Chapter 1

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband compared me to my best friend.

He used to nitpick everything about Hailee Baxter, but that day, he told me to learn from her. "You two grew up together. How is there such a huge gap between you? Grow your hair out, wear more dresses, maybe spritz on some perfume. You can manage that, right? You're my wife. Don't embarrass me in public."

I clutched my faded shirt, making sure it didn't carry the smoky smell of the barbecue I'd been grilling for years.

I shot back, "What, you've got a thing for her now?"

Sean Andrews froze for a few seconds, then laughed and adjusted his frameless glasses. "What are you even thinking? It's just a suggestion. Forget it if you don't like it."

My fingers tightened on the hem of my shirt without me realizing it.

A man who never bought himself a single new outfit-when did he start noticing how other people dressed?

Especially a woman.

I didn't want to doubt him, but then Sean started picking at the food on the table. "Why didn't you make something lighter?"

His tone mirrored Hailee's exactly.

Three years of dating, five years of marriage, and we both loved spicy food.

A wave of unease crept into my chest.

The dishes I'd spent half the afternoon preparing suddenly seemed unappetizing.

When I set down my fork, Sean lost interest in eating too and got up to leave the table.

I said casually, "Can I borrow your phone to make a call? Mine's dead."

Without a second's hesitation, Sean handed me his phone and headed to the kitchen to wash some fruit.

He was as open with me as ever.

But my unease overshadowed the guilt in my heart, urging me to unlock his phone.

I scrolled through his texts with Hailee-just a few group holiday messages.

Nothing seemed off, so I called her number.

A clear, polite voice answered. "Sean? What's up?"

Was I overthinking this?

I forced a smile. "Hailee, it's me."

She paused for two seconds, then laughed brightly. "No wonder. Sean never calls me."

I couldn't find any cracks in her response, so I didn't push further. I chatted about random daily stuff, keeping it light.

By the time I hung up, most of my unease had faded.

Sean came out of the kitchen and handed me a plate of washed strawberries.

He spoke gently. "I've got something at the university tonight, so we'll skip the movie, okay?"

Watching a movie on our anniversary was our unspoken tradition.

My heart sank, and I couldn't help asking, "Does it have to be tonight?"

Sean's face filled with helpless apology. "The university scheduled a meeting. I don't have a choice."

To outsiders, Sean was the erudite professor, while I was just a small-time barbecue shop owner-a bit of a mismatch.

But whenever I asked about his work, he never dodged my questions.

Maybe I shouldn't have doubted him.

Not wanting to waste the day off I'd cleared or the movie tickets I'd bought, I headed out to find Hailee after Sean left.

I walked into her coffee shop, but the barista told me she wasn't there.

I froze.

Just an hour ago, on the phone, she said she'd be at the shop all night.

I dialed her number, telling myself not to overthink, not to be paranoid.

It took two tries before Hailee picked up.

Her breathing sounded rushed. "The shop's swamped. I'll call you later."

My hand trembled on the phone, and on a whim, I called one of Sean's colleagues.

He hesitated. "A meeting? I don't think I heard about one."

A chill slithered up my spine and into my heart.

I felt like I'd plunged into an icy abyss.

Why were my husband and my best friend both lying to me?