Chapter 3

I let out a sudden laugh. I laughed until tears splashed onto the pages.

So what if I was the "perfect match" for him?

Compared to the tragic, all-consuming love story between the two of them, every sweet memory Isaiah and I had shared felt as bland as plain water.

I met Isaiah when I was twenty-seven at a charity gala. We hit it off immediately, talking for hours as if we'd known each other forever.

I thought he was the soulmate fate had chosen for me, but maybe the reason we connected so effortlessly was that I was so much like Maren.

I'd always cherished the natural chemistry and unspoken understanding Maren and I shared as best friends.

Now, looking back, every one of those similarities had become a thorn lodged deep in my heart.

The woman he could never forget had carved herself into his soul. I had only ever been her replacement.

A thought suddenly struck me.

My fingers hurriedly flipped through the journal until I found the answer I'd been desperate to know.

When had their affair started again?

A year ago, the night before Isaiah and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary, he got drunk at a business dinner and, out of sheer habit, called the number he knew by heart—Maren.

She picked him up that night, and they ended up at a hotel. Neither of them came out until morning.

After that, the same "mistake" kept happening over and over again.

As I replayed every suspicious detail from the past year, I wanted nothing more than to slap myself across the face.

"Maybe some people are just destined to stay tangled together."

"Renee, I don't need your validation. I just don't want you to be angry with me."

Maren's words echoed through my mind once again.

I wasn't angry. I was disgusted.

If they were destined to belong together, then what was I? Just the obstacle standing in the way of their destiny?

I locked myself in my room for an entire day.

The following day, I returned to the place where I'd lived for the past three years, where I'd believed was home.

The moment I opened the front door, I saw a warm floor lamp glowing softly in the living room.

Isaiah was sitting on the couch in gray loungewear, flipping through a stack of documents. The instant he heard the door, he set everything aside and walked over.

As naturally as breathing, he took my bag from my hand and pulled me into his arms.

"You're finally home, sweetheart. Everything okay with your mom?" His voice was low and gentle, carrying just the right hint of concern.

He smelled faintly of body wash. It used to be the scent that made me feel safest. Now it made my stomach churn.

"Yeah. Everything's taken care of." I dug my fingernails into my thigh, forcing myself not to shove him away as I let him hold me. "I stayed a few extra days with my parents. Sorry for making you worry."

His eyes flickered for just a second, almost as if he'd finally relaxed.

He reached up and brushed my cheek with his thumb. "You still look a little pale. I'll have Maria make you some chicken broth tomorrow."

He paused before smiling. "Oh, and Maren's been asking about you too. She said you've been out of the office, and she hasn't had anyone to chat with."

Hearing her name roll off his tongue so naturally made my heart seize as though someone had driven a needle straight through it.

The two of them really were perfect actors. One played the devoted lover in bed. The other played the devoted best friend outside of it.

I swallowed the icy hatred rising inside me and smiled as if nothing was wrong. "I've missed Maren too."

I looked into his eyes. "Isaiah, next month is our third wedding anniversary. I want to throw a big party. Everyone's been so busy these past few years. I'd love to invite all our friends and celebrate properly. What do you think?"

"Of course." Smiling, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "As long as it makes you happy, do whatever you want. I'll have my assistant book the venue."