LOGINKELVIN'S POVOne year later…...Rachel walks into my office without knocking.She drops three folders onto my desk before stealing the coffee I haven't touched yet."Good morning to you too."She takes a sip."It was.""That was my coffee.""It was your coffee."I stare at her."You've become fearless.""You got married.""So?""You stopped being intimidating.""I was intimidating?""You used to scare entire boardrooms.""And now?""Now you send heart emojis during meetings."I nearly choke."I did that once.""You sent it to the board chat.""It was an accident.""It was hilarious."Before I can defend myself, my phone vibrates.*Wife ❤️*Rachel notices immediately."There it is.""What?""That smile.""I don't have a smile.""You have the smile."I answer the call anyway."Morning."Sandra's voice makes the office feel smaller somehow."Busy?""I was being bullied."Rachel places a hand dramatically against her chest."I heard that."Sandra laughs through the phone."Hi, Rachel.""T
SANDRA'S POVClayton Global's annual charity reception looks exactly the way wealthy people think hope should look.Crystal chandeliers, live string music and Champagne flowing like water.Politicians chatting with investors. Business executives pretending they aren't secretly watching one another.Tonight, they're watching us instead.Kelvin offers me his arm before we enter the ballroom."You still have time to run."I glance at him."Is that your idea of romance?""It's my idea of an emergency exit."I slip my hand through his arm."Too late.""You've decided?""I decided a long time ago."His smile reaches his eyes."Good."The ballroom doors open.Conversations pause. Not all of them, just enough.People look.Some smile politely and some don't bother hiding their curiosity.A few months ago, I would've shrunk beneath those stares.Tonight, I smile back.Rachel appears almost immediately, carrying a champagne flute she clearly has no intention of drinking."There you are."Kelvin
KELVIN'S POVThe boardroom is already full when I walk in, with shareholders, senior executives, legal advisers, and board members filling every seat, and not a single person bothering to pretend this is just another ordinary meeting.Rachel slides into step beside me carrying a tablet."You've got this.""You sound unconvinced.""I am unconvinced."I glance at her. "That's not encouraging.""I believe in honesty.""You could've chosen optimism.""I tried." She shrugs. "It didn't suit me."Despite everything, I smile.The room notices.Whispers immediately begin.Rachel clears her throat."Ladies and gentlemen, unless anyone intends to solve the global economy before breakfast, shall we begin?"A few nervous laughs ripple through the room, the tension eases slightly.I take my seat at the head of the table.Mr. Hanley, one of the older shareholders, wastes no time."We'll speak plainly.""I'd prefer that.""Your personal life has become a corporate liability."Across the table, Direct
SANDRA'S POVWalking across campus doesn't feel like walking into a courtroom anymore. It finally feels like a campus again, where not everyone stares, though some still do, some still whisper, and others pretend they aren't whispering at all. It's progress, and for now, I can live with that.Lena catches up beside me carrying two iced coffees and an expression that promises trouble."I bought you caffeine.""You also bought yourself caffeine.""I'm generous.""You're addicted.""I can be both."She hands me a cup."You look lighter.""I slept.""With eight pillows and anxiety?""Seven pillows."She nods."That's growth."I laugh, and a group of classmates passing us glance over.One of them smiles."Hey, Sandra. Good luck on your presentation."I blink. "Thanks."They keep walking.Lena nudges my shoulder. "See?""I almost forgot what normal people sound like.""They're overrated."Our marketing lecture begins ten minutes later. Professor Mitchell walks in carrying his laptop."Pre
KELVIN'S POVMarcus smiles one last time before climbing into his SUV.The engine starts.The taillights disappear beyond the gates. Only then do I look down at the photograph still resting on my car.Sandra steps beside me."What is it?"I don't answer immediately.Not because I'm hiding it but because I'm already exhausted. I hand her the photograph.She studies it, her expression changes almost instantly.It's subtle, just a flicker.Confusion.Then something sharper.The picture shows me sitting inside a quiet restaurant with a woman around sixty years old. She's holding my hand across the table while I'm leaning forward, saying something the camera can't hear.Without context, it looks intimate.Sandra stares at it a second longer than I expected.Then she quietly asks,"Who is she?"The question isn't angry.It's careful.I look at her."You thought…..."She immediately groans. "I know. I know how this looks.""You were jealous.""I was not.""You absolutely were.""It lasted f
SANDRA'S POVI spend the entire drive to my childhood home wondering if this is a terrible idea.Kelvin glances at me before stopping at a red light."You've sighed six times.""I counted five.""I missed one while driving.""I appreciate your commitment to accuracy."He smiles."You can still change your mind.""So can you.""I've already worn the uncomfortable suit.""I picked that suit.""I know.""If tonight goes badly...""I'm blaming your fashion choices."A laugh escapes me before I can stop it."That's better.""What is?""You laughed.""I also feel like throwing up.""We can multitask."I roll my eyes."I forgot how annoying you are.""No, you got used to it."When the car stops outside the Nicholson house, neither of us reaches for the door.The porch light glows softly.Everything looks exactly the same, everything feels completely different.Kelvin quietly clears his throat."If your dad throws me out...""I'll leave with you.""If he throws both of us out?""We'll order p
KELVIN'S POVI should have canceled, and the thought follows me through the entire drive as one reason after another lines up in my head because I should have called, should have texted, and should have done something sensible for once, yet despite knowing better, I'm still on my way to another mis
SANDRA'S POVThe problem with questions is that once they get inside your head, they don't leave.They multiply, one becomes ten,ten becomes a hundred.And eventually you're lying awake at three in the morning staring at the ceiling while your entire future tears itself apart in a dozen different d
KELVIN'S POVMarcus Webb doesn't strike me as the type of man who enjoys golf.The realization arrives halfway through lunch while he stands beside a putting green overlooking one of the most expensive country clubs in Los Angeles, smiling politely at investors and executives while pretending this
SANDRA’S POV“So this is what you’ve been doing?” My voice shakes no matter how hard I try to steady it. “F*cking my best friend behind my back?”Pamela grabs the blanket fast, pulling it against her chest with trembling hands like covering herself changes anything.Austin barely reacts. That’s the







