Chapter 1

When I was undergoing my partial gastrectomy, my wife, Chloe, who had promised to stay by my side the entire time, was nowhere to be found.

My surgeon, Dr. Evans, looked behind me in surprise. "Didn't Dr. Miller come to support you?"

I called Chloe. Instead of her voice, I heard her ex-boyfriend, Julian, in the background: "Chloe, babe, can you grab me some boxers?"

Chloe spoke into the phone in a rushed whisper. "Julian hurt his leg. I’m his doctor, and I can't just leave him like this.

"Yours is just a minor surgery anyway. There's no risk. Just find someone else to sign the consent form."

Chloe was a doctor, but she was also my wife. Yet, she gave the care and warmth that belonged to me to her ex-boyfriend instead.

As long as Julian was around, her eyes would always follow him.

Right up until the day I was discharged, Chloe never showed up.

I finally decided to let her go. I signed the divorce papers.

I lay in the hospital bed, comforting my worried cousin, Mason. "I'm fine now. Go on, don't miss your study group."

Mason, wearing his high school varsity hoodie, glanced anxiously toward the door and tried to sound cheerful. "Where’s Chloe? Don’t tell me she's still stuck in the operating room?"

Just then, my phone buzzed with a FaceTime call. It was the custom ringtone I had set specifically for Chloe: Wifey calling! Answer quickly!

Mason smirked and rolled his eyes. "Ugh, more PDA. I won't third-wheel you guys. I need to get to the library anyway."

I offered a weak smile, my heart filled with bitter irony.

When I answered, Chloe appeared on the screen. She was wearing exquisite makeup, her dark curly hair falling perfectly over a gorgeous dress that accentuated her curves.

I stared at her, dazed.

In our two years of marriage, she had only ever worn oversized t-shirts and jeans. Whenever I tried to buy her nice clothes, she would say:

"I'm exhausted from hospital shifts. I don't have the energy to play dress-up."

Turns out, she just didn't want to dress up for me.

Seeing my stunned expression, Chloe flipped her curls with practiced grace.

She lifted her chin proudly. "What, mesmerized? See, I told you the surgery would go perfectly. It’s just a minor procedure, nothing to worry about."

She was incredibly confident in her medical expertise, so much so that she didn't even bother to ask how I was actually feeling.

"Julian is different from you. He's a total workaholic with a million health issues.”

“ Now that he hurt his leg, he can barely move. If I'm not here to watch him, he'll just crawl back to his desk. How is his wound supposed to heal like that?"

Watching her get completely swept up in her worry for Julian, a wave of bitter pain washed over me. I interrupted her.

"So you threw your own husband aside just to keep another man company?"

Chloe froze, instantly defensive. "Why are you acting so jealous? We're just good friends! He's a patient, and as his doctor and friend, of course I should look after him!"

I let out a cold laugh. "A friend who gets all dressed up, goes to his apartment, and fetches his underwear for him?"

Caught in her lie, Chloe stood up abruptly.

"Ethan, can you grow up and be a little secure? I already told you he has mobility issues, so I came to help. Besides, if there were actually something going on between us, do you really think you'd even be in the picture?"

Looking at her frantic excuses, I scoffed. "Is he completely paralyzed, or did he lose all his limbs? Why does he need a doctor to provide round-the-clock, hands-on care?"

Suddenly, Julian's voice chimed in from the screen. "Ethan, please don't misunderstand. Chloe and I are completely innoc—"

Before he could finish, Chloe gasped, and the phone slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor.

Through the camera's angle on the floor, I saw Chloe catch a falling Julian with open arms.

They tangled together, embracing tightly. Whether it was on purpose or not, Julian planted a loud, wet kiss right on Chloe's cheek.

The sound of that kiss made my head spin with nausea.

Julian looked down at the phone and flashed a victorious smirk at me. He even kicked the phone slightly to adjust the camera angle so I could see them clearly.

Chloe's face was flushed a deep red.

She held Julian tightly, their eyes locked in a gaze of pure affection. They had completely forgotten I was even on the line.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. "I told you to be careful. What if your wound reopens?"

I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached, holding back the urge to rip out my IVs, drive to Julian's apartment, and beat them both to a pulp.