The week before my wedding to Liam, I noticed a cute plush charm hanging from his rearview mirror. I casually asked where it came from. Liam didn't miss a beat. “Just bought it. Thought you’d like it.” But I knew exactly what it was. It was the Valentine’s Day limited edition from that viral pop-up in SoHo, the one you could only buy if you and your partner kissed at their "Love Booth" for ten solid minutes. I stared at the little charm. “Let’s call off the wedding,” I said, my voice flat. … The car screeched to a halt, tires screaming against the asphalt. Liam turned, his eyes locking onto mine. “What the hell is wrong with you?” “I’m serious,” I said, meeting his gaze. “I’m not kidding.” His Adam's apple bobbed. His look was complicated. Tap, tap, tap. A sharp knock on the passenger window broke the tension. I rolled it down. A bright, smiling face leaned in. “Liam! Fancy seeing you here. Am I interrupting?” Her eyes flicked to me, sizing me up. “Get in. I’ll give you a ride.” Liam got out and opened the back door for her. “Hi, you must be Maya. I’m Sienna, Liam’s executive assistant.” The moment I saw her, my gut screamed: This is her. It wasn’t the first time I’d suspected Liam was drifting. He’d been coming home later and later, sometimes smelling like a perfume that wasn’t mine. His phone was locked with a new passcode. Every time I asked, he had an answer. A late merger. A colleague bumped into me. I need my privacy, Maya. I’d listened, nodded, and stopped asking. I’d even started to tell myself that if he was going to lie, he should just get better at it, good enough to fool me for a lifetime. I was this close to convincing myself I was just being paranoid. Until the charm. Until Sienna. That fragile little bubble of denial just burst. I’d pictured her based on Liam's "type"—soft, long-haired, demure. But Sienna was all sharp angles, with a pixie cut and a gaze that was pure, unfiltered confidence. Apparently, it wasn't just loyalty that could change. His taste had, too. “Maya, could you be a dear and grab me a hair clip?” Sienna asked from the back. “My hair’s a mess.” “I don’t have one.” She pointed to the glove compartment. “Oh, there are some in there. I’m always losing mine, so Liam, sweet as he is, bought a few to keep in the car for me.” I didn't move. My fingers curled into my palm. “Get them for her,” Liam ordered. His voice was sharp. I popped the compartment open. It was full of expensive, delicate hair clips, each one nicer than any jewelry I owned. And a box of condoms. “Oh,” Sienna’s voice chimed in again. “By the way, I think I broke your old earbuds a while back. We were… working out in the car, and I must have crushed them. My bad. Pick one of those clips, consider it my apology.” “No, thanks.” I turned, tossing a clip into her lap. “I don’t want things other people have already used. I find it… dirty.” Sienna’s hand snapped shut. She looked at Liam, her eyes wide, playing the victim. Liam’s brow furrowed. Before he could start defending her, I got out of the car and walked away. 2 When I got home and out of the shower, Liam was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through my phone. I stormed over. “What do you think you’re doing?” He looked up, his expression lazy. “You’ve been acting weird all day, Maya.” The old me wouldn't have asked about the charm. Wouldn't have snapped at him. Wouldn't have challenged his new pet. I frowned. “So you go through my phone?” “If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid of me looking.” He stood up, towering over me. “Fine.” I held out my hand. “You’re so confident? Give me yours.” His face changed. He placed my phone back in my hand. “If you’re going to be like that, this isn't going to work, Maya. Relationships are about trust.” “You’re not allowed to mention canceling the wedding again.” His phone rang. He immediately lowered his voice to answer it, turning his back to me. But I still heard it. The way he said, “Hey, SiSi.” Watching him walk out onto the balcony, I swallowed the acidic taste in my mouth, pulled out my burner phone, and sent a text. “I’m leaving the city in five days. I’ll see you then.” 3 The message sent, I looked around the apartment—our new apartment. Our pre-wedding home. Every piece of furniture, down to the lamps, we’d picked out together. We’d laughed, planning our future, saying this was where we’d watch our lives unfold. Now, the whole place just felt like a monument to his lies. The air was thick with sarcasm. I couldn't stand it. I grabbed my suitcase, packed, and walked out. A cold rain was falling, plastering my hair to my face. The wheel of my suitcase jammed on a loose cobblestone. As I was yanking it free, a force slammed into my shoulder, nearly knocking me over. “Sorry about that!” A hurried apology, but the voice was familiar. I looked up. Through the rain, I saw Liam, carrying Sienna on his back, laughing as they ran through the downpour. Sienna held an umbrella over them, creating a perfect, dry little world just for the two of them. Neither of them even saw me. It was like a scene from a rom-com. I was just the blurry, out-of-focus extra. We’d started fighting six months ago. The reasons were always small, but the cause was always the same: I could feel him pulling away. I acted like a child, pouting, hoping he’d notice, hoping he’d pull me in and ask me what was wrong, like he used to. But he never did. I’d get a small, expensive gift to shut me up. As if a new bracelet could fix the fact that he was already gone. His acting was sloppy. I’d known he was cheating. I was just too much of a coward to admit it. I thought about my Nana. The only family I have left. Liam had gotten her into the best memory care facility in the state. When her Alzheimer’s gets bad, she gets violent, sometimes hurting herself. No one can stop her. Except Liam. He’d just whisper a few words, and she’d become calm, pliant as a child. She always said he reminded her of my grandfather when he was young. Because of that, I’d been terrified to confront him. He and Sienna disappeared into the warmth of a five-star hotel. The rain kept falling. I stepped off the curb and walked into the storm. 4 We didn't speak for days. Then the call came. The hospital. “Ms. Evans? It’s your grandmother. She’s having a severe episode. We can't get the knife away from her. You need to bring Mr. Hayes. Now. We’re afraid she’s going to hurt herself.” My hands were shaking. I called Liam. Over and over. Each time, the busy signal. He was rejecting my calls. I finally tracked his location. I burst into the private dining room, out of breath. He was at a table with Sienna, patiently picking the bones out of a fish. “Liam!” I gasped, hating the begging tone in my voice. “It’s Nana. She’s having an episode. You’re the only one she’ll listen to. Please. You have to come with me. I’m begging you.” A cold smile touched his lips. “Running away? Ignoring my calls? You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here to ask me for anything.” “Maya, don’t stress,” Sienna said, smiling. “Sit down. Have some of this dessert, it’s amazing. We can talk after dinner.” I tried to pull away from her grip, but Liam’s voice cut through the room. “Do what she says. Or we’re not going anywhere.” I sat, my teeth clenched. I ate the bite of marzipan she handed me. Liam passed the de-boned fish to Sienna. “It’s all my fault,” Sienna sighed, showing me her finger. “I slammed it in a door this morning. Liam’s had to do everything for me. You don’t mind, do you, Maya?” My nails dug into my palms. Liam tapped the table. “Stop staring. Can't you see our guests need drinks? Pour.” The table full of his smirking friends watched. The waiter watched. I looked at Liam. My voice was a rasp. “I pour the wine. Then we go.” “Deal,” he said. I picked up the bottle. I went around the table, stone-faced. When I got to Sienna, she smiled. “Maya, I’d love some shrimp. Could you peel one for me?” That was it. I slammed the bottle down. The table shuddered. “You’re really pushing it, Sienna. Anyone would think you’re a helpless invalid. Maybe you should check into the hospital. See if they can treat you for being a homewrecking bitch.” A split second later, a glass of red wine hit my face. Sienna was clutching the stem. “You can’t talk to me like that!” Liam dabbed at her fake tears. “Maya. Apologize to her.” The cold, sticky wine dripped down my chin. The string I’d been holding onto finally snapped. I lunged forward and slapped Sienna, hard, across the face. She gasped. Liam grabbed my wrist. I raised my other hand to hit him, too. But a sudden, violent wave of dizziness hit me. I couldn’t breathe. My throat was closing. I realized, in a daze, what she’d given me. The marzipan. Almonds. I’m deathly allergic. As my vision tunneled, Liam’s face loomed over me, cold and distant. “This is your punishment, Maya. For running away. For ignoring me. If I let this go, you’ll be impossible to control after we’re married.” The last thing I heard before I blacked out was their voices, angry and annoyed, as I collapsed.
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