He threw down the words like a gauntlet, grabbed his jacket off the couch, and walked out without looking back.

I watched him go. Not a single ache. Not a trace of longing.

I cleared the untouched dishes from the table as if nothing had happened, slow and methodical.

I hadn't eaten all day. I was starving.

But every dish on the table contained seafood. I was allergic. I couldn't touch any of it.

My gaze fell on the pair of earrings Morton had tossed carelessly onto the table. I let out a bitter laugh.

His so-called anniversary gift was nothing but a freebie thrown in when he'd bought Zara Fox a necklace.

But none of this was the real reason. It was simply the last straw.

I had spent seven years chasing Morton Harding like a lovesick fool.

In college, when I found out his family had nothing, I funded him anonymously.

Then Zara Fox impersonated me and started dating him in my place.

Morton believed her first, and no matter how I tried to explain, he was convinced I was lying.

After graduation, Morton's mother was in a car accident.

Zara dumped him and left the country.

I was the one who paid for the surgery. Every last dollar.

Out of gratitude, Morton married me.