Chapter 1

My best friend hands me the divorce papers she drafted. "You spent five years chasing Joe before you finally got him. Why do you suddenly want a divorce?"

I force a smile. "Because he won't have dinner with me."

Five hours earlier, I sent Joe Watson the address of a restaurant. "I made a reservation for our third anniversary."

He replied almost immediately. "Busy right now."

I spent five years chasing him and three years as his wife, only to get those words in return. Then I saw him outside his office, protectively guiding a short-haired woman into his car.

When I first started pursuing Joe, I could barely get a response from him. But little by little, he opened up and began sharing all his joys and frustrations with me.

Now, all I ever hear from him is, "Busy right now."

I thought I wasn't trying as hard as I used to. But that wasn't it. He had simply fallen for someone else.

My phone rings. It's the restaurant calling.

"Ms. Gray, how many people will be dining tonight?"

I slip the divorce papers into my bag. "Just one."

I know Joe brought that woman to the same restaurant, which works out perfectly. From now on, he can share its signature dish with whoever he wants. It's none of my business anymore.

I'll enjoy it by myself.

Chapter 1

After parting ways with my best friend, I headed straight to the restaurant.

The moment I walked in, I spotted Joe Watson and Carol Chaney at a table in the corner by the window, deep in conversation.

He leaned toward her as he spoke. "I already got tickets to next week's Impressionist exhibition. They'll be showing an original painting by Jacques Valcourt, just like you wanted."

Carol caught me watching and smiled before lightly poking Joe's arm with her fork.

He followed her gaze, and the smile vanished from his face. His brow creased as he stood and strode toward me.

He demanded, "Did you follow me here? I told you I was busy. Why would you come all this way just to make a scene? Carol and I are discussing something important, so go home before you embarrass yourself.

"We'll celebrate our anniversary another time. Just get something to eat on your own tonight."

Before I could respond, Joe turned and went back to their table.

"Carol, the crème caramel is their specialty. You said you like sweets. Want to try it?"

I stood there watching them lean in over the menu, their heads almost touching. Without realizing it, I tightened my grip on the divorce papers inside my bag.

The edge of the papers dug into my palm. I managed a bitter smile and shook my head.

I had thought we could at least end things with some dignity tonight and say a proper goodbye to the eight years we had shared. But Joe couldn't even be bothered to keep up appearances.

My heart already felt heavy, and the rest of me was growing weaker by the minute.

I didn't let myself dwell on it. Instead, I went to the table I had reserved and ordered a whole spread of my favorite foods.

Whenever Joe and I ate together, I always ordered around his preferences. He hated cilantro, spicy food, and anything too sweet. For eight years, I never forgot.

Yet when I asked him to name something I liked to eat, he thought for a long moment before finally saying, "You're not picky."

But he remembered everything Carol liked, right down to strawberry lollipops, dried mango, and iced vanilla lattes with half the usual syrup.

That night, I ordered all my favorite dishes, none of which Joe liked. The Cajun shrimp was so spicy it made my eyes water.

For the first time, I realized how much better a meal could taste when I ate alone.

I stayed from sunset until the city lights came on, watching one group after another come and go at the surrounding tables.

When I left, Joe and Carol were still talking. She was laughing so hard she doubled over, and the tenderness in his eyes was impossible to miss.

I knew that look. Joe used to look at me the same way when we first got together.

Back then, a single wildflower by the side of the road could keep us talking for hours. We would start with how seeds spread, move on to photosynthesis, and somehow end up talking about human growth and development.

We never ran out of things to say. We were always on the same wavelength.

But now? We couldn't talk for more than a minute without ending up in a fight. Even worse, every argument somehow came back to Carol, his childhood sweetheart.

Three months earlier, we had finished renovating our second house. For once, we made it through furniture shopping without arguing. We even talked about the life we would have there.

Chapter 2

Then Joe blindsided me. "Let's decorate this house the way Carol likes. She'll be staying here occasionally, and I want her to feel at home."

I froze. "Joe, this is our home. Why should we decorate it to suit her?"

His face hardened. "It's just decor. You got to decorate our current place however you wanted, didn't you? Carol's parents live abroad, and she's here on her own.

"She'll be staying here a lot from now on, so what's wrong with decorating the place in a style she likes? Why do you have to be so petty?"

I let out a short, incredulous laugh.

This was my home, yet he wanted it decorated for another woman. The idea was absurd.

Neither of us would budge, and we never finished furnishing the house.

Looking back, I should have divorced him right then. But I was still holding on to hope. I decided to wait until our anniversary and try to talk things through with him.

Now, even that hope was gone.

Joe didn't come home until 2:00 am.

I was dozing on the couch, but I forced myself awake when he walked in. "Joe, there's something we need to talk about."

He glanced at me but showed no reaction to how exhausted I looked.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation creeping into his voice. "Is all this really necessary, Tessa? It's just an anniversary. We've been married for years.

"Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it and drag this on all night? Look at the time. I've had a long day, and I'm too tired to argue with you."

Joe turned and went into the bathroom. For the next ten minutes, all I heard was the shower running.

When he came out, he walked straight past our bedroom and into the spare room. The door slammed behind him, jolting me wide awake.

The house fell silent again.

My thoughts were in knots, and my chest felt painfully tight. I stared at the divorce papers in my hands. Without warning, tears spilled down my cheeks.

When had it become so hard for us to just talk to each other?

Was it when Carol became the first person he wanted to share everything with? Was it when he put cilantro on my plate? Or was it when he left me to go through my miscarriage alone?

When we were young, I had chased him with everything I had. Eventually, we stood together and promised to spend the rest of our lives with each other.

Now, a closed door separated us, and we might as well have been strangers. Somehow, eight years was all it had taken.

A tear fell into my palm. I took a deep breath, picked up a pen, and signed the divorce papers.

I went back to the bedroom. I was completely drained and slept so deeply that I didn't wake until nearly noon.

When I opened the bedroom door, I found the last person I expected to see.

Carol looked delighted to see me. "Tessa, you're awake."

I froze.

Joe came out of the kitchen, his tone impatient. "You're finally up? Carol's been here for quite a while."

Carol shot him a playful glare. Then she picked up a velvet box from the coffee table, hurried over, and pushed it into my hands.

"Joe, don't say that. Tessa, don't mind him. He may act like he doesn't care, but he does. He picked this anniversary gift out especially for you yesterday and couldn't stop talking about it the whole way home."

The whole situation made my skin crawl, but I kept my thoughts to myself.

"Thank you. What is—"

Before I could finish, Carol opened the box.

Inside was a necklace with a pendant so tiny it was almost laughable. Worse, it was a promotional item customers could buy at a discount after spending a certain amount.

Joe took the box from her and explained in a flat voice, "Carol wanted a bag from the new collection, so I took her shopping. The bag cost enough to qualify for a discount on this necklace.

"I thought it looked like your style, so I paid a little extra and got it for you."

When I made no move to take it, he added, "You're a doctor. You can't wear anything too flashy, so I picked something simple."

Before I could respond, he picked up several designer shopping bags from the floor and tossed them at my feet.

"Those are the clothes Carol just changed out of. Wash them and put them away for her. We have a contemporary art event to get to, so we need to leave."

They walked out laughing and talking, never once looking back at me.

Chapter 3

I felt like nothing more than a maid, always at Joe and Carol's beck and call.

Looking at the mess they had left behind, I felt a dull ache in my chest. My throat tightened, and even breathing became difficult.

Just then, my phone buzzed. The hospital group chat had posted an announcement that applications were open for an international medical relief mission.

My pulse quickened as I read it. Maybe this was exactly the opportunity I needed to leave this place, get away from Joe, and finally move on.

I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and applied on my phone. Then I got ready and went to the hospital to turn in the required paperwork.

When I was finished there, I checked my messages. Our chat still showed my last message, which read, "Let me know when you're done. We need to talk."

Joe still hadn't replied.

I was about to call him when a notification from a short-form video app popped up.

It was a video Joe had filmed of Carol explaining the artistic significance of a painting to a group of people. She spoke confidently and with obvious enthusiasm.

His caption read, "Carol has a photographic memory. She's absolutely brilliant."

My knuckles whitened as I tightened my grip on the phone and called him. "I'm at the café outside the gallery. If you don't show up in 30 minutes, I'm coming inside to find you."

Joe snapped, "Tessa, what is this about? I already told you—"

I hung up before he could finish, leaving him to vent to a dead line.

I sat in the café, counting down the minutes.

Just before the half hour was up, I stood to go inside and find him myself. That was when Joe and Carol came strolling in.

Carol spoke first, sounding concerned. "Tessa, you sounded really upset on the phone, and I was worried something had happened, so I told Joe to hurry over. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Joe took one look at my face and got even more annoyed. "What's so urgent that you couldn't tell me over the phone? Did you really have to come here and make a scene?"

I glanced at Carol, who remained firmly at his side, then turned to leave. She hurried after me, slipped her arm through mine, and pulled me back into my seat.

"Don't be mad, Tessa. Joe only brought me along because he didn't want to leave me alone in the gallery. Since we're already here, why don't we have some coffee before we go?"

She smiled at me as if she had done nothing wrong.

In the past, I would have yanked my arm away. Now I was too numb to care, so I let her pull me back.

When I didn't make a fuss, Joe's expression softened slightly, and he sat down too.

Carol picked up the menu and slid it across the table to me. "You should try the toasted vanilla latte, Tessa. It's new. Joe and I tried it earlier, and it's really good."

Then she turned to Joe and gave his arm a playful tug. "Skip the Americano and get the two-drink combo with me, okay? It comes with matching teddy bear keychains, and I've wanted them for ages."

Joe's eyes flicked to me.

We had fought about Carol more times than I could count. No one knew better than he did how much I hated the idea of him having matching anything with another woman.

He knew exactly how I felt, yet he kept bringing Carol around.

Joe searched my face, trying to read my reaction. I blinked, and for a moment, my mind went blank. In the past, something like this would have started a huge fight between us. Now I simply didn't care.

"Sure. They're cute," I said calmly.

Joe seemed caught off guard, and his frown deepened. He hesitated for a few seconds, then told Carol they wouldn't be ordering the combo after all. He kept glancing at me, waiting for a reaction.

To his disappointment, I gave him none. I was tired of having the same fight about Carol.

I turned toward the window and said nothing.

Joe tried several times to talk to me, but all he got were a few distracted "mm-hmms" and "uh-huhs."

Carol, meanwhile, kept the conversation going, jumping from the art exhibition to concerts, designers, and collectors. She and Joe chatted away as if the tension between us didn't exist.

I sat beside them in silence, feeling like an outsider.

Three more coffees came and went, and every time I tried to leave, Carol stopped me.

Chapter 4

Carol said, "I thought you came here to talk to Joe. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Joe tapped the table impatiently. "Yeah, what did you want to say? Hurry up. Carol and I have a class reunion tonight."

I forced a smile. "We can talk about us when you actually have time. Can I go now?"

Joe opened his mouth to explain, then closed it again without a word.

A few seconds passed before he spoke again, his voice less certain this time. "Go home for now. I'll pick up your favorite mango cheesecake after the reunion, and then we can talk things through."

I waved him off and walked away, dodging his hand when he reached for me.

He called after me, "Tessa! A movie you'd like is coming out tomorrow. Let's go see it together!"

I nodded halfheartedly and didn't give it another thought.

As soon as I got home, I packed my bags. I left the signed divorce papers where Joe couldn't miss them, placed my house key on top, and walked out.

I had just gotten into my car when my phone rang.

It was Joe.

I raised an eyebrow. Wasn't he supposed to be at the reunion? So why was he calling me?

He sounded frantic when I answered.

"Tessa, I'm not coming home tonight. Carol's mother had a brain hemorrhage and needs surgery, so I have to fly overseas with Carol."

I scoffed at how predictable Joe was.

"What about the mango cheesecake you promised and the movie tomorrow? When are we going to talk about us?"

There was a lot of noise on his end, but I could still hear how annoyed he was.

"You're a doctor. Don't you understand how serious this is? Her life is at risk, and you're worried about food? We'll talk when I get back."

By the time he got back, I would be gone.

I tightened my grip on the phone and finally snapped, "Joe, does everything involving Carol always matter more than I do? Even her parents? She has family and friends.

"She has other people she can turn to. I only have you. Have you forgotten that?"

Joe was silent for a moment, and I thought I had finally reached him. His answer quickly proved me wrong.

"Tessa Gray, can you stop being so unreasonable? Carol and I grew up together. Of course I'm going to be there for her. Why can't you be more understanding? Stop acting like everything is her fault. She hasn't done anything wrong."

My voice trembled as I cut him off. "Enough! I don't want to hear another word. Come home, Joe. We need to settle this. After that, you can go wherever you want. I won't stop you."

He went on as if he hadn't heard my voice break. "I don't have time to fight with you, Tessa. We both need to calm down. We'll talk when I get back."

He hung up without another word.

I tried calling Joe again, but his phone was already off. I opened our chat and tried to message him, only to discover that he had blocked me.

I laughed as tears blurred my vision.

That was Joe. Once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. He had no problem cutting people out of his life when they got in his way, and I was no exception.

But I didn't care anymore. Whether we said goodbye or not, he would understand once he found the divorce papers.

I tossed my phone back into my bag and drove straight to the airport.

Before boarding, I sent him one final text. "Joe, I left the divorce papers on the coffee table. I've already signed them."

Several minutes passed without a response.

I smiled, snapped a picture of the sky outside the airplane window, and posted it online. "After eight years, I'm starting over."

For the next eight years, I would finally put myself first.

The plane took off and climbed through the clouds. I leaned back in my window seat and closed my eyes.

The moment we landed, my phone lit up with messages.