Chapter 1 The 2,600 Hours She Hid

I tightened my grip on the phone, but kept my expression perfectly calm. I immediately closed the glaring pop-up running in the background and opened her sample music library instead.

"I would never. It's for my cousin. Lisa wanted to hear some of the new songs your company plans to release next year. She said she wanted to admire the work of the big boss herself, so I was looking for them. The interface has changed, and I can barely figure out how to use it anymore."

Just like how she had changed into a completely different person, and I had not even noticed.

Something in my throat burned more bitterly with every word.

The tension in Regina's eyes vanished instantly.

"You should've said so." She took the phone from me and handed it generously to my cousin. "Go ahead and listen. I happen to have a batch of AI-composed demos here. You young people should like them."

My cousin took the phone as though she had just struck gold, then looped her arm around Regina's and wheedled, "Regina, AI music composition is such a hot field right now! I heard it makes a ton of money. I've been out of school for half a year and still haven't found a job. Is there any way you could help me get my foot in the door?"

"Exactly! You're a big boss now, Regina. You've got to look after us when you can!"

"You're all too kind. Whatever I've accomplished today, I owe the most to Chase." She pulled out a chair and sat beside my cousin. Through the layers of people gathered around us, her gaze found mine, warm and deeply affectionate. If this had been half an hour earlier, that look would have moved me. It would have made me feel safe and secure.

Regina and I had met in middle school.

After graduation, we had secretly started dating and ended up attending the same high school. Our small county did not have many schools to begin with, and there were even fewer options for liberal arts students, so we wound up in the same class.

Back when we were young and foolish, we would lie facedown on our desks during breaks and pretend to sleep, each of us sneaking one earbud through our sleeves and covering an ear with it. The moment "A Thousand Years" began playing through that tiny MP3 player, sunlight fell across Regina's face. I quietly lifted my head from the crook of my arm and watched her pretending to sleep.

For some reason, in that instant, all I wanted was to protect her from every storm for the rest of my life.

But when did something go wrong between us? When had things gone so wrong that more than two thousand hours had been stolen from our marriage, and I had not noticed a thing?

"I'll put some music on for you guys. Everyone can listen together." Forcing down the chill spreading through my heart, I took the phone from Regina and connected it to the Bluetooth speaker.

Energetic electronic music immediately filled the room. Our relatives clapped and cheered, while Regina sat surrounded by everyone. The stubborn girl nobody had believed in back then was now seated at the head of the table, speaking confidently about the future of the industry.

And with the phone still in my hand, I swiped again.

The comic-book hero's username was "AlexDGreat." Her following list showed that they had been following each other for an entire year.

So it was not just more than two thousand hours stolen from me—it was 365 days.

Two years ago around this exact time, Regina had been holding me and laughing excitedly, tears glimmering in her eyes from sheer exhilaration as she said, "Chase, I found our opportunity. We're going to have money. We finally won't have to let people look down on us anymore. Finally, I'll be able to give you a good life. You won't have to ride your bike through the rain anymore just to deliver food for a few extra dollars."

She was in her early thirties then, so excited her hands trembled. I had laughed and teased her for still acting like a kid.

Now, I clenched my fists and opened their shared playlist.

Buried beneath the tracks she needed for her company and the songs currently topping the charts were a huge number of tracks that felt completely out of place: Lord Huron's "The Night We Met," Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me," and several cheesy, high-energy anthems from the teen movies and TV shows.

None of them matched Regina's tastes anymore.

These days, she listened exclusively to symphonies and talked about classical music. She had transformed herself into a successful businesswoman, surrounded by people eager to bask in her success.

My eyes stopped on the bio of AlexDGreat's profile: 'AI composer working hard to make money and chase my dreams!'

I stared at the name, and then I remembered.

A year ago, Regina's company had signed a group of newcomers. She had casually mentioned one of them when she came home, saying that a young man named Alex Reed was particularly talented.