Chapter 1

My wife's the captain of an ocean freighter, spending ten months of every year at sea. I've always trusted her completely, though I have one quiet habit nobody notices.

Every time her ship docks for resupply, I invite the first mate's husband out for a couple of drinks. The first mate is the silent type, but her husband talks too much and can't hold his liquor.

We chat about everyday life, what goes on aboard, and by the third round, he leans in close and says, "Your wife's so romantic. Last month when the ship docked in Beauhaven, she found a local craftsman to custom-make a full set of wave-patterned men's accessories.

"A watch, cufflinks, tie clip, the works. She even had them sent back on the supply ship. I'm honestly jealous."

I say quietly, "Really? I never got anything like that."

I don't push it, and he's smart enough to change the subject.

That night at home, I open the voyage ledger. On the Beauhaven supply manifest, the delivery address listed next to the accessories isn't mine.

The storms at sea never end. It's time for me to get off this ship.

Chapter 1

The delivery address read "Tidewater Apartments, Building 17, Unit 1203."

Below that, there was a note. "Must be signed for in person. Do not release to family members."

I stared at that last line for a long time.

"Do not release to family members."

Emery Harlow and I had been married for six years. Every time she left for sea, she'd leave her keys in the second drawer by the front door.

"Corbin, the house is yours while I'm gone," she'd say.

I looked after her parents, handled her annual inspection paperwork, and sent group updates to the crew members' families on her behalf. I'd always assumed I was family. But on her shipping manifest, family had meant the person who wasn't allowed to touch that set of accessories.

My phone buzzed on the table with a message from Emery.

"Just passed through the strait. Signal's spotty."

I typed back one word.

"OK."

She probably wasn't expecting something that short, because two minutes later, another message came through.

"How come you didn't ask if I've eaten?"

I closed the voyage ledger.

"Have you eaten?"

Her reply came fast.

"Yes."

I looked at the screen and let out a small laugh. For someone with a spotty signal, that reply came through just fine.

The next morning, I went to Tidewater Apartments. It was the most expensive oceanview complex in Seavale, only a ten-minute drive from the docks. The security guard asked who I was there to see, and I showed him the supply manifest on my phone.

"Building 17, Unit 1203. Package verification."

The guard glanced at the note, and his attitude shifted immediately. "One moment, please. Mr. Ford in 1203 happens to be home."

Mr. Ford. I filed that name away.

Emery's video call came through while the elevator was still going up, and I didn't answer. She called three more times before the fourth attempt came as a text.

"Where are you?"

"Grocery shopping," I replied.

She wrote back, "Don't go running around. I'm not home, and there's a lot you can't handle on your own."

The elevator doors opened, and so did the door to Unit 1203. The man standing there wore a silk lounging set, and on his wrist was the wave-patterned watch. He saw me and ran his fingers along the strap.

"And you are?"

"Corbin Wilder," I said.

The smile on his face froze for a beat before he recovered. "Ah, Mr. Wilder."

The way he said it carried no guilt and no courtesy.

Noah Ford invited me inside. The living room had a few open delivery boxes scattered around, and artisan wrapping paper from Beauhaven was still sitting on the coffee table. I saw the cufflinks, the tie clip, and a small card in Emery's handwriting.

"Waves belong on someone who understands the sea."

The year we got married, Emery gave me a nautical watch. The strap was stiff, and it chafed after wearing it too long.

"A captain's husband should own something from the ship," she'd said.

I wore it for six years. Then she went and gave someone else the ocean waves, telling him he was the one who understood the sea.

Noah poured me a glass of water. "Are you here to pick something up, Mr. Wilder?"

I didn't touch the glass. "Emery bought something for me, and it got shipped here."

He laughed. "Mr. Wilder, that's a question for her. The delivery address tells you who something belongs to, doesn't it?"

"It does," I said.

I took out my phone and aimed it at the card on the coffee table, but Noah reached out to block it.

"That's not a good look."

I looked up at him. "And accepting expensive accessories from a married woman is?"

His expression went cold. "Emmy told you, didn't she? She and I go back further than you do."

I nodded. "So, you've been waiting in line for six years. That's dedication."

Chapter 2

Noah hadn't expected me to say that. He unclasped the watch and set it on the coffee table, taking his time with the motion.

"If you want to take it, go ahead."

I didn't move.

"But what good does taking it do?" he added. "When she's out at sea, I'm still the one she wants to see."

The words didn't sting. It was nothing more than a performance he was putting on for himself.

I stood up. "Keep everything here for now. Don't lose any of it."

Noah frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Someone might need to look into it later," I said.

I was at the door when my phone rang again. It was Emery.

I picked up, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Corbin, what were you doing at Tidewater?"

I glanced back at Noah. His head was down, fingers already tapping away on another phone. He was fast.

"How'd you know?" I asked her.

She paused for two seconds. "Noah said some stranger showed up at his door looking for trouble. I knew it had to be you."

"He's not a stranger," I said. "If you're sending him accessories, I should at least know who he is."

The line went quiet for a moment before she came back, her voice tight with controlled anger. "It was a client gift. Don't start making things up."

"A client?"

"He handles port promotions for the shipping group. He's a business partner."

I laughed out loud. "A business partner who lives at the apartment you flagged as no family access?"

Emery's voice turned cold. "Corbin, don't make me deal with your emotions while I'm on the ship."

I hung up.

That evening, her father, Gerald Harlow, showed up. He came in such a rush that he didn't even take off his shoes at the door.

"You went to see Noah Ford?"

I was in the kitchen making stew. "Emery told you?"

He tossed his bag onto the couch. "She's frantic, and you're asking who told me? Corbin, when did you become this difficult?"

"My wife is sending expensive accessories to another man, and I'm the difficult one?"

Gerald's face hardened. "Emmy is a captain. She has to entertain clients and maintain relationships.

"A woman in her position can't avoid certain social obligations. You're home all day, so you don't understand how things work out there."

I took out a copy of the supply manifest and set it on the dining table. "Social obligations go this far?"

He barely glanced at it. "It's just a set of accessories. Are you really that hard up? If you want some, tell Emmy when she gets back and she'll buy you a set."

"What I want is for her to stop lying to me," I said.

He slammed his hand on the table. "Lying about what? Doesn't every dollar she earns come straight home? The roof over your head, isn't that from her years at sea?"

I looked at him. The down payment on this house had come from the money my mother left me. I was the one who oversaw every detail of the renovation.

Emery spent so much of the year on the water that she couldn't even remember what color the bedroom curtains were.

When I didn't respond, he took it as surrender. "Tomorrow, go apologize to Noah. Let this end here. Don't jeopardize Emmy's promotion to fleet captain."

I ladled the stew into a bowl. "I'm not apologizing."

Gerald's hands were shaking. "You really think you're somebody, don't you? Being a captain's husband has its perks. Without her, what are you?"

I set the bowl down. "Someone who's found himself again."

Chapter 3

Emery's ship docked five days later, and I didn't go to the harbor to meet her.

In the past, I'd start preparing three days before she came ashore. I'd put fresh sheets on the bed, pack the fridge with her favorite foods, and stash hangover pills in the car.

This time, I stayed home and went through the ledger. I was scanning the Beauhaven port page into the computer when the front door unlocked.

Emery walked in, dragging her suitcase behind her, still in uniform. The first thing she saw was the ledger open on the table, and her expression cooled immediately.

"Corbin Wilder, are you investigating me?"

"Are you afraid of me investigating?"

She tossed her cap onto the couch. "I just got off the ship, and you're already picking a fight?"

"I'm not picking a fight."

She walked over and pulled the ledger away from me. "Where did you get this?"

"The family copy of the voyage ledger. It's always been kept here."

She glared at me, visibly annoyed. "Don't touch anything from the ship again."

I laughed. "Funny, you didn't seem to worry about touching ship property when you used the supply channels to send Noah Ford a custom accessory set."

That shut her up. A few minutes later, she tried a different angle.

"That set of accessories isn't what you think."

"Then what is it?"

"Noah helped me out in the past. He's had a rough few years, and I just wanted to give him a gift."

"You gave him accessories," I said. "What did you give me?"

Irritation flashed across her face. "Do you really have to compare yourself to him?"

I didn't say anything. She dug through her luggage, pulled out a small bag, and set it on the table.

"I brought you something."

Inside the bag was a refrigerator magnet from a harbor gift shop with the price sticker still on the back. It cost her two dollars.

I put the magnet back in the bag, and Emery's expression darkened further.

"You're not happy with that either?"

"Do you honestly think I should be?"

She rubbed her temples. "Corbin, I'm exhausted from being out at sea. Noah understands shipping, and he understands the pressure I'm under. What's the point of you obsessing over every little detail?"

In her eyes, a full custom set of ocean-wave accessories was just a trivial thing, and six years of marriage apparently wasn't worth much more.

I took out my phone and pulled up the registration records for Tidewater Apartments, holding the screen up for her to see. "You said he's a client. Since when does a client live in an apartment registered under your name with a temporary access pass?"

"Who told you that?"

"The security guard."

She snatched my phone out of my hand and scrolled through the photos, then stopped when she realized I'd already backed everything up.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I want a divorce," I said.

She froze, and then a second later, she laughed. "Corbin, don't try to scare me with divorce. What would you even live on without me?

"You've been out of the workforce for years, with no employable skills whatsoever. Without me, you're nothing."

I looked at her. "You never bothered to ask what I'm holding onto."

She tossed the phone back on the table. "You've been cooped up in this house too long. You haven't seen enough of the world, and you think too simply."

That night, she moved herself into the guest room. At 1:00 am, I could hear her muffled voice through the wall. The door hadn't been shut all the way, and she was keeping her voice low.

"Don't worry, he can't stir up anything serious. He'll throw a fit for a few days and get over it.

"Keep the accessories. Don't send them back. I bought them for you.

"My dad will handle him. He wouldn't dare actually go through with a divorce."

I stood in the hallway without making a sound. So, in her eyes, all of my hurt and all of my grievance was just a passing tantrum she expected to blow over in a few days.

Chapter 4

The next day, the shipping group threw a small docking banquet for Emery. Gerald called first thing in the morning and ordered me to attend.

"If you don't show up, how does that look for Emmy?"

"Is she bringing Noah?" I asked.

Gerald lost his patience. "Noah is a business partner; of course he'll be there. Stop being so petty."

So, I went. I wore a black suit and left my wedding ring at home.

The dinner was held at the hotel by the docks. When I walked into the private dining room, Noah was sitting to Emery's left in a white suit with the wave-patterned watch on his wrist.

The cufflinks and tie clip were there too, the full set on display.

Gerald spotted me and waved me over immediately. "Corbin, come on. Sit over there by the door so the servers can get through."

Emery didn't object.

Noah looked up and gave me a faint smile. "Mr. Wilder, don't get the wrong idea. The accessories are just for a photo today. Emmy asked me to hold onto them for now."

A few people at the table chimed in.

"Captain Harlow has great taste. That wave design really suits Mr. Ford."

"She's a captain. Only someone who understands the sea can understand her."

"Don't be jealous, Mr. Wilder. Mr. Ford's practically family."

Emery raised her glass. "Alright, that's enough."

She told them to stop, but the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth said otherwise.

I sat by the door while a server placed the cold appetizers in front of me. My stomach couldn't handle cold seafood, and Emery used to know that, but right now she was busy serving warm dishes onto Noah's plate.

Noah walked over to me with his glass raised. "Mr. Wilder, a toast. Emmy always talks about how hard you work, taking care of her parents at home. I genuinely admire that."

I looked at the watch on his wrist. "What else does she say?"

A glint of amusement crossed Noah's eyes. "She always says you handle everything at home perfectly, but you've never been able to read the ocean in her heart."

The room went quiet for a second before someone jumped in to smooth things over with a laugh.

"That's how it goes for crew families. They don't get to see each other much. It takes understanding on both sides."

Gerald leaned over and muttered under his breath. "Just drink it. Don't embarrass yourself."

Emery looked at me. "Corbin, whatever this is, we can talk about it in private. Don't make a scene."

I picked up my glass but didn't drink from it. Instead, I poured the contents into the potted plant beside me.

Noah's expression shifted. Gerald shot to his feet. "Corbin Wilder!"

Emery stood up too, reaching out to pull me back. But just then, the first mate's husband, Wesley Pryce, pushed through the door from outside. His face was flushed from drinking, and he had a folded piece of paper clenched in his hand.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," he said.

He shoved the paper into my hand, his voice too loud to contain. "The supply shipment from Beauhaven wasn't just accessories. There's also a signed receipt authorization, and your name is on it. But I'm pretty sure you never signed anything."

The color drained from Emery's face, and she lunged for the paper. I stepped back and unfolded it.

At the bottom of the signature line, written clear as day, was my name, Corbin Wilder.

But it wasn't my handwriting.