Chapter 5

The day Austin closed the deal, Lena was thrilled. She rented a billboard in the next town over and plastered it with photos of the two of them.

They kissed and held each other in front of everyone, then disappeared together until the middle of the night.

I sat in the dead-silent house, staring at the bed, one I'd built with my own hands so she'd sleep more comfortably. It was the same bed where we'd once been happy, now soaked in whatever the two of them left behind.

Lena didn't come home until well past midnight. The faint smell of sandalwood still clung to her skin. She kneeled on the floor, wrapped her arms around me, and nuzzled her face into my chest with soft little whimpers.

I frowned before I could stop myself.

"Austin likes this scent," she offered, like that was supposed to help.

I couldn't hear a word. I just lay on the floor like something that had already given up. She poked my shoulder gently.

"Jude, don't you get it? What you need to do is keep me happy. Austin's just something I keep on the side. You're the one I come home to."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I shoved her off and forced my voice out. "So you give him the title, and I get stuck with the homewrecker label? I'm the one who ruined things between you two? I'm the villain?"

Lena's brow furrowed. "It's just a reputation. What does it matter? Austin's young and thin-skinned. You taking the blame isn't going to kill you."

I laughed. He was thin-skinned, so I was the one who deserved all of it? Everything bad should fall on me?

I was so tired of it all.

Lena let out a sigh, her hand hovering in the air for a moment before she pulled it back. "I heated some milk for you. It's on the table. Make sure you drink it.

"Get some sleep. Goodnight."

She even kissed my forehead on her way out. But all I felt was completely drained.

The next night, it was raining when Lena burst through the door in a panic and started kissing me like her life depended on it.

I thought she'd changed her mind. My heart stirred for the first time in what felt like forever. I softened and kissed her back, pulling her exhausted body into my arms.

She bit my lip gently. "Jude, Austin hit someone with his car today. You're the best person to take the fall for him."

"What?" I could hear my own voice shaking.

"He missed me so much he wasn't paying attention to the road. He's been so shaken up since last night he can barely talk.

"He's been with me all these years. He can't live without me, and he can't handle that kind of suffering. Just go in for him, it's just a few years.

"I'll pull some strings and get the sentence shortened. I'll come pick you up when it's over, and everything will be exactly the way it is now, okay?"

A wave of rage choked me. I threw her off, shouting, "Lena, do you even hear yourself? My entire life would be ruined!"

"Those rumors already ruined most of it. One more thing isn't going to make a difference."

She raised an eyebrow and even found the time to text Austin back. I threw the window open and pointed outside, shaking with rage.

"Lena, if you make me do this, I'll jump. Right now. You can have me alive or you can have me dead. Pick one."

She glanced out the window, unbothered. "It's the second floor. You'd survive.

"But I'd think hard about what this would do to Nana. An adopted grandson who's a homewrecker and a killer on top of it. Ask yourself if she could take that.

"If you agree, I promise she'll never find out. I'll take care of her. She'll want for nothing."

In that moment, I stopped fighting.

I thought I'd die in there. I was lucky enough that I didn't.

But Nana found out anyway, and it killed her. I never got to see her before she went, and she died believing she'd raised a terrible grandson.

…

When I snapped back to the present at some point, I realized my eyes were burning. Lena was already on her toes, pressing her lips softly to my eyelids.

"Jude, I told you. The moment you got out, you'd still be my husband. Everything would go back to the way it was."

I smiled, easy and light, and wrapped my hand around her waist.

"Sure."