chapter 6

Juniper said, "You know, if I were you, I'd be smart and get a divorce. What's the point of clinging to a man who doesn't love you?"

I met her challenge head-on with a faint smile. "Now that would be interesting—him finding out his 'pure-hearted goddess' is actually a scheming two-face."

Juniper's face tightened for a second before she laughed again, more mocking than before. "I was his first kiss. His first time, too. You've never seen him all nervous and clueless, have you? But I have. Every time I think about how everything he knows, he learned with me, I know for a fact you don't stand a chance against me."

I watched her, all that arrogance without a trace of the sickly weakness from before. It was almost funny.

Leander prided himself on being a devoted lover, yet he'd never even seen the true nature of the woman who once shared his bed.

My marriage was a joke.

Leander loved me, but his heart was torn, unable to let go of his first love. I loved Leander, believing we'd share a lifetime, only to be jolted awake on our wedding night by a harsh dose of reality.

Suddenly, all the overthinking just vanished.

I turned and walked out of the marital home.

I went back to my old apartment, the one I lived in before the marriage. Leander kept calling the whole time, but I didn't answer a single one.

After work, he realized I wasn't at the marital home and rushed straight over. The moment he came in, he pulled me into a hug. His soft hair brushed against my shoulder and neck, lingering against my skin with a deep, almost needy attachment, just like a golden retriever eager to please.

He said, "Don't be mad, baby.

"I had all the news taken down, and I had someone pick up Juniper. I promise I won't have anything to do with her ever again, and I won't let her bother you anymore, okay? Please?"

He kept testing the waters, trying to see if I was still mad at him.

But I didn't feel a thing inside. I just gave a faint smile and reached up to brush the messy hair from his forehead. "Okay."

Overjoyed, Leander held me tight and was about to kiss me when his phone rang again. That ringtone. Over and over, relentless. He was distracted, clearly only hesitating because I was there. So I made it easy for him. "Go ahead, answer it. It might be important."

"No, it's fine."

But I could hear the struggle in his voice.

Mr. Devoted here, with a wandering eye.

A cold laugh echoed inside me.

"Ms. Snow isn't fully recovered yet. What if her fever comes back..."

I didn't even need to finish. Leander shot me a 'you're so understanding' look and quickly answered the call.

The next second, a nurse's cold voice came through the phone. "Mr. Vance? Patient Juniper Snow has a wrist injury and is being resuscitated due to severe blood loss. She says you're her only emergency contact. Can you come to the hospital to settle the fees?"

Juniper had tried to kill herself.

Without a moment's hesitation, Leander let go of me and left.

For the third time, he abandoned me for Juniper without a second thought.

The front door stood wide open. I watched his retreating back, my heart perfectly still.

Go on. Go play the devoted lover.

From now on, your choices had nothing to do with me.

At 3 a.m., Juniper sent me a photo.

In it, an exhausted Leander was asleep with his head beside her hospital bed, their fingers interlaced. The very hand clutching hers still wore our wedding ring.