Chapter 2

Laurel had been Blake's first one-month girlfriend—the one who'd lasted only twenty-seven days.

She'd innocently stumbled into our breakup game, and when she learned the truth, she'd understandably resented us for it.

Blake had brought her into our social circle to make it up to her.

After years around this crowd, the unassuming small-town girl she'd once been had grown into a poised, striking woman.

I picked up my water and raised my glass to her. "Nothing in particular."

Brooks Palmer walked past singing a breakup song, shooting me a teasing look. "Tessa probably wished Blake wouldn't get snatched up by some hot girl this month and would come running back into her arms. Right, Tessa?"

Laurel chased him off, then turned back to me. "If he's dating, you should put yourself out there too. Why put yourself through this? You're the leading lady of your own life. We're not doing tragic romance."

My eyes crinkled into a smile as I leaned close and whispered in her ear, "Bet on us not getting back together. It's a sure thing."

Laurel's eyes flew wide.

Before she could ask me anything, another burst of cheering erupted across the room. Brooks grabbed her arm and dragged her over to see what was happening.

"Wooo!"

A spotlight landed on Blake, who was waltzing with a woman whose slender, fair waist showed between her clothes.

Elegant, focused, intimate.

"It's only been five minutes, and Blake's already picked someone. Tessa might actually be in trouble this time. Maybe I should switch my bet."

"Wait. Doesn't she look familiar?"

She did.

It was Corinne Duffy. She'd been the one last year, too.

Corinne was everything I wasn't—bold, passionate, hungry for excitement.

To me, a month was only four weeks of Blake and me doing the same ordinary couple things—shopping, grabbing coffee, and spending quiet time together..

With her, though, a month seemed endless. She took Blake scuba diving and skydiving and dragged him through every adrenaline-fueled activity she could think of. Their final stop was a snow-covered mountain climb.

I was so worried I couldn't sleep all night, but Blake refused to answer my calls.

I dropped everything and traveled day and night until I finally caught up with them at the mountain.

"You don't have any experience. You can't climb a snow-covered mountain." Blake idly played with one of his trekking poles. "Corinne will keep me safe."

Corinne was even more blunt. "Tessa, don't you think you're overstepping a little for an ex-girlfriend? It's not like you're his wife."

The wind and snow seemed to freeze every word I'd been about to say in my throat, leaving them lodged there, hard and painful.

It was as though I'd forgotten how to speak. I simply stared at Blake. He avoided my eyes.

Silently, I stepped aside to let them pass.

Corinne's triumphant laugh carried through her face covering and rang in my ears.

As I headed down the mountain, I thought, 'This is it. We're finally going to break up for good. I'll finally be free.'

But ten minutes later, Blake caught up with me. "Tessa, I'll listen to you. I'm not climbing anymore."

As two complete outdoor novices, we supported each other as we stumbled back to base camp through the deep snow.

When we arrived, the place was in chaos. A rescue operation was being organized.

"Corinne went backcountry skiing up there. She took a terrible fall."

Blake's expression changed instantly. He shot me a furious glare, then turned around and headed back up the mountain.

Blake personally helped carry Corinne down on the stretcher. She'd broken her leg. Her thigh was twisted at a sickening angle.

She clutched my hand and sobbed pitifully. "Tessa, I won't blame you for what happened today. But you two already broke up. Please stop clinging to him."

Looks of contempt, disdain, and disgust landed on me from every direction. The humiliation was so unbearable that I wanted to throw myself off the mountain.

After nine years with Blake, somehow I'd become the other woman.

Blake's lungs were affected on the mountain too, leaving him with a chronic cough.

But once we came down, he ignored his own condition and devoted himself to taking care of Corinne every day. He personally carried her in his arms whenever she needed to bathe or use the bathroom, refusing to let her suffer even the slightest inconvenience.

When Laurel told him I'd been hospitalized with a persistent unexplained fever, he'd just finished helping Corinne bathe. Both their faces were flushed.

But Blake's response was ice-cold.

"Since when did she start faking being sick? Besides, she has all of you looking after her. Corinne only has me."