Chapter 5

Marissa didn't come home that night.

I'd seen it coming.

I started methodically planning the rest of my life.

My clothes and shoes went to a charity.

Everyday household items I simply threw out.

A while back, I'd come across a post about an island—beautiful scenery, a mild climate, quiet stretches of coastline far from the busy tourist districts.

Getting there the way I planned meant several connecting flights, which suited me fine. The fewer obvious trails I left, the better.

I chose it as the place where I'd live from now on.

I even went online and bought a few brightly colored shirts and shorts to match the island vibe.

They were the complete opposite of the low-key, plain clothes I usually wore.

When I was done, I sat on the edge of the bed and zoned out for a while.

I looked around the bedroom.

Everywhere I looked, there was proof that Marissa and I had loved each other.

Even the comforter on our bed was the one from our wedding.

When I looked up, I saw our wedding portrait hanging on the wall.

She was in a pure white wedding gown, her eyes full of happiness and sweetness. I was lifting her high into the air, my eyes full of tender devotion.

I gave a sarcastic laugh, then hurled the portrait to the floor and smashed it to pieces.

...

At seven the next morning, the charity people arrived.

I handed over everything I'd packed.

One of the workers looked a little worried.

"Sir, are you moving?"

I shook my head.

"Then... are you getting divorced?"

I smiled.

"Something like that."

Maybe because I'd donated so much, they were grateful.

"Sir, is there anything we can do for you?"

I thought about it, then brought out the shattered wedding portrait.

"Could you throw this out for me on your way?"

After that, I sat on the couch and turned on the morning news.

Marissa came home at eight-thirty.

When she saw me, surprise and panic flashed across her face.

"Gideon, why are you up so early? Don't you always sleep until nine?"

"I had a nightmare, so I just got up."

Marissa came over and wrapped her arms around me from behind.

"What did my Gideon dream about?"

"I dreamed you fell in love with Elliot," I said softly. "The two of you were tangled up in bed, having the time of your lives."

The moment the words left my mouth, the body holding me went rigid.

I felt the change and laughed lightly.

"Scary, right?"

There were faint shadows under Marissa's eyes, and her eyes were a little puffy.

It was obvious she'd had quite a night.

She wasn't even wearing makeup, and she looked exhausted.

She still carried a faint trace of men's cologne, and the unmistakable smell of what they'd been doing.

Looked like the two of them had really enjoyed themselves last night.

She held me tighter.

"Dreams aren't real. They don't make sense. You can't take them seriously."

I pushed her away.

"Dreams can be warnings. Maybe this one's trying to tell me something?"

Marissa sighed.

"Gideon, if you're mad at me over a dream, that's really not fair to me."

Then she smiled and changed the subject.

"What does my baby want for breakfast? I'll make it."

She went to the kitchen and, with practiced ease, took a few slices of toast, two eggs, and some meat and vegetables out of the fridge.

"How about scrambled eggs? Or do you want a sandwich?"

I stood up and looked at her.

"Marissa, do you love me?"

"Of course I love you."

"Then could you ever fall in love with another man?"

Her smile faded a little. She didn't answer directly, just looked down and kept working on the food.

"Stop overthinking it, baby. It was just a dream. We're so good together, and I'm pregnant now. From here on, it's going to be the three of us, living a good life, okay?"

I answered her silently. You'll have your family of three. It just won't include me.

I refused to be a fool kept in the dark.

Ding-ding—

Her phone went off again.

Marissa glanced at it, switched off the screen, and slipped it back into her pocket.

"Work again?" I asked.

Marissa mumbled, "Mm."

"Then go. Don't let me hold up anything important."

Marissa kissed my hair.

"Be good and stop overthinking. I'll order breakfast from that bakery you love, okay? Your wife has to go build her empire."

What she didn't know was that I had another identity: Cloudline, a well-known illustrator online.

On paper, I'd been an ordinary guy all these years. In reality, I'd created a huge body of work and built a massive following online.

My artwork sold for a lot. That alone was enough to keep me comfortable for half my life.

Marissa put on her coat and left.

As soon as she was gone, I turned on the computer again.

[Bad Dog: I feel completely drained...]

[Marissa: Rest up for the next two weeks. Eat plenty of oysters and steak. By the time I'm back from the trip with Gideon, you'll be good as new.]

[Bad Dog: Okay. I'll be a good boy and wait for Master to come home. (puppy-eyes emoji)]

A little let down, I closed the computer. I didn't even bother saving the chat.

I'd thought he'd send more photos or videos.

Turns out it was just some boring texts.

How dull.

When I'd sorted through my clothes the night before, I'd made a point of keeping one white shirt for my ID photo.

I changed into it and went to the provincial registry office.

The clerk double-checked with me.

"Mr. Gideon Whitaker, you're sure you want to change your name to... Michael Davis?"