My husband once begged me with tears in his eyes to save his first love.

CHAPTER 2

My fingers curled slowly against the phone while my chest felt tight again, and the picture on the screen blurred slightly as my eyes burned.

There was a time when William protected me.

There was a time when he stood in front of me like nothing in the world could touch me.

I remembered the first time his relatives mocked me at dinner while their voices were sharp and their smiles were cruel.

"She married above her station."

The table had gone quiet when William slowly set his glass down, and the soft sound of the glass against the table had made everyone look up.

"You should be careful how you speak to my wife."

His voice had been calm, but it was firm enough that no one said another word.

Later that night he wrapped his arms around me from behind while I stood in the kitchen, and his warmth surrounded me while his breath brushed lightly against my hair.

"You are my wife," he murmured softly.

"Don't let anyone make you feel small."

My chest tightened painfully remembering it, because that man felt like someone who existed in another life.

The William I married now had disappeared the moment Camille woke up.

My thumb hovered over the phone screen for a moment before I slowly tapped a contact.

The line rang twice before my friend answered.

"Lily?"

My throat tightened, but I forced the words out anyway.

"Can you help me prepare divorce papers?"

There was a long pause on the other side of the line, and the silence felt heavy.

Then her voice sharpened.

"What happened?"

I stared at the glowing screen in front of me while Camille’s smiling face sat beside William’s calm one.

"I think my marriage ended three months ago," I whispered, and my voice sounded distant even to myself.

But something inside me still hesitated.

Some small piece of hope that refused to die.

Maybe I was overthinking.

Maybe William was just helping her recover.

Maybe I was being unfair.

My friend exhaled slowly through the phone.

"I will start preparing them," she said quietly.

"But Lily."

I waited while my chest rose slowly.

"You deserve better than someone who forgets what you sacrificed."

My chest tightened again.

I ended the call a moment later, and I slowly placed the phone on the table while the silence in the house stretched endlessly around me.

The house was quiet.

Too quiet.

Then headlights suddenly swept across the living room window, and my breath caught when the light moved across the walls.

A car pulled into the driveway.

William.

My heart betrayed me immediately, and it started beating faster while hope rose quietly where it should not.

Maybe he came home early tonight.

Maybe he saw the post and realized how it looked.

Maybe he remembered that I was still here.

The front door opened, and cold air slipped quietly into the hallway.

Footsteps entered the house.

I sat up slowly on the sofa while my body felt weak but alert, and my fingers gripped the edge of the cushion while my heart beat heavily in my chest.

William stepped into the living room.

Tall.

Calm.

Untouched by the chaos he had left behind.

For a moment our eyes met, and the silence between us stretched long and heavy.

Then he stepped aside.

Someone walked into the room behind him and my breath stopped.

Camille stood beside him while she looked pale and delicate, beautiful in the fragile way people admired.

My stomach churned.

William’s hand rested lightly on her arm as he supported her, and the sight of it made my bones ache again.

He spoke casually, as if nothing in the world was wrong.

"Camille will stay here for a while."

The words took a moment to sink in.

"What?"

My voice came out thin and weak.

He looked at me like he was explaining something obvious.

"She is still recovering."

My fingers slowly tightened against the sofa while my chest felt heavy.

"This house is large Lily.

Then he said the words that made my chest feel like it cracked open.

"You will take care of her." He said looking so lovingly at her.