Chapter 3

That got a chorus of suggestive whoops and laughter from the group.

Outside the door, I gripped the hem of my shirt so tight my knuckles turned white.

Yesterday. That was our fifth wedding anniversary. I’d cooked her favorite meal myself, from scratch.

I sat at the dining table all night waiting, only to get a text saying she was stuck in late meetings.

To keep me from getting suspicious, she even had her secretary lie for her.

I remembered the day five years ago when I proposed to her.

She held my hand up high, eyes teary, and announced to everyone, “I’m marrying Liam Anderson!”

That day, she laughed and cried like she’d just had her biggest dream come true.

But in just five years, the woman who once made me feel like I owned the world had completely broken me.

I couldn’t watch anymore. I turned to leave.

As I did, I ran into a waiter bringing in food. I put a finger to my lips:

“Don’t tell anyone in there I was here.”

To make sure he kept quiet, I slipped him some cash before walking away like nothing happened.

I wiped my eyes, pulled myself together, and walked out.

The driver looked confused when he saw me in just a thin shirt.

“Mr. Anderson, didn’t you see Ms. Maxwell? Why don’t you wait in the car? It’s freezing out, and you don’t look so hot.”

I waved him off as I got in the passenger seat: “No need. Let her keep it. Take another car back for now—I’ll need this one later.”

I slid into the driver’s seat, started the car, and headed to our old business school—the place where Serena and I spent our best college years.

In a haze, I could almost see her again—the bright, lively girl who used to cup my face and swear she’d love me forever.

“I’ll only ever love Liam Anderson,” she’d said.

“Liam, I can’t live without you,” she’d whispered.

Serena, people who break promises always pay the price.

So here’s my sentence: In one month, you’ll never see me again.