Chapter 1

My best friend lost a leg high up in a car accident. The moment he was wheeled out of the operating room, his wife brought him divorce papers.

His mother stood in the doorway of the hospital room without so much as a glance at him, calling him a crippled burden and flatly refusing to take him home.

Without a second thought, I took him home myself.

My wife, Michelle, slammed her bowl and chopsticks down on the spot. "Saul, have you lost your mind?"

"A cripple with a broken leg, needing someone to wait on him for everything—do you want to drag this family under?"

I couldn't bring myself to say no, so I promised her again and again.

"He has no one to turn to right now. We can't just leave him out on the street."

"He'll only stay a few months. Once I've had his prosthetic made, I'll send him off."

From then on, I was up before dawn and to bed late, carrying his bedpans, doing everything for him, caring for him with all I had.

I traveled to dozens of manufacturers all over the country and drained my savings to have the best-fitting smart prosthetic limb custom-made for him.

I hurried home, thrilled, the custom contract in my hand—only to walk in on the two of them going at it in the bathroom.

"Won't you be put off by me, disabled, less than perfect?"

"How could I? You're my Apollo, the sun god. Even without legs, you're terrifyingly strong…"

Andrew threw his head back and laughed in triumph.

And caught my eyes without warning.

1

It was the sweltering dead of summer, but I felt like I'd dropped into a pit of ice.

A full five minutes passed before the bathroom door slid open.

Michelle, wrapped in a bath towel, carefully helped Andrew onto the wheelchair, then took the hairdryer and dried his hair with great care.

Then she pulled over the cashmere blanket and tucked it around Andrew meticulously.

Michelle had always had a bit of a princess streak. In eight years of marriage, she'd never once deigned to do these little things for me.

Only after all that did she seem to notice me for the first time.

"Why are you back early? You didn't even say a word."

Her tone was flat, as if nothing had happened.

"If I'd said a word, how would I ever have caught this filthy little affair of yours?"

Andrew's eyes went red.

"Saul, it's not what you think."

"My phantom limb was hurting so badly just now, I couldn't stand it."

"Michelle just came in to rub it for me. We didn't—"

He couldn't finish. He raised his hand and pounded hard at his stump.

"It's all my fault. I'm useless."

"I never should have survived. I'm nothing but a burden to you both. I'm sorry…"

He cried so hard he could barely breathe, the skin on his stump beaten red.

Michelle rushed over and held his hand down, aching for him.

"I'm the one who likes you. What does any of this have to do with you? Stop talking nonsense."

She turned to me, her eyes going cold.

"Saul, do you have to be so nasty about this?"

I was shaking with rage, my hands and feet gone cold.

"Nasty?"

"You two were naked, going at it in my bathroom, and I'm supposed to praise you as the perfect match?"

Michelle gave a cold laugh.

"And who was it that cried and begged to bring him home in the first place?"

"Who said he had no one, and asked me to help look after him?"

"Now that I've looked after him for you, you're unhappy again?"

"Saul, be reasonable."

Her words were like a slap, landing hard across my face.

These past few months, I'd been the one up before dawn and to bed late, carrying his bedpans, wiping him down, feeding him.

Before this trip, I'd already arranged for a caregiver to help—she was only supposed to lend a hand.

"I asked you to help look after him, not to take him to bed. Have you two no shame?"

I swung my arm and shoved Michelle off hard.

"Don't blame her!"

Andrew threw himself off the wheelchair and crawled toward me, inch by inch.

"It's all my fault. I seduced her."

"Saul, if you want to hit someone, hit me—don't blame Michelle!"

Michelle bent down to help him, but he pushed her away.

He was set on crawling to my feet. He lifted his head, his face set in stubborn resolve.

"Saul, I know I've wronged you."

"My wife divorced me, my parents don't want me anymore. Michelle is the only one who doesn't look down on me."

"You're so healthy. Even without her, you'll be just fine."

"But I can't. Without her, I can't go on living."

"Give her to me, all right? I'm begging you."

Andrew kowtowed frantically. Michelle rushed over and pulled him into her arms.

"Don't beg him."

"I'm the one who likes you. I'm the one who wants to be with you."

"I'll say what needs to be said."

Right in front of me, she pressed a gentle kiss to Andrew's forehead.

Then she looked up at me, her eyes full of cold, distant indifference.

"Saul, it's already come to this. There's no use saying anything now."

"Let's get a divorce."

I stood rooted there, my heart clenched so tight the pain made it hard to breathe.

I looked at the two of them holding each other in front of me.

One was my wife, who had shared eight years of life with me through thick and thin.

One was the brother I'd trusted for over twenty years.

Together, they had dealt me the deadliest blow of all.

A metallic sweetness rose in my throat, and I staggered back.

"Fine."

"Divorce."