Chapter 1

The day after Lisa Goodner and I got our marriage license, I, Brad Dempsey, stood at the airport with two plane tickets in hand, waiting for my new wife.

She showed up, but her childhood friend, Drew Fenton, was trailing right behind her.

"Babe, Drew just went through a breakup, so I'm bringing him along to help him clear his head," Lisa explained carefully.

Drew was wearing the exact same T-shirt as me. He gave me an apologetic smile. "Brad, I won't be in your way, will I? I just want to soak up a little of your newlywed happiness."

I looked at the third ticket in Lisa's hand, the extra one seated right next to mine.

Seat 16B.

Mine was 16A. Lisa's was 16C.

She had put Drew right between us.

I stood rooted to the spot as rage shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head. I yanked Lisa aside and lowered my voice. "Either he leaves, or I do."

Lisa looked torn and a little exasperated. "Babe, don't be so unreasonable, okay?

"Drew told me he's scared being home alone. He just wants to tag along and have some company.

"Besides, I've known him since we were kids. What's the harm in him coming with us..."

I cut her off. "If you don't send him away, we're filing for divorce right now."

Chapter 1

Lisa Goodner reached out to grab me, but I sidestepped her.

"Can you not throw a tantrum over something this small?" Her tone softened, turning coaxing.

I didn't say anything. I just stared at her coldly.

She couldn't hold up under my gaze and let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll talk to him. I'll tell him to leave."

She raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. "You're the boss. Happy now?"

With that, she turned and walked over to Drew Fenton, keeping her voice low.

Drew's shoulders slumped at once. He looked up. "Lisa, is it because Brad doesn't like me?

"Did I do something wrong? I'm just feeling down because of my breakup. I only wanted to soak up a little of your happiness."

As he spoke, he cast a wounded glance my way, then turned his eyes back to Lisa and grabbed her arm. "Lisa, I know Brad has the wrong idea about us. But you explained it to him, and he still doesn't trust you?"

That same look again. That same fake-innocent act again.

Something buzzed loudly inside my head.

Two months ago, Drew had shown up at the door of the new home Lisa and I shared, dragging two enormous suitcases behind him. He'd worn this exact same look then.

That day, Lisa had hugged me, though her eyes, brimming with pity, were fixed on him.

"Babe, Drew just broke up with someone, and then his landlord kicked him out. He's all alone in this city. It's so sad.

"Let him stay with us for a little while. As soon as he finds a job and a place, he'll move right out."

And then what? Once he moved in, he never mentioned moving out again.

Then there was the pre-wedding party, two weeks before we got our marriage license.

In front of everyone, Drew gazed at Lisa with red-rimmed eyes. "I'm so jealous of Brad, getting to marry someone as wonderful as you, Lisa. The person I dated before didn't treat me half as well as you do."

Our friends egged them on, telling him and Lisa to link arms for a lovers' toast.

Lisa hesitated.

But Drew just took her by the arm. "Come on, Lisa. Think of it as an early toast to your happy marriage."

Half protesting, half willing, she drank.

Later, when we took a group photo, Drew shoved me aside outright and pressed his face almost flush against Lisa's cheek.

That night, she and I had the biggest fight we'd ever had.

"Lisa, do you have any sense of boundaries at all?"

"Babe, don't overthink it. We were just messing around. We've been like this since we were kids."

I was shaking with anger.

We gave each other the silent treatment for a week. I had already packed my bags, ready to end the relationship.

It wasn't until the night before we got our license that she finally held me and apologized.

"Babe, I'm sorry. From now on, I'll keep my distance from him, I swear. I promise, this is the last time."

I looked into her bloodshot eyes, and I believed her.

But now, standing in the airport terminal, it was clear her promise was nothing but a joke.

The way she looked at Drew was full of heartache. And that heartache wasn't for me.

She walked over to me, exhaustion written all over her face. "Babe, look how upset Drew is. Maybe..."

I headed for the exit before she could finish. "I'll leave. You two enjoy the honeymoon."

Chapter 2

Lisa panicked. She chased after me, grabbed hold of me, and canceled Drew's ticket on the spot. Then she held up her phone to show me and apologized.

A short distance away, Drew watched us with red-rimmed eyes.

I fixed Lisa with a cold stare and warned her that this was the last time.

With that, I shook off her hand and headed straight for the security checkpoint.

Once we boarded the plane, I put on my eye mask, ready to sleep.

Before long, I heard the soft tapping of a phone keyboard beside me. I pulled off my eye mask and glanced over.

She was typing furiously in a chat with someone saved as "Drewboo."

Lisa: [Don't be upset. This is all my fault.]

A chill ran through my entire body.

She sensed me looking and scrambled to hide her phone.

"Who are you talking to?" I asked coldly.

"No one. Just a client." She couldn't look at me.

I laughed. "A client named Drewboo?"

Her face went deathly pale. "Babe, don't get the wrong idea. I'm just worried he'll do something stupid."

"And if he does something stupid, are you going to go die with him?"

My voice came out a little loud, and the passengers in the row ahead turned around to look at us.

"Keep your voice down." She was embarrassed, and it was turning into impatience. "We finally get to go on our honeymoon. Can you please stop bringing him up?"

"Am I the one bringing him up, or are you the one who can't let him go?" I shot back.

She frowned. "We're just friends. We grew up together. Why can't you just trust me? Can't you be a little more understanding?"

That line again.

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to say another word to her.

After we landed, the hotel's car came to pick us up. She tried to hold my hand, but I shook her off.

The car door slid open. I was just about to climb in when I froze.

Drew was sitting inside, looking at me smugly. Beside him sat two of Lisa's childhood friends, Todd Jones and Rick Wallace.

"Brad, what a coincidence!"

I whipped around and glared at Lisa. Her expression looked a little strained.

Drew hopped out of the car and slipped an arm around her waist. "Brad, Lisa ended up asking me to come after all, behind your back. She said the more, the merrier, and you'd definitely love it.

"You're so petty. Lisa still cares about me."

"Drew, shut up." Lisa was so flustered she could barely string a sentence together.

From inside the car, Todd piped up. "Lisa, quit pretending. You're the one who sent us all the money for the plane tickets."

I looked at Lisa's ashen face and suddenly laughed.

What a performance she'd put on at the airport.

Back at the hotel, she followed me into the room, still spinning lies. "They insisted on coming. Todd asked to borrow the money. I didn't know Drew was coming too."

I quietly watched her put on her show. "Are you done?"

She froze.

"If you're done, get out." I pointed at the door.

I shoved her out with every ounce of strength I had, then shut the door and locked it.

Outside, I could hear Drew and the others trying to talk her down, along with the nonstop sound of Lisa knocking. I tuned it all out.

Two hours later, I changed clothes, planning to step out for some fresh air.

The moment I opened the door, I saw Lisa standing right outside.

And Drew, bare-chested and wearing tight swim trunks, was rubbing up against her. "Lisa, let's go for a night swim tonight, okay? Just like we used to in college."

He glanced my way, his eyes full of challenge.

Lisa looked torn, her eyes darting away. "But Brad..."

"Brad's so easygoing. He definitely won't mind, right, Brad?" Drew grinned.

I walked right up to them and looked Lisa in the eye. "Are you going?"

"Babe, I just want to keep him company so he can unwind a little." She was still making excuses.

"If you do that, we're done for good."

Lisa shoved Drew away and said quickly, "I'm not going."

The push sent Drew stumbling, and he stared at her in disbelief. He shot me an aggrieved look, then turned and ran off.

Chapter 3

Lisa let out a breath of relief. "Babe, see? I sent him away. Can you stop being mad now?"

There wasn't a shred of apology in her words.

I couldn't be bothered to argue with her anymore. I shook off her hand and went into the room. I lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over my head.

She thought I'd fallen asleep.

I don't know how much time passed before the buzz of a phone woke me.

It was Lisa's phone, sitting on the nightstand. The screen was lit up, and the contact name glared back at me: Drewboo.

Drewboo: [Lisa, your husband didn't give you a hard time again, did he?]

I picked up her phone. No passcode.

She sure trusted me, didn't she?

I opened her messages and scrolled up. The screen was filled with the conversation she'd had with Drew after I fell asleep.

Drewboo: [I'm sorry, Lisa. I got you into another fight with Brad.]

Lisa: [Don't overthink it. That's just how he is. He's super petty. Ignore him.]

So that was what I was to her.

Drewboo: [It's all my fault. If only I hadn't insisted on coming.]

Lisa: [It's not your fault. I'm the one who wanted you here.]

Lisa: [You're still the best. Not like him. Always such a buzzkill.]

My heart felt like it was caught in a fist. I could barely breathe.

They had even started reminiscing about the trips they'd taken together, just the two of them, back in college.

[Those were the days. Just the two of us.]

So I was the one who didn't belong.

Stone-faced, I opened the camera on my own phone and photographed every message. Then I put her phone back exactly where it had been.

Before long, Lisa came back. She wore a big smile. "Babe, you're up?"

I dodged the hand she reached toward me. That hand might have just been touching Drew's face.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"Todd and the guys invited me to the bar. They said they want to make it up to me."

She was too guilty to look me in the eye.

I stared straight into her eyes. "Lisa, we're here on our honeymoon."

She glared at me. "Honeymoon, honeymoon! Can't you give me a break for once? What does it matter who we hang out with? Do we have to be glued to each other the whole time?"

With that, she stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

I waited two minutes, then quietly followed her.

At the hotel's open-air bar, I spotted them right away. They were playing Truth or Dare.

The bottle pointed at Drew, and Todd egged him on to pick a dare. "Do you dare take off Lisa's bra?"

Drew blushed. "You guys are so bad." Yet he was already leaning in and wrapping his arm around Lisa's waist.

Lisa didn't resist.

As everyone hollered and cheered, he reached out, lifted the hem of Lisa's top slightly, and slid his hand underneath. Then he unhooked her bra and hooked it back up again.

The whole time, Lisa looked down at him with an indulgent smile.

I waited until he was done, then walked straight to their booth and sat down.

The smile on Lisa's face froze for a second. Without thinking, she let go of Drew and put some distance between them. She clearly hadn't expected me to follow her.

The atmosphere was awkward for a few seconds before Todd laughed it off. "Brad's here! Come play with us!"

I didn't say anything. I just picked up the glass in front of me.

Someone forced the game to go on and asked Drew, "Who do you like the most out of everyone here?"

He glanced at Lisa. "Me? I like Lisa the most."

Then he rested his face on Lisa's shoulder. Lisa, looking completely smitten, reached up and stroked his face.

Everyone around them whooped.

Someone else asked, "Then who do you hate the most?"

Drew looked the picture of innocence, his voice tinged with hurt, but his eyes landed squarely on me. "I don't hate anyone. I'm just a little scared of the kind of people who aren't happy and won't let anyone else be happy either."

Everyone in the booth burst out laughing.

Then the bottle landed on Lisa.

"Lisa, dare! Give Drew a kiss."

"Brad's watching," Drew said, but his body pressed even closer to Lisa. He lowered his head, his eyes full of anticipation.

Everyone's eyes were on her.

Lisa picked up her glass and took a sip. She didn't move.

Todd stepped in to smooth things over. "Switch it, switch it! Truth instead."

He looked at Lisa and drew out each word. "Lisa, if you weren't married, would you marry Drew?"

Chapter 4

Lisa gulped down another big mouthful of her drink. "Todd, are you drunk? What kind of stupid question is that?"

She was trying to brush it off, but the cheering around her only grew louder and louder.

Lisa's expression darkened by the second. She didn't look at me. Not even once.

"Okay, that's enough, guys."

But Drew wouldn't let it go. He wrapped his arm around Lisa's waist. "Lisa, don't be mad. Todd's just curious."

He turned to look at me. "Brad, don't blame us, okay? We've been hanging out with Lisa since we were kids. No joke is off-limits with us.

"Not like you. I bet you'd never even dared set foot in a bar before, huh?"

That got everyone in the booth laughing.

Lisa didn't say a word. She just picked up her glass and took another big gulp.

Rick stood up unsteadily, holding a full glass of beer. "Brad, here's a toast to you. Don't be mad, okay?"

As he said it, he stumbled. The entire glass of ice-cold beer splashed over me from head to toe, soaking my white T-shirt straight through.

"Oops, sorry, Brad. I really didn't mean it."

He was apologizing, but his eyes were laughing, enjoying the show.

Lisa frowned slightly. "Rick, what are you doing?" Her tone was light and breezy, without a hint of reproach.

My stomach churned. I couldn't stand to watch any more. "You guys keep playing. I'm heading back."

I turned to leave.

As I passed Drew, a foot quietly slid out in front of me. I pitched forward, and my knee slammed into the floor with a loud thud. The pain was so sharp that everything went dark for a moment.

"Oh no, Brad!" Drew shrieked theatrically.

Lisa frowned. "Why can't you be more careful?" She bent down to help me up.

"Don't touch me."

I shook off her hand and pushed myself up off the floor on my own.

Todd, that lapdog, jumped in to smooth things over again. "Brad took a tumble by accident. Let's play a game to make it up to him."

The empty bottle spun rapidly on the table. In the end, it came to a stop pointing right at me.

Drew clapped his hands and laughed. "Brad, how about you crawl around in a circle like a puppy and bark a couple of times? Then you're off the hook. How's that?"

Everyone around me stared, waiting for the show.

I looked at Lisa. Her eyes darted away, and her face was full of reluctance. She was afraid I'd make a scene and leave her with no way to save face.

"Babe," she said coaxingly. "It's just a game. Don't take it so seriously. Just go along with it, and it'll be over."

She wanted me to crawl on the floor to entertain these people?

I picked up the glass in front of me, tipped my head back, and drained it. "I don't crawl."

Drew wasn't happy. He tugged on Lisa's arm and whined, "Lisa, look at him. He's such a buzzkill."

His eyes darted around, and then he pointed at the small stage in the middle of the bar. "How about Brad goes up there and dances for us instead? That'll count too. Brad's in such great shape. I bet he'd look amazing dancing."

On the stage, several male models in skintight shorts were gyrating.

Then I heard him whisper, deliberately loud enough for me to hear, "Look at that resting bitch face of his. Who's he trying to fool with that holier-than-thou act? Today, I'm going to make him see who really belongs by Lisa's side."

Todd snickered. "You're always full of ideas. Let's see him keep up the act now."

So that was it.

I slowly turned my head and looked at Lisa. She had her head lowered, murmuring something to Drew with a doting look on her face. She didn't even notice me looking.

To her, I was probably just some immature nuisance.

I picked up a full glass of red wine from the table, stood up, and walked toward the stage.

Drew thought I'd caved, and a smug smile spread across his face. "Finally come around, Brad? Go on, we're all waiting to watch."