Chapter 3

Chloe exhaled a sigh of relief.

"See, babe? I sent him away. Can you stop being mad now?"

There wasn't a shred of genuine remorse in her voice.

I didn't bother arguing. I pulled my hand from hers and walked back inside.

I collapsed onto the bed and pulled the duvet over my head.

She assumed I was asleep.

I don't know how much time passed before a buzzing vibration woke me up.

It was Chloe’s phone, sitting right on the nightstand.

The screen lit up with that glaring contact name: "Pumpkin."

Did your husband give you a hard time again?

I picked up her phone. No passcode.

She really felt safe around me, didn't she?

I tapped open the thread and scrolled up.

The entire screen was filled with messages between her and Julian while I was asleep.

Julian: I'm so sorry, Chloe. I caused another fight between you and Ethan.

Chloe: Don't overthink it. That's just how he is—petty and narrow-minded. Just ignore him.

So that was who I was to her: a petty joke.

Julian: It's all my fault. I shouldn't have insisted on coming.

Chloe: It's not your fault. I wanted you here.

Chloe: You're still the sweetest. Not like someone who only knows how to ruin the mood.

My chest tightened, feeling as though an invisible fist was squeezing the air out of my lungs.

They had even started reminiscing about their college road trips together.

Those were the best days. Just the two of us.

Turns out, I was the third wheel all along.

Keeping a stone-cold expression, I unlocked my own phone.

I photographed every single message on her screen.

Then, I set her phone back exactly where it was.

A few minutes later, Chloe walked in.

She wore a fake, sweet smile. "Babe, you’re awake?"

I pulled away from her reaching hand. The same hand that had probably just caressed Julian’s face.

"Where are you off to?" I asked.

"Troy and the guys invited me down to the lounge. Said they wanted to apologize to me."

Her guilty eyes darted everywhere except mine.

I locked eyes with her. "Chloe, this is our honeymoon."

She glared back at me, dropping all pretense.

"Honeymoon, honeymoon! Can't you just give me a break?!"

"Fun is fun no matter who’s around! Do we literally have to be glued at the hip twenty-four seven?!"

Dropping that tantrum, she slammed the door and stormed off.

I waited two minutes before quietly following behind.

In the open-air lounge, I spotted them immediately.

They were playing Truth or Dare.

The spinning bottle pointed directly at Julian, and Troy cheered, egging him on to take a dare.

"I dare you to unhook Chloe’s bra!"

Julian blushed theatrically. "You guys are awful!"

Yet his arms were already wrapping around Chloe’s waist.

Chloe didn't push him away.

Amidst the hooting and catcalls, Julian reached under Chloe’s top, slipped his hands underneath, unclasped her bra, and then clasped it back on.

The entire time, Chloe looked down at him with an indulgent, fond smile.

I waited until he finished before walking straight up to their booth and sliding onto a chair.

The smile froze on Chloe’s face. She instinctively pulled away from Julian, widening the space between them.

She clearly never expected me to show up.

The air stiffened into awkward silence for a few beats until Troy laughed it off.

"Hey, Ethan’s here! Join in, man!"

I said nothing, merely picking up a cocktail glass from the table.

Someone awkwardly continued the game, asking Julian, "Who at this table do you love the most?"

Julian gave Chloe a lingering look.

"Me? Obviously, I love Chloe the most."

With that, he leaned his head gently against Chloe’s shoulder.

Chloe’s face softened affectionately as she reached up to caress his cheek.

The table erupted into drunken cheers.

Then someone asked, "And who do you hate the most?"

Julian put on an innocent, wounded expression, his eyes deliberately locking onto me.

"I don't hate anyone. I’m just really intimidated by people who aren't happy themselves and refuse to let anyone else have fun."

The entire booth burst into knowing chuckles.

Just then, the bottle spun and stopped right in front of Chloe.

"Chloe! Dare! Kiss Julian on the lips!"

Julian playfully protested, "Guys, Ethan is watching!"

Yet his body leaned even closer into Chloe, head tilted, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Every eye was glued to her.

Chloe raised her glass and took a gulp.

She didn't move.

Her buddy Troy stepped in to smooth things over. "Fine, swap it! Truth!"

He stared at Chloe, dragging out his words with a smirk.

"Chloe... if you weren't married, would you marry Julian?"