Chapter 2

Ryder had been home for half an hour before Mona finally replied to his message. "No need. You asked me to sign it, so I'm sure it's nothing that would hurt me."

It was clear she had no intention of reading the document. She was too busy picking up a drunk Kieran to spare it a glance, even though it was sitting right beside her.

The rain lasted all day and didn't stop until the following evening. Ryder spent the day at home, quietly deleting every post about his marriage from his social media accounts.

Once he'd finished, he came across a new post from Kieran. It was a collection of nine photos taken aboard a yacht. Each shot was carefully angled to show a woman's slender hand.

Ryder recognized Mona's hand immediately. He knew Kieran had done it deliberately, too. But he no longer cared about such things.

He set his phone aside and went into the kitchen to make himself a salad. He'd just finished preparing dinner when Mona unexpectedly came home.

Ryder stopped short when he saw the cake in her hand. "I thought you didn't like sweets. What made you buy a cake?"

Mona came over and frowned at the simple meal he'd prepared. "It's your birthday. Did you forget? Why are you just having a salad for dinner?"

Ryder stared at her in surprise.

His parents had divorced when he was four, leaving him with his grandmother. She passed away when he was around fifteen. With no one left to look after him, he'd stopped celebrating his birthdays.

But Mona had remembered his birthday every year since they got married. No matter how busy she was, she always came home to celebrate with him.

Whenever he returned from a trip, she would make a point of picking him up at the airport because she worried about his safety.

And whenever there was a thunderstorm, she would remember how scared he was and hold him close until he felt better.

For a long time, Ryder had believed those little gestures meant she loved him. That changed on their wedding anniversary a month ago.

Mona had canceled their reservation for a candlelit dinner, claiming she had to work late. Disappointed, Ryder had gone to a bar after Harry called and asked him to bring over a jacket.

There, he'd unexpectedly run into Kieran. Kieran was completely drunk, clinging to Mona, who was supposed to be working late, and refusing to let go.

Mona scowled and tried to pull his arms away. "Kieran! What is wrong with you? Let go! What do you think I am? Something you can throw away whenever you want and come crawling back whenever you feel like it?"

Kieran paid no attention to her words. Every time she pushed him away, he simply wrapped his arms around her waist again. He did it over and over, refusing to give up.

Eventually, Mona stopped resisting. She stood still, gazing down at him with a tenderness she could barely contain. When she spoke, her voice was full of resignation. "Kieran, what am I going to do with you?"

The bag slipped from Ryder's hand and hit the floor. A flood of memories came rushing back.

Mona held Kieran's hand tightly as they pushed through a crowd. The way she'd tilted her umbrella toward him in the pouring rain. The sight of her kneeling in her graduation gown to propose to him.

Every one of those moments showed just how deeply Mona loved Kieran.

Ryder had seen it all with his own eyes. He couldn't deny the truth, no matter how much he wanted to.

They'd been married for three years. He was her husband, and she'd shown him affection and care. But none of that changed anything.

The kindness Mona had shown Ryder was merely a taste of the love she'd reserved for Kieran, something he'd been allowed to enjoy only because Kieran wasn't around.

Ryder had taken those small moments of affection and convinced himself he'd won her heart. In reality, he'd never truly had her, not even for a moment.

And so, when he looked at the number 24 on the birthday cake, he felt nothing. He simply gave her a polite nod and thanked her.

Mona lit the candles and smiled. "Ryder, we're married. You don't have to be so formal with me. Come on, make a wish."

He nodded and was about to stand when Mona's phone rang. He noticed the slight change in her expression and guessed who was calling. Without a word, he sat back down.

As expected, Mona hung up a minute later and left. Ryder listened to her car pull away, a bitter smile crossing his face.

The room was dark, with only the flickering birthday candles casting his solitary shadow on the wall.

He clasped his hands together and made his wish for his 24th birthday. "From now on, Ryder Kane will never love Mona Brent again."