Chapter 2

I barely remembered how I got home.

The next thing I knew, I was opening the front door and finding Barney on his way out. The worry in his eyes eased as soon as he saw me.

"I was just about to go look for you," he said. "Where have you been?"

If I hadn't seen what happened with my own eyes the night before, I might have believed he was genuinely worried about me.

"Nowhere special. I had some things to take care of at the studio." I lowered my eyes, then asked casually, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"No nightmares." He nodded with a satisfied smile. "Thanks to Hailey, I slept like a baby."

Before I could respond, Hailey's sweet voice came from behind him.

"Barney, if the chowder is ready, I'll set it on the table."

"Don't burn yourself. I'll get it."

Barney quickly took the oven mitts from her hands, and Hailey stuck out her tongue playfully.

"But your seafood chowder smells so good, and I'm starving."

Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside as if we were old friends. "Don't just stand there, Alba. Come sit down and try Barney's cooking!"

She moved around with such ease, giving orders and making herself at home, that anyone would have thought she owned the place. The irony was that, in six years of marriage, Barney had never cooked a single meal for me.

"I already blew on the chowder to cool it down for you, so take your time," he murmured as he set a bowl in front of her.

"Thanks!" She smiled and picked up her spoon.

Barney ladled some chowder into another bowl and placed it in front of me. "Eat up."

I glanced at the steaming soup. "What, you're not going to blow on mine too?"

He paused, then frowned as though I'd made an unreasonable request.

"Hailey gets impatient," he said irritably. "I was worried the hot chowder might burn her throat and affect her voice. That would mess with my sleep. You have perfectly good hands and feet, so do I really need to baby you through a bowl of soup?"

I said nothing else and simply pushed the bowl away, only to notice a dark mark on Hailey's neck.

"What happened to your neck?" I asked despite my turning stomach.

Hailey blinked, then gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Oh, this? I came home late last night, so my boyfriend decided to punish me."

Her eyes flicked toward Barney, and a coy smile played on her lips. "That guy can be relentless once he gets started. He's nothing like Barney, who's always so calm and restrained. Honestly, Alba, I kind of envy you."

I caught Barney's Adam's apple bobbing before he interrupted her.

"That's enough. Let's eat."

He really was restrained.

For six years, he'd never touched me, always blaming his supposed sleepwalking condition. He wouldn't even share a bed with me. Whenever we came close to being intimate, he'd kiss me with a bitter smile.

"With my condition, it's not safe for us to have a baby," he'd say. "What if I hurt you or our child while sleepwalking? I'd never forgive myself."

I'd believed every word and even felt sorry for him, convinced he was sacrificing his own happiness for my sake. Now that I knew the truth, I could only laugh at how thoroughly he'd fooled me.

My phone buzzed on the table, breaking through my thoughts. It was my lawyer sending over the first draft of the divorce agreement.

I got to my feet and headed for the door.

"Alba, where are you going?" Barney called after me.

"I have something to take care of," I replied, stopping in my tracks.

"Aren't you going to finish your chowder?" he asked.

I gripped the hem of my shirt, suddenly unable to keep pretending that everything was normal. For once, I wanted him to remember something about me.

"I'm allergic to crab," I said, finally turning around.

The polite expression on Barney's face vanished. He stared at me for a moment before recognition dawned. "Oh... I forgot. I'm sorry."

He took a step toward me, perhaps intending to make amends, but Hailey gave a soft cough.

Barney turned to her at once. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her eyes glistened as she shook her head. "My throat just feels a little raw."

"Drink some water." He hurried to her side. "I'll make you some tea."

Just like that, I'd been forgotten again.

I opened the door and walked out without another word.

I spent the afternoon finalizing the divorce paperwork with my lawyer and sorting out the division of the assets under my name. By the time we finished, I was ready to leave everything behind.

Then my phone buzzed with a message from Hailey.

"Look, Alba! Barney is taking a nap on my lap. Isn't he such a good boy?"

In the video she sent over, Barney lay with his head resting comfortably on her lap as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.

He looked completely at ease, like a docile cat enjoying a lazy afternoon. This was the same man who supposedly became violent and uncontrollable whenever he slept near me.

I watched the video once, then closed it without replying.

I immediately booked a one-way flight scheduled to leave in three days. If Barney no longer needed me, there was no reason for me to stay.