Chapter 1

The first time I find a man's watch in my fiancee Lydia Winslow's car, her father calls me himself to explain it away. "Jonah, you've got the wrong idea about Lydia. That watch is mine. I must have left it there by accident."

The second time, when I discover two movie ticket stubs, her best friend tags me in a group chat. "Don't overthink it. I asked Lydia to buy those tickets for me."

It happens a third time, then a fourth, and every time after that, someone steps forward to cover for her.

By the ninth time, I pull a tie from between the car seats and hold it up in front of her face.

"Whose tie is this?"

Her hand on the steering wheel gives the faintest tremor before she dials a number with practiced ease.

"Someone left a tie in my car. Which one of you is it?"

The call connects to my own sister, Leah Stratton, and my best friend, Bryce Hollander, who also happens to be Leah's husband.

"Lydia? Oh, so that's where it went! No wonder Bryce couldn't find it anywhere. Honestly, though, Jonah, are you doing this again?

"Everyone told you at the last get-together—if you keep picking fights over nothing, you two might as well call off the wedding."

Bryce chimes in right after, saying, "Come on, Jonah. You know how good Lydia is to you. You've been way out of line lately."

After the call ends, Lydia looks at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"Happy now? Can you please stop doubting me? That's nine times now, Jonah. If you do this again, maybe we should just call off the—"

I smile and cut her off.

"You're right. Let's not bother. Cancel the whole thing."

What Lydia doesn't know is that the tie doesn't belong to her lover or to Bryce. I bought it myself and left it in her car on purpose to expose the truth—that every single person around her has been helping cover up her affair.

Chapter 1

Jonah's POV

"I've already canceled the reception. Make sure you let the family and friends know."

My fiancee, Lydia Winslow, slammed on the brakes.

"Jonah Stratton, are you actually serious right now? You don't even trust your own sister and your best friend anymore? Is that it?"

She turned to look at me, her expression going stone-cold.

"Maybe you really should see a therapist. This isn't how normal relationships work. You won't even believe your own sister, so how am I supposed to prove anything to you? If there isn't even basic trust between us, what's the point of getting married at all?"

Her phone rang before the words had even settled. The moment she saw who was calling, her gaze softened.

"I have somewhere to be. Go home and think about what you've done. I'll pretend today never happened."

The black Mercedes pulled away without a second's hesitation. I flagged down a cab and followed her, unwilling to let it go.

Half an hour later, the GPS tracker on my phone showed her stopped at The Shoreline. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see a first birthday party in full swing, and everywhere I looked, familiar faces raised their glasses and mingled.

The man at the center of it all wore the same watch I'd found in Lydia's car the very first time, and he was wearing the cufflinks I'd fished out of her pocket the third time.

When I finally made out his face, whatever composure I'd been holding onto crumbled.

It was him.

A month ago, I'd accidentally caused blood to flow back into a patient's IV line while changing the drip. Luke Penworth's family filed a formal complaint with the hospital, accusing me of patient abuse.

During the confrontation, his bodyguard shoved me to the ground. My right hand broke on impact, and I was suspended from work.

My sister, Leah Stratton, the lawyer who'd run herself ragged handling the lawsuit on my behalf, was now right by Luke's side, fielding drinks for him.

And Bryce, the friend who'd butted heads with the hospital's board for my sake and pulled all-nighters on my appeal, was busy playing host for Luke's guests.

As for Lydia, who just moments ago had been swearing up and down that she was innocent, she was the most laughable of all.

"Lydia, you're late! Don't you think you owe him a little something to make up for it?"

Lydia draped herself over Luke and kissed him while the crowd egged them on.

Scene after scene hit me like a sick joke. So they were the family behind the complaint all along, the ones who'd blown that one small mistake out of proportion and cost me my job.

My face burned like I'd been slapped with a hot iron, the heat spreading through every nerve until it exploded behind my eyes. So this was what it felt like, being played for a fool by everyone I'd ever trusted.

My phone buzzed with a transfer notification from the hospital.

"Dr. Stratton, your transfer request has been approved. Please report to Ridgemont Hospital in three days."

I stared at the screen and almost laughed. Fine. There was nothing left in this city worth staying for anyway. In three days, whatever was left between me and Lydia would be done for good.

I turned to leave, unable to stomach the sight any longer, but behind me, Luke caught sight of me and came after me.

"Dr. Stratton? Did you come all the way here for our little one's birthday?"

Chapter 2

Jonah's POV

"I thought you were still upset and wouldn't show up. Don't blame my family. They were just looking out for me and things got blown out of proportion.

"But hey, this works out perfectly. Let me introduce you to everyone, and once it's all out in the open, there won't be any more misunderstandings."

Luke threw an arm around my shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world and walked me over to the group with a grin.

"Everyone, look who's here!"

Every pair of eyes in the room locked onto me at once. The smiles on Lydia, Bryce, and Leah's faces froze the second they saw me.

"This is my buddy, Bryce Hollander. He works in the cardiology department at your hospital. You two must've crossed paths, right?"

Bryce's eyes darted around before he managed a stiff reply. "Dr. Stratton, nice to meet you."

His tone was polite and distant, as though we were meeting for the very first time. Luke didn't notice anything off and pulled me over to Leah next.

"And this is my college best friend, Leah Stratton. She's the idiot lawyer who filed that complaint against you, but don't worry, I already chewed her out. Please don't hold it against her."

Leah looked torn, her gaze drifting away. "Jonah…"

Her voice was too quiet, swallowed by the noise around us, and Luke didn't catch it. He brought me to Lydia last, slipping an arm around her waist.

"And this is my wife—"

I smiled and cut him off. "Lydia Winslow. She owns this restaurant."

Luke blinked, looking between Lydia and me. "How do you know that? Have you two already met?"

I let out a short laugh and held Lydia's gaze, ignoring the warning that flashed through her eyes.

"Because she's my fiancee. We've been together for seven years, and we were just planning our wedding. She even bought me this restaurant. Did she never mention any of that to you?"

Years ago, I'd made an offhand comment about how nice it would be to sit and watch the ocean every day. The next day, I got this place as my 26th birthday present.

It wasn't until six months ago, when Lydia told me her company was strapped for cash, that I agreed to sell it to help her out. Now it was obvious that was just another lie.

"Dr. Stratton, what are you talking about?" Luke's eyes turned red. "We got our marriage license a year ago. How can she possibly be your fiancee? What the hell is going on?"

Lydia panicked instantly. "Luke, let me explain."

Everything inside me went still. I was the one who'd been betrayed and lied to, and yet she was only scrambling to explain herself to him.

I laughed, harsh and reckless, and started laying everything bare.

"She has a surgical scar on her lower back from four years ago, when she threw herself in front of me during an incident at the hospital. And that pendant she's wearing? I had it blessed for her at a chapel up in the mountains. So, yeah, you're the other man, the one she's been keeping on the side behind my back."

"Jonah Stratton, that's enough!"

All three of them shouted me down in unison while Luke's eyes burned red. Lydia's gaze went ice-cold, and both Bryce and Leah glared at me like I was the villain.

"Am I wrong, though? Lydia, Bryce, Leah, you did this, but none of you have the guts to own up to it?"

Lydia pulled the stunned Luke into her arms and spoke in a low, hard voice. "Jonah, Luke doesn't know anything about this. Whatever you want to say, say it to me. Don't take it out on him."

Bryce stepped forward, his tone cutting. "Jonah, Lydia stopped loving you a long time ago. What she and Luke have is the real thing."

Leah didn't hesitate either. "Jonah, now that you know, just let them be. Lydia risked her life to have Luke's baby. No matter what kind of scene you make today, you're not going to tear their family apart."

The words kept coming, one after another, until my hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"So that gives you all the right to team up and destroy my career? To have someone break my hand?"

I stared Luke down, then looked at each of them in turn.

"He's the one she's been cheating with, and you've all been covering for her. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong."

Before I even finished, a glass of ice water came crashing down over my head. It soaked through my hair and chilled me straight to the bone.

"Get a grip, Jonah! The one who got left behind here is you, not Luke!"

Chapter 3

Jonah's POV

Bryce furiously grabbed my arm and hauled me to the lounge upstairs while Luke's voice was still shaking behind us.

This room used to be Lydia and my hideaway. The restaurant was close to the hospital, so whenever I got out of a long surgery, she'd bring me here to decompress.

She knew I forgot to eat when I was busy, so she'd cook snacks herself and pack them in insulated bags. She knew my neck gave me trouble, so she'd bought a massage chair and put it right in the lounge. All those small, steady acts of kindness had made me believe this was what love looked like.

But now the room had been turned into a nursery. Cradles, a changing table, and children's toys were scattered across every surface, wiping out every trace that we'd ever existed here.

"What she feels for Luke is the real thing," Bryce said. "What she felt for you was never love. She just mistook her gratitude for love because you cured her heart condition."

I stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

He didn't answer, just gave me a look that bordered on pity before pulling aside the projector screen to reveal an entire wall of photographs. Every single one was of Lydia and Luke.

They were skiing together in the mountains, walking along the coast at sunset, and taking a boat ride through the canals of some lakeside town.

"They've been together for three years," Bryce said, walking over and pointing to the wedding portrait at the center of the wall.

"Remember last year on your birthday, when Lydia told you she was away on a business trip and Leah and I said we were on our honeymoon? We all flew out to Verandel for their wedding, and we were there when the baby was born.

"That whole mess at the hospital was Lydia's doing too. The only reason we kept it from you was that we were afraid you'd find out who Luke really was and refuse to treat him properly."

I looked at Bryce as though I was seeing a stranger. I couldn't fathom how any of this could be coming out of his mouth.

Not long ago, at his and Leah's wedding, they'd handed their only bouquet to me and Lydia. They'd wished us a lifetime of happiness and even made Lydia promise she'd never break my heart.

And now Bryce himself was the one helping someone steal my happiness, standing here telling me I was the one who'd been cast aside.

A tear got loose before I could stop it, and I couldn't name what I was feeling. All I knew was that my heart had been stomped on and ground to dust, over and over, until there was nothing left to piece back together.

"Fine, then." I looked at Lydia and Luke as they walked through the door, and said it slowly, word by word.

"Be together. I won't stand in your way."

"Dr. Stratton…"

"Jonah, what the hell are you saying?"

They both stared at me, stunned, but I just pulled the ring off my finger and dropped it into Luke's hand.

"I wish you and your family a long and happy life together."

Bryce and Leah stood frozen. Lydia opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear another word.

I pushed the door open and walked out.

Chapter 4

Jonah's POV

The next day, Lydia rushed home after getting the notification that I'd sold the house. She pulled me out of the pile of luggage I'd been packing.

"Jonah, what is this? You sold our home? Have you lost your mind?"

Everything I'd been holding back finally broke loose. I let out a cold laugh and slapped her across the face.

Home? She actually had the nerve to use that word?

"You think it's fun making a fool out of me, Lydia?"

The handprint bloomed red across her cheek, but Lydia didn't get angry. Instead, she softened her voice the same way she always did after one of our arguments.

"Feel better? Got it out of your system? I know I was wrong to lie to you. But it's been seven years. You can't just throw that away overnight. You saved my life. How could I ever truly betray you?"

I didn't want to hear another word of it and turned to leave, but Lydia stepped into my path and suddenly lost her composure, throwing her arms around me and holding on like she'd fall apart if she let go.

"Luke is the son of our company's vice chairman. His father asked me to look after him before he passed away.

"I admit it was low of me to get involved with him. I've thought about ending it, but Luke has severe separation anxiety. Every time I try to break things off, he threatens to hurt himself, and I can't just stand by and watch that happen."

She buried her face against my chest. "Jonah, I never wanted to leave you. You and Luke are both good people, and you two matter to me more than anything. I don't want to let either of you down.

"Just pretend you never found out, and we'll go on like before. I'll do everything I'm supposed to do, and I won't shortchange you on anything, I promise. Okay?"

The words made me physically sick. I couldn't even form a response, but Lydia mistook my silence for me wavering and pulled away to head toward the kitchen.

"You've been running around all day. I know you haven't eaten. Let me make that chicken soup you love."

She barely made it through the kitchen door before a deafening crash split the air. Leah threw the front door open from outside, and before I could even react, Bryce was on me, landing a punch square on my jaw.

"Jonah! What did you do with Milo?"

Luke stumbled in right behind them and sank to the floor. "Dr. Stratton, please, I'm begging you, give Milo back to me. I'll step aside—I'll give Lydia back to you… Just please don't hurt my baby."

The warmth vanished from Lydia's face. "What did you say? Milo's missing?"

"Luke just took Milo to get his shots. He stepped away to pay, and when he came back, Milo was gone!"

Bryce's eyes were blazing. "Who else would kidnap a one-year-old?"

Lydia's face drained of color, and she flew at me, her hands wrapping around my throat. "You had someone take Milo? Jonah, have you completely lost it?"

Her grip was crushing. I pried at her fingers, barely able to force the words out. "I didn't do anything. I'm a doctor. Why would I kidnap a child?"

Luke crumpled to the floor. "Please, Dr. Stratton, if anything happens to my baby, I won't survive it…"

Lydia shoved me aside, her eyes bloodshot. "Start talking!"

"I told you I didn't do it! Why won't any of you believe me?"

"Who else could it have been?"

Leah stood off to the side, the face of the person who had once fought tooth and nail on my behalf now completely cold. "Jonah, if you don't start telling the truth, I'll have no choice but to take legal action."

When I shook my head, Bryce snapped. He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into the storage room, yanked open the cabinet with practiced hands, and pulled out a defibrillator. He tore the electrode pads free and pressed them against my body.

"Jonah, I really misjudged you. Milo just turned one. How could you do something like this? You're really not going to talk? You're really going to make me do this?"

He knew I was terrified of electricity. He knew exactly how to break me. But I couldn't confess to something I'd never done.

"You brought this on yourself, Jonah!" His patience was gone. Bryce hit the discharge button without a second's hesitation.

The current tore through my body. I convulsed off the ground like a rag doll and slammed back down, the back of my skull cracking against the floor. White light exploded behind my eyes, and something warm began streaming from the base of my neck.

Everyone froze. "Jonah, you—"

But just then, a police officer's voice carried in from the living room. "Mr. Hollander? The baby has been found. We need the family to come back to the hospital right away."

The defibrillator clattered to the ground. Relief flooded every face in an instant, and they all scrambled for the door at once, pushing past each other to get out. Not one of them looked back at me.

I lay there, feeling the pain in the back of my head spreading wider and wider, and the tears came.

…

Third-Person POV

Hours later, Lydia, Leah, and Bryce returned with Milo. They walked into the living room to find blood across the floor and the USB drive sitting on the table.

The container of chicken soup Lydia had brought back as a peace offering slipped from her hand and hit the floor.