Chapter 2

I knew I didn't have a cent on me.

But going back to make a scene with her again? I couldn't do it anymore.

The car pulled up to the entrance of the neighborhood, and the sky erupted in a massive burst of fireworks, lighting up half the night.

I froze. The cab driver explained with a grin.

"I heard it's for Ms. Martin's husband. He's back from abroad, so she threw this whole fireworks show just for him."

"Ms. Martin's husband?"

I turned to look at the driver. He nodded.

"Yeah, apparently he just got back today. There was some kind of misunderstanding between Ms. Martin and another man, so she's spending a fortune to prove her loyalty. I heard this fireworks show alone runs ten thousand dollars. And she bought out the whole thing! Unbelievable."

So I was the other man...

I lowered my eyes and gave a silent little laugh. The driver kept rambling to himself.

"Guess it's not so bad when rich people waste their money. At least us regular folks get to watch the fireworks too."

I looked out the window.

"Yeah."

A love this grand made it hard to tell who Ally's real husband even was.

No wonder picking me up wasn't worth mentioning next to winning a smile from him.

"Sir? Sir?"

The driver's voice pulled me back. He gave me an apologetic smile.

"You still haven't paid."

"Oh."

I slid off my wedding ring and set it on the dashboard.

"Keep the change."

"Wait, sir! This is way too much! Sir!"

He kept calling after me. I walked into the neighborhood without looking back.

Just as I was about to step into the pitch-dark mansion, a huge burst of light bloomed behind me.

I turned around. An even more dazzling shower of sparks gathered into a giant rose, blooming across the sky. A formation of drones spelled out a message overhead:

[Love like it's young again, no matter the cost]

I figured her childhood friend, wherever he was, must be thrilled.

The blazing fireworks lit up half the city and left me standing in the one patch of shadow they missed.

I took a few steps forward, into the light the fireworks could actually reach.

This was the warmth my wife had built for another man.

I borrowed a little of that leftover glow, laced my fingers together, and said to the fireworks filling the sky, "Happy New Year, Robby Greene."

Back in the empty, silent mansion, I curled up on the couch and called my friend Clayton Jones. He picked up right away.

"Short on cash again? How much do you need?"

Something in my chest ached.

Every time Ally turned down one of my important expense requests, Clayton was the one who covered it for me.

I shook my head.

"No. I wanted to ask, is the company still hiring?"

There were a full five seconds of silence on the other end.

Then Clayton asked disbelievingly, "Are you finally coming back? Have you come to your senses?"

"Yeah."

Clayton and I had started the company together right after graduation. Business was taking off when I met Ally, who'd come to negotiate a partnership with us. She was also the woman I'd secretly liked since college.

Those days were good ones. Ally had a weak stomach, and mine was the only cooking she'd eat more than a few bites of. She barely slept, and the only place she'd fall into a deep sleep was in my arms.

For her, I agreed to give up my job.

Clayton warned me more than once that a man shouldn't walk away from his own career, especially not when the company was in the middle of taking off. He painted the picture for me, over and over, of the company's future, of me worth over a hundred million someday.

But back then, I just smiled.

"If it's for her, I'd give up everything."

I handed all my shares over to Clayton and threw myself completely into taking care of Ally.

And every time, I still ended up abandoned, left with no one to turn to.