[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603226F4B86-340":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},340,1,"Chapter 1: The License Plate Matched My Birthday","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The artillery fire behind me turned the night into a blinding, hellish noon. I sent a message to my husband, Bradley Lawrence:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’ve arrived. Let me take you home.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn’t reply.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I scrambled to call his assistant, Wesley Cole. The voice on the other end was hesitant, stuttering.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You... you actually went to the Middle East?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The thunder of an explosion rattled my skull. My vision blurred with tears and desperation. \"Which sector is he in?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Silence stretched for several agonizing seconds.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The truth is, he never left the country.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A freezing gust of wind whipped into my collar, sending a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Wesley’s voice dropped to a low, heavy mumble. \"He told you he was on a business trip. He lied.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I hung up, and a notification pinged on my phone. An image popped up—dated today.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley was grinning, his eyes curved into crescents, his arms wrapped tightly around a woman as they blew out the candles on a birthday cake.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I recognized her instantly.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was Lacey Rose. The woman Bradley had knelt on the floor three years ago to swear he’d never see again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley seemed to have forgotten that today was my birthday, too.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My phone buzzed again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Madeline, the truth is, he never actually cut her off. You two always looked so happy as a couple that I didn't have the heart to tell you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I stared at the screen, at the message I had typed earlier: *I’ve arrived. Let me take you home.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It hadn't gone through.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">If that was the case, I wouldn't be waiting for him to come home either.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Ma'am, please move to the evacuation point. Do not linger here.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The airport announcement echoed through the terminal. I took one step and my legs gave out, crumpling beneath me. I don't know how many layovers I endured, or how many miles I traveled to get back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When I finally stepped onto the plane bound for home, I couldn't hold it back anymore. I sobbed until my chest ached.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back in the city, smelling of gunpowder and exhaustion, I went straight to the law firm.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In the elevator, I heard a voice behind me, dripping with playful annoyance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Who swiped those lace panties of mine? I came here completely bare because of you, you prick.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m waiting, then. Let’s see how you’re going to punish me later.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I turned, my heart hammering against my ribs.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was Lacey Rose.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was still on her phone, voice airy and mocking. \"Is there enough protection left in your drawer?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The elevator doors began to close, the mirrored interior reflecting two faces.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">One was youthful and vibrant, her makeup flawless, the corners of her eyes crinkling with laughter. The other was a ghost—skin sallow, eye sockets sunken, lips cracked and bleeding, my hair a matted, tangled mess.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">No wonder she didn't recognize me. After the smoke and the fire, I barely recognized myself.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A low, familiar chuckle drifted through the phone receiver.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Depends on who it is. With you? It’s never enough.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She teased back, her voice dropping into a sultry, upward lilt. \"Careful. If I scream loud enough, your whole office will know Bradley Lawrence is cheating again—and that I'm the one he’s doing it with.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He laughed again on the other end. \"If you’re bold enough to make a scene, I’ll file the divorce papers today.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The elevator doors pinged open.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley stood there, immaculate in a tailored suit. He stepped forward, hooked an arm around Lacey’s waist, and pressed his mouth to hers.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He moved with a desperate, starving intensity, like a fish that had finally found water.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey giggled, trying to pull away, but he hauled her back in, kissing her deeper. She slapped his chest weakly, her voice muffled. \"There are people around...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley finally pulled his head back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I panicked, turning to hide my face, my eyes stinging.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Let them look,\" he spat. \"I’m kissing the woman I love. Why should I hide?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey nestled into his chest, shaking with laughter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stripped off his coat to wrap around her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If I hadn't needed to come back to the office for files, I wouldn't have spent a single second away from you,\" he murmured, sighing. \"I just worry that if I show my face here, my wife will find out by tomorrow.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey purred, \"Fine, fine. I’ll do whatever you want today. Consider it comfort for your stress.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The elevator descended to the basement level. I followed them, moving like a machine, trapped in a waking nightmare.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, I watched them climb into that luxury sedan—the one with the license plate that matched my birthday.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A moment later, the car began to sway rhythmically.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I stood in the shadows, a chill racing up my spine that bit deep into my marrow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Nobody knew this but us.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The first time Bradley and I were together, it was in the back of that exact car.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He had been so nervous his palms were slick with sweat. He kept asking if I was in pain. When I told him I was fine, he’d just smile and say, *How did I get so lucky to have you?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Madeline,\" he had whispered, \"don't worry. I will never let you down.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Afterward, he’d bundled me into his coat and cranked the heat to the max. I leaned on his shoulder, joking that when we were rich, we’d buy the most expensive car in the world.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He said, *Sure. And I’ll put your name on the title.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Later, he found success. We married, and we spent three years in what I thought was a perfect life.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Until I found him and his assistant, Lacey, tangled in our bed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I chose to leave, even if it meant walking away with nothing. The day we signed the divorce papers, he jumped from a balcony.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn't die. He just shattered a leg. He spent months in a hospital bed, begging for my forgiveness, pleading for one more chance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I was soft. I took care of him for half a year until he recovered. When we remarried, he treated me better than he ever had before. He swore he would never hurt me again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But now.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This heart, which he had broken and which had only just begun to scab over, was being ripped open all over again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blood was everywhere.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272924450]