Chapter 3

When I woke the next morning, the other side of the bed was already empty.

A note sat beneath something on the nightstand.

[Quincy, something urgent came up at work. I'll explain when I get back. Don't overthink it. Wait for me.]

I didn't react. I just unlocked my phone and opened our location-sharing app.

We'd installed it years ago after I got lost coming home late one night. Yale had been frantic, driving all over the city looking for me. Afterward, he'd taken my hand and insisted on putting the app on both our phones.

His eyes had been red as he gripped my hand and said, "Quincy, what if something happened to you? I need to know where you are so I know you're safe."

After all these years, he'd forgotten every word.

The dot marking his location wasn't at the office on the south side of the city. It was across town on the east side, inside a luxury development called Silvercrest Heights.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Nora.

[Quincy! I'm having a housewarming at my new place today. Want to come over?]

I drew a slow breath and typed back.

[Sure.]

The development was on the east side, a brand-new complex that had only recently opened.

When the apartment door swung open, Yale happened to be walking past with a plate of cut fruit in his hands.

The moment he saw me, his fingers tightened. The plate struck the doorframe with a sharp clink.

His mouth opened, but before he could say anything, Nora came running out of the living room, grabbed my hand, and pulled me inside.

"Come in! My hubby made a ton of food!"

The living room wasn't large, but everything had been arranged with care. The curtains were a soft cream, the couch sat neatly against the wall, and a tasseled runner covered the coffee table.

Three or four other girls were already there, all friends of Nora's.

Yale went back into the kitchen. The door was half open, and I could see him working at the stove.

"Your boyfriend is seriously good at this," one of Nora's friends said.

Nora's eyes curved with delight. "Right? He picked the curtains himself. He knows I like light colors, so he chose cream."

Then she pointed toward the ceiling. "He installed the lights too. I hate the dark, so he switched everything to warm lighting."

I lifted my glass and took a sip of water. My hand was trembling.

Back when Yale and I first got together, he'd promised, "Someday I'll give you a home and decorate it exactly the way you like."

I'd waited three years.

I bought our curtains myself. I picked out the couch myself. I lined up every bottle and jar in the kitchen on the shelves with my own hands.

I looked toward the kitchen. Yale stood at the counter, head lowered as he chopped vegetables.

"Yale, is it ready yet? I'm starving!" Nora called.

"Almost."

His answer was gentle, and his hands never stopped moving.

Once all the dishes were on the table, Yale took off his apron and sat beside Nora. He served food onto her plate and murmured, "The low-sugar dish is on your left. I moved the mango one farther away."

Every now and then, he glanced at me, but each time, he quickly looked away.

Nora bit lightly on the end of her chopsticks before suddenly turning to me.

"Quincy, every time I've seen you lately, you've been running around handling everything by yourself. Your wedding is coming up, but how come I've never met your fiancé?"

I idly pushed the food around in my bowl.

"He's too busy."

After a moment, I softened my voice.

"He said some young girl got hurt because of him, so he has to take responsibility for her first."

"Oh my God!"

Nora's eyes widened, her face filling with outrage.

"Your fiancé is awful! What a jerk. You should dump him now and save yourself the trouble."

The corner of my mouth twitched, and a faint laugh slipped out.

"You're right.

"I should've left him a long time ago."