Chapter 1

The surgeon froze.

The scalpel hovered awkwardly in the air.

I stared at Evelyn Pritchard's retreating back until she disappeared from sight. Then, I swallowed the pain in my chest and said quietly, "Keep going."

Six years together. Three years married.

And somehow, none of it mattered more than a boy she had known for six months, Thomas Carter.

When they wheeled me out of surgery, Dad rushed over, his face tight with worry.

He asked about me first. Once he knew I was stable, the anger broke through.

"Evelyn always seemed so dependable. How could she walk out in the middle of your surgery because of one phone call? What could possibly matter more than staying with her husband through an operation?"

I let out a humorless laugh. "Dad, Evelyn's in love with someone else. I want a divorce."

The anger froze on his face.

He stood there for a long moment, his eyes reddening. In the end, he only reached out and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"Whatever you want to do, I'm with you."

The moment I heard that, I couldn't pretend to be strong anymore. I leaned into his arms and cried until I had nothing left.

When Evelyn was 18, she gave up applying to her dream college so she could stay with me.

She said she didn't want a long-distance relationship. Back then, she swore she didn't care about her future as long as she had me.

Now, her eyes had wandered to another man.

The day I realized Evelyn had fallen for someone else, I should have ended the marriage.

But I couldn't let go of what we had. I couldn't let go of the woman I had loved for nine years.

So when I found out about Thomas that day, I put everything on the table.

The night she stayed in the study, I stood out on the balcony and smoked until morning.

In the end, Evelyn chose me.

Right in front of me, she filed a request with the academy to transfer Thomas to another advisor.

Sleeping in separate rooms that night felt almost unreal.

Still, I knew something between Evelyn and me had cracked. Sooner or later, that crack would split us apart.

I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

The day after my tumor-removal surgery, I finally saw Evelyn again. She brought Thomas with her.

The boy looked as if he had been scared out of his mind. He stayed glued to Evelyn's side, his small hand clutching the hem of her shirt.

Evelyn left him outside the hospital room. Then she came in and stopped beside my bed, guilt and hope tangled in her eyes.

"Did the surgery go well? Did the doctor say there's a chance it'll come back?"

The scene felt painfully familiar.

That night, she had looked at me the same way and promised she would never have anything to do with Thomas again.

I ripped my hand out of hers and slapped Evelyn across the face with every bit of strength I had left.

"Get out!"

The movement tore at my incision, and pain shot through me.