"Max, we've known each other for ten years. Married for three. And you can't even be bothered to come up with a halfway decent lie anymore?"
Never in a million years did I think that forgetting my portable charger and coming back for it would lead to this.
And Max's attitude made it so much worse.
"It's just an affair. That's all it is."
"I don't have any feelings for her. It was purely physical. A little excitement."
"Everyone in my circle does it. It doesn't mean anything."
"If it bothers you, I'll cut her off right now."
Max's words had been so devout.
He'd even smiled, knelt before me, and said, "Compared to anyone else, you'll always come first."
But now, he just made me sick.
My stomach churned violently, and I ran to the bathroom, retching over and over.
Max leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me.
"Seriously?"
"It was just sleeping with another woman. You're acting like you're some kind of saint." His lip curled. "Back then, weren't you the one pinned under some other guy, almost—"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the color drain from my face.
Panic flickered across his expression.
"I'm sorry, babe. I didn't mean to bring that up."
He knew. He knew exactly what had happened. Walking home from a late shift, I'd been cornered by a group of drunk men. If he hadn't shown up when he did and chased them off, I would have—
I couldn't finish the thought. Even now.
For years, every mention of that night dragged me back into a shadow I couldn't escape. It had taken me so long just to tolerate a man's touch without flinching.
Every time it came up, Max had been careful. Gentle. He'd tiptoe around the subject like it was made of glass, never pressing, never pushing.
And now he'd thrown it in my face like a weapon.
In that moment, I understood. There was no going back. Not anymore.
I ran out of the hotel. Behind me, Max's phone rang, and whatever the call was, it stopped him from following.
Tears blurred my vision. I was about to hail a cab when my phone buzzed.
Brenda Drake. My coworker.
Her voice came through tight and urgent.
"Madeline, do you remember that pre-sale apartment you bought three years ago? The one your husband said was never finished?"
A cold feeling settled in my chest. "What about it?"
"I just found out the building was completed and delivered three years ago. It was never stalled. Not even close."
My heart seized like a fist had closed around it.