset me.

Full of doubt, I asked her, "Babe, do you know Eddie Myer?"

Ashley's smile froze for a second. "How would I know him? What's wrong, honey? Did he say something to you? Or do something?"

Her curiosity only deepened my suspicion, so I went on, "He came to my firm today and accused me of being the other man. He'd even been investigating me behind my back.

"And guess what? His fiancée has the exact same name as you. Talk about a coincidence.

"He showed up with the bills his fiancée had racked up on her lover and demanded I pay him back. Ridiculous, right?"

Ashley kept smiling. "Really? When you put it that way, it does sound pretty ridiculous. Did he say anything else?"

On the surface, she seemed unbothered, but the look in her eyes gave her away.

So she did know Eddie, and she cared about this a lot.

Or maybe what Eddie said was true.

Once suspicion takes root, it only grows bigger.

I gave her a few vague answers, then quickly lowered my head and texted my best friend, Brett McCarthy, asking him to look into Eddie for me.

Brett replied with a question-mark meme.

Brett: [What's the juicy gossip at the firm this time? I'm bored out of my mind, so spill!]

I sent him a crying-without-tears emoji.

Me: [This time, I think the gossip is about me.]

Me: [Eddie accused me of being the other man today. If I'm right, he's actually the other man in my marriage.]

Brett's love of gossip instantly caught fire.

Brett: [What? How? You and Ashley are so solid! She loves you so much!]

Brett: [Hang on! I'll dig up everything on Eddie right now! And I'll check what Ashley's been up to lately while I'm at it!]

I hoped he'd be fast. I also hoped my suspicions wouldn't turn out to be true.

Once we got in the car, I glanced at Ashley beside me. For a moment, she felt like a complete stranger.

She sensed my gaze and looked over. "What's wrong? Hungry? Want something to tide you over? All I have is chocolate."

I looked at the chocolate she held out and shook my head.

The moment we sat down at the restaurant, Ashley's phone rang.

She snatched it up in a panic, terrified I'd see.

But I still saw the contact name clearly: "Darling Ed."

Could it really be such a coincidence?

Ashley wanted to step away to take the call, but I put my hand over hers and smiled. "Babe, who's calling? You never used to hide from me when you took calls."

She hesitated for a long moment, then decided to answer it in front of me.

Throughout the call, she tried hard to act normal. But she couldn't keep it up for long.

Her expression grew grave, and her voice turned frantic. "Okay, I'll be right there. Be careful. Don't hurt yourself again."

After hanging up, she was in such a rush that she left without a word, completely forgetting I was sitting right there watching her.

When she finally remembered, she hurried back to explain. "Jessie was in a car accident. She's in really bad shape, and I have to get over there right now.

"I'm sorry, honey. I can't have dinner with you tonight. I'll make it up to you next time."

If Jessie Allen had been in a car accident, why wouldn't Ashley take me with her?

Was she really going to keep lying?

Chapter 4

I caught Ashley's arm. "I'll come with you. Jessie's your best friend. How could I not go?"

The moment Ashley heard I wanted to come along, panic flashed across her face, and she pushed my hand away. "You just got off work, so you must be starving. Eat first. If anything comes up, I'll call you.

"I don't think it's anything serious anyway. You wouldn't be much help if you came.

"Honey, I'll be back soon. Don't worry too much."

I watched her leave and didn't press her any further.

I opened my phone and checked Jessie's social media. Her latest post, from five minutes ago, was a photo of her on vacation in another state.

Now I was certain. The injured person wasn't Jessie. It was Eddie.

My worst fear had been confirmed, and my last shred of hope was snuffed out.

Ashley and I had been together since school. We were each other's first love, and everyone around us had believed in us.

We should have been a love story for the ages. We should have spent our lives together and grown old side by side.

I never imagined that so many years of love would come to an end so quickly.

Nor did I imagine that after handling so many divorce and infidelity cases, the same thing would actually happen to me.

I still remembered when I first entered the legal profession and started taking on divorce and adultery cases. I'd joked with Ashley, "If you ever cheat on me, I'll make sure you walk away with nothing!

"But I still hope that if you fall for someone else, you'll tell me openly. I'll let you go."

She'd laughed, settled into my lap, and made me a promise. "I, Ashley Steiner, will never love anyone but Joshua Platt for the rest of my life!"

Looking back now, I realized a promise only counts while the love lasts.

Just then, the waiter began bringing out our dishes, interrupting my memories.

I hastily wiped at the corners of my eyes, where the tears hadn't quite fallen.

I looked at the table full of delicious food. I'd been busy all day, and I really was hungry.

What was done was done. It was time to pull myself together and face the separation ahead.

I was in the middle of eating when Brett texted me.

Brett: [Joshua, about the two of them... I think you need to brace yourself.]

I'd braced myself long ago. I told Brett to just say it.

Brett: [Okay. So... they've been together for three years now. Ashley even gave the guy a house and a car.]

Brett: [Every now and then, Ashley goes to stay with him. They've met each other's parents, and, well, it looks like they're trying for a baby.]

I froze, then let out a bitter laugh.

They'd hooked up when Ashley and I had only been married two years? And now, they were trying for a baby?

Ashley was the one who wanted us to be child-free. She was the one who'd made me get a vasectomy.

And now, she was the one trying for a baby with someone else?

What a fool that made me look like.

When I didn't reply, Brett got worried and quickly sent another message.

Brett: [Buddy, where are you? I'm coming over right now. No reason. I just want to keep you company.]

I understood why he was worried. But I would never hurt myself.

As a lawyer, I'd seen plenty of people forgive a cheating spouse in the name of love. Without exception, every one of them ended up losing both the person and the money.

As for me, I was going to get the compensation I deserved and make sure neither of them had an easy time of it.

I called Brett. "Come quick. We're going to catch them in the act."

Before long, we found the hospital Eddie was in.

In the hospital room, Eddie lay with his head in Ashley's lap. "Babe, you're already pregnant. How much longer are we going to keep pushing back the wedding?"

I kicked open the half-closed door. "She hasn't divorced me yet. How is she supposed to marry you?

"Instead of rushing her about a wedding date, you should get on your knees and beg me to hurry up and finalize our divorce!"

Ashley jumped at the noise and hurried to put some distance between herself and Eddie.

Eddie shot the guilty-looking Ashley a confused glance, then turned and glared at me viciously.

"What are you doing here? What kind of fantasy are you living in? My babe, married to you? She's never even been married!

"But this works out perfectly! Ashley, you have to choose today. Him or me?"

Eddie shifted around a few times, then moved forward and wrapped his arms around Ashley.

In an instant, every eye in the room was on Ashley.