MAY. 

He kissed me. 

That was yesterday. I could barely breathe or think through the rest of dinner. My cheeks still burn and my heart still jumps when I hear him. 

I’ve been avoiding him the entire day. Well, what else am I supposed to do? Act like nothing happened? 

The tingles on my lips and the butterflies that scatter in my stomach when I remember how soft his lips had been against mine say otherwise. 

It had been soft; a tease. And I want more. The need makes me feel ashamed. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been avoiding him. I can’t seem to stop thinking about his perfectly sculpted mouth that seemed to have been made solely to give pleasure. 

I’m a little lost and I swerve quickly before my bike can race into a pole. 

*Focus, May. Stop thinking dirty things!* 

Dinner last night had ended on a somewhat ‘okay‘ note and plans had been made concerning the family dinner that involved my side of the family and the rest of Ethan’s. 

However, I can’t say I look forward to it, seeing as I was a thought away from emptying the coffee pot on Rachel’s perfect hair. 

I take a moment to look at mine. I’ve never been one to care about my looks, but even I could see how dry my hair looked beside Rachel’s. 

I need to visit a salon soon. Best to get this fixed before Rachel points it out in our next gathering. Cole had been nicer though, the exact opposite of his second sister. 

I pull up by Anna’s, leaning the bike on its side before I hop on the porch, knocking. 

A muffled sound comes from inside. “Who is it?” 

“It’s May, Anna. Open up.‘ 

The door unlocks seconds later and Anna has a frown on her face. Her eyes are puffy like she’s been crying and her colour is a little flushed. 

I know what she’ll say if I ask. She’ll try to pretend everything’s alright again. She’ll look at me with tears in her eyes, and then she’ll lie to me. 

“Hey. Come in,” she says faintly. 

“I wanted to find out if you would still be able to make it to the family dinner, but if now is not 

Chapter 20 

a good time, I’ll come back,” I say, turning around. 

“He’s not home. He’s not come home since that day.” 

2/4 

I halt in my step, turning to her. Her eyes are hollow; tired. She stares at me and the light that usually fills her is dimmed, nearly gone. “That’s an awfully long time to be gone from his 

family. Is he alright?” 

She nods, biting on her bottom lip. “Yeah. I spoke to him last night. He sounded fine. Said he had night shifts and has to work extra to cover the bills.” 

I’ve known Anna for long enough to tell when there’s something she’s not saying. I inch forward. “But…?” 

Her gaze darts about the room as she decides if she wishes to tell me. “I called at his work. He’d sounded stressed and I thought I’d plead on his behalf to take at least a day off. So he can come home, sleep and eat proper food. But…” She sucks in a sharp breath, eyes welling up with more tears. “They say Sean hasn’t been on the night shift for nearly three months now.” 

My lips part in surprise, the kind of surprise that is accompanied by dread. Three months? That was long before I even got married. Sean would always leave for two days and return in time for the weekend. At best, he’d be at work for three days. 

I mean, the day before he’d told Anna to kick me out, he’d been on a night shift and had only returned that morning with the single thought of throwing me out. 

“That can’t be right,” I say, walking into the house and I shut the door behind me. “Perhaps, they were mistaken.” 

Anna settles on the couch. “I thought so too. Then I visited the company and…” Her voice 

trails off and a tear trickles down her cheek. “Sean’s been on leave since last week.” 

And it just keeps getting worse. Why would a man feel the need to keep his movements hidden and lie to his wife? Why act like a shady piece of shit if he has nothing to hide? 

Except he does have something to hide… 

Could it be a woman? Could Sean be having an affair? 

“I don’t know why he didn’t tell me,” Anna sobs. “I get that he’s mad at me but why do this to me? I’ve been apologizing and trying to get him to return home. I’ve been pleading with him.” 

I stare at her. How is she not considering the possibility that Sean is… in fact cheating? She thinks he’s staying away from home because he’s mad at her? 

Whatever happened to the regular *talk it through* or sleeping in the guest room if things can’t be solved through peace talks? 

Where in the world is he sleeping if he’s not staying home? A hotel? Oh please. Everyone knows Sean’s too fucking stingy to spend the night alone in a hotel to pay for their expensive cuisines and hot towels. 

Chapter 20 

Hell, he even has Anna give accounts of her spending sometimes, forgetting that before she met him, she had a job that paid way higher than his. 

“Anna,” I call out softly, needing to broach this subject carefully. “Have you noticed anything else lately?” 

Her brows furrow. “Like what?” 

“I don’t know. Anything out of the usual.” 

“Other than the drastic change in his attitude over the past couple of months, no. And you that’s only because he got promoted and the workload is heavy for Sean.” 

I hold her stare, unflinching. Jeez, Anna needs to wake up. “No, I don’t know. Actually, we don’t know. Sean’s always been an oddball, but the change…we both know there was nothing normal about that. It had nothing to do with stress.” 

She stands. “What are you insinuating?” 

I swallow, hating myself. “The signs are glaring, Anna. Sean is… There’s someone else. There has to be.” 

Anna laughs. “Oh, May. You don’t know anything about Sean. He’d never cheat on me. He loves me so much.” 

Right. I don’t back down though. “That’s what every woman says right before they find out. They actively try to convince themselves that the reason why he changed is their fault. And even when the truth stands in their faces, they say the exact same words you just uttered. No one changes that quickly. It’s either they fell out of love or there’s someone else.” 

“And what would you know about relationships or love? Don’t lecture me on things you’ve never experienced,” Anna gushes, tears slipping from her eyes. 

Tears prick my eyes. “That’s not fair. Because I have not been through it doesn’t mean I can’t 

see what’s in front of me.” 

Anna practically groans. “And what is that? Sean is a good man. He’s worked his ass off for this family–” 

“As he should! Who else is supposed to take care of the family after he made you resign and told you he would?! Who else is supposed to pay the bills when he made you quit working just to feel like the man of the house?” 

“Stop talking, May!” Anna screams at me. “Don’t walk into my home and accuse my husband of such despicable things! You don’t know anything. You’re an outsider!” 

Only too late does Anna realize what she just said to me. It hits me like a brick tossed at my chest. “I’m an outsider?” 

Her eyes widen with disdain and regret. 

Chapter 20 

“May, that’s not what I meant.” 

I raise a hand, stifling the urge to start bawling. I understand. I should have known it for some time that I was no longer family. That in the face of your husband and children, the promises we made to each other that we’d stick together no matter what, tell each other the truth regardless of how badly it hurt, comfort each other always… I should have known they wouldn’t hold water in the face of your new family.” A bitter chuckle escapes me as I head for the door. “I’m an outsider.” 

Anna’s rushing for me, calling my name and taking her words back, but I’ve always been the type of woman who takes words to heart. 

And her words have already broken my heart.