My Germaphobe Wife Likes His Germs

My buddy, Jayden Jenkins, has come over to my place again to mooch a free meal. It is scorching hot outside, and I am sweating over the stove in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Jayden is lounging in the air-conditioned living room. After biting the tip off a strawberry, he pulls my wife, Willow Simpson, into his arms and casually pops the rest into her mouth. "Here, Willow. Help me finish it," he says with a wicked grin. "It's rare enough that this cheap bastard Caius finally buys strawberries. Now he'll complain that I wasted one if I don't finish it." I wipe the sweat from my forehead and glance toward the living room, just in time to see Willow swallow the half-eaten strawberry. The thing is, she is a serious germaphobe. We've been married for years, and even kissing me is something she rarely allows. I remember another sweltering evening. After playing basketball, I bought a Coke and offered her the half-finished cup. "Willow, you must be thirsty. Here, take a sip. It's nice and cold. It'll cool you down." She slapped the cup away and snapped, "Caius, do you have any idea how many kinds of bacteria are in saliva? Don't ever do something that disgusting again." On that crowded field, people stared at our exchange, some barely hiding their amusement. I froze, my hand still hovering near her forehead as I tried to wipe away her sweat. I knew I would never forget the humiliation I felt in that moment. But I told myself she was simply distant and hard to please. Again and again, I reminded myself not to be so sensitive and to respect her boundaries. Turns out, that wasn't the case. She can set aside her fear of germs. She just isn't willing to do it for me. Chapter 1 "Shit—" A sharp pain yanked me out of my thoughts. While I was lost in thought, the knife slipped and cut deep into my left index finger. Blood dripped onto the loin on the cutting board. Jayden Jenkins rushed over when he heard me. The moment he saw the blood, his face fell. "Seriously, Caius? Now there's blood all over the meat. How are we supposed to eat that?" Jayden gave me a playful punch on the shoulder. "What's with you, buddy? You're really not going to let me have a bite?" Willow Simpson stood right beside him. She saw the deep cut and my nearly torn-off nail, but all she said was, "Caius, wash the meat. Scrub it clean. I don't want any blood getting on it." I stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. Then, I slammed the knife onto the cutting board and shoved my bloody hand in front of her face. "Willow, take a good look. How exactly am I supposed to wash anything like this?" She glanced at it once, then calmly looked away. "It's just a small cut. Put a waterproof bandage on it. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?" "See? Willow's the one who actually cares about me," Jayden chimed in with a sarcastic grin. "Come on, Willow. Help me out here and talk some sense into him." I whipped around, my expression turning cold. "Jayden, shut the hell up." Then I turned to Willow and stared at her. "Willow, are you two really that comfortable with each other?" Jayden froze for a second before bursting out laughing. "So this is what all the drama is about? See, Willow? I told you he was petty." Willow frowned and gently pulled Jayden away from me, as if she were worried I might actually lose my temper. Then she turned to him with a soft smile. "You know that, and you still keep provoking him? If he loses his temper and actually hits you, I'm not taking your side." Jayden raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip on her arm. "You have to take my side. You know I'm a baby when it comes to pain." In that moment, watching the quiet affection and effortless understanding between them, I suddenly felt exhausted. I no longer had the energy to argue. When Willow turned her gaze back to me, her expression had turned cold. "He's your best friend. I'm just helping you keep him entertained since you're too busy to do it yourself. And now you're really picking a fight over one strawberry, Caius? Are you being serious right now?" Then she grabbed Jayden and headed for the door. "Forget him and his attitude. We'll eat somewhere else." Soon, I heard the door slam shut, and the apartment fell silent. I stood there, listening to their voices fade, and slowly lowered my head. Three plates of steak sat on the dining table. It was Jayden's favorite, but I'd never been a fan of meat that wasn't cooked through. My stomach simply couldn't handle it. Yet I spent hours sweating over the stove in the sweltering heat, making all of it just for him. We'd been friends for more than a decade, ever since elementary school. I'd never once been stingy with him or thought twice about sharing what I had. But Jayden, who proudly claimed he never wanted to settle down, had somehow turned my house into his personal dining hall. He showed up at my place for two out of every three meals, perfectly comfortable ordering me around—and growing increasingly close to my wife. But whenever something bothered me, I told myself I was overthinking it, that I was being petty. I swallowed my jealousy and resentment, convincing myself that if I just put up with it, I could hold on to both my marriage and my friendship. But now, the hollow ache in my chest was becoming impossible to ignore, making the pain in my finger feel insignificant by comparison. I wrapped a towel around my hand, but the blood quickly soaked through. I grabbed my bag, called a cab, and headed to the hospital. In the back seat, I called my boss. To my surprise, my voice sounded calm. "Mr. Walker, I'll take the assignment in Northpass." There was a brief silence. He clearly hadn't expected that. "Caius, are you serious? I thought you said you needed to put your family first." I replied, "I don't anymore." I watched the city blur past the window, letting the silence stretch for a moment. "I'll be getting divorced soon. There won't be anyone left for me to worry about." After I hung up, I rested my head against the window. Willow and Jayden had taken more than a decade of my youth, loyalty, and devotion. And now, I didn't want either of them in my life anymore. Chapter 2 The door to the exam room opened, and Selena Collins, the attending physician, called my name. "How did this happen?" she asked, pulling on a pair of gloves and gently examining my finger with a pair of tweezers. When she realized how serious the wound was, she immediately frowned. "That's a deep cut. You've injured the tendon, too. You'll need stitches." I pressed my lips together and said nothing. As she prepared the anesthetic, she reminisced. "I remember you. You came in before with a cut. "The woman who brought you in last time seemed pretty cold, but she was so worried about you. She practically carried you into the hospital and cried so much she ruined her makeup. Why isn't she here this time?" Her words sent me drifting back to that memory. We'd only been living together for a short time then. I'd broken a teacup in the kitchen and stepped on a shard of glass while cleaning it up. It was barely more than a scratch. Feeling playful, I deliberately limped over to Willow and exaggerated my injury. She was working on an important project, her computer screen filled with lines of code. Knowing how busy she was, I quickly waved off her concern. "I'm kidding. It's nothing. Just a little cut." But she immediately got to her feet and insisted on taking me to the hospital. She supported me the entire way, stubbornly bearing half my weight as sweat beaded on her forehead. Feeling guilty, I tried to stop her. "Babe, I'm too heavy, and everyone's watching. I can walk on my own." But her arm only tightened stubbornly around my waist. "I'm fine," she said in that stubborn, serious voice. "Caius, you need to take better care of yourself. Getting cut by glass can be dangerous." Selena was still reminiscing about that time when she said, "You two were so in love." I forced a smile and interrupted her. "We broke up." She paused awkwardly before offering a dry consolation. "Well, you're young. You'll meet someone better." I felt every pull of the stitches as Selena worked. I stared at the ceiling, but all I could see was Jayden's latest social media post. He'd posted nine photos, all taken at the movie theater. Willow sat beside him in every one. The woman who usually hated having her picture taken was looking straight at the camera, a faint smile on her lips in each shot. Jayden's caption read, "A man doesn't need much to be happy. A nice evening, a beautiful sunset, and a silly woman willing to sit through the world's most boring movie with him." Suddenly, I remembered our wedding day. All our friends had joked that Willow was completely out of my league—beautiful, aloof, and the kind of woman who could freeze you with a single look. None of them could believe that someone like her had chosen me. When Jayden heard it, he glanced at me with a teasing smile. "Caius, you'd better hold on to her. Willow's gorgeous. You never know how many guys might come after her." Then he looked me up and down. "And you? You're just some ordinary guy. Willow must've been blind to pick you." The words cut deeper than I wanted to admit. I was about to argue when Willow's gaze settled calmly on Jayden. "Jayden, just because you lack confidence doesn't mean everyone else does. Caius is the partner I chose. I'm happy with him. It has nothing to do with you." Jayden's face went pale, then darkened. But now, things had changed. I stared at his smug smile on my phone. The two people who used to clash at every turn were now sharing strawberries, sitting side by side in the dark of a movie theater, and sharing a kind of intimacy I'd always thought was meant for me. I closed my eyes, overcome by a deep sense of sadness. I remembered asking Willow, unable to hide my disappointment, why she wouldn't even go to the movies with me. She flipped through a stack of documents without even looking up as she answered, "Movie theater seats are dirty. The speakers are too loud. Besides, I don't have time for that." Her excuses had always sounded so reasonable that I could never argue with them. Eventually, after I confronted her about her interactions with Jayden, all my resentment spilling out, she looked at me the way you might look at an unreasonable child. "You're my husband. I don't have to put on an act around you. I can be honest about what I like and what I don't. With Jayden, I have to be more accommodating. It's harder to turn him down without making things awkward." She even added at the end, "Is that clear enough?" It seemed that because I was her husband, she expected me to accept all her impatience and every hurtful truth she had no problem throwing my way. When the stitches were done, Selena told me not to get the wound wet for the next few days. I nodded mechanically. After I left the hospital, I took a cab straight to a law firm. The attorney was a gentle, middle-aged woman. She listened as I explained what I wanted. She then explained, "As for the assets in your wife's name—" "I don't want anything," I cut her off. "She can have it all. I only have one request—make it fast. I'm leaving the country in seven days." By the time I left the law firm, the sky was already dark. The streetlights cast a dim glow as I stood on the sidewalk waiting for a ride. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit me. That was when I remembered I hadn't eaten anything all day. I'd been grocery shopping and cooking since morning without a break, and now the hunger was finally catching up. I tried to make it to a convenience store to grab some chocolate, but after only a few steps, my vision suddenly went black, and I collapsed onto the sidewalk. Pain shot through my knee as it hit the ground. I clenched my teeth and forced myself to stay conscious long enough to pull out my phone and call my emergency contact. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy." Willow didn't answer. I called again. She rejected the call after the first ring this time. Then my screen lit up with a voice message from Jayden. "What the hell is wrong with you, Caius? Why do you keep calling? Willow and I are in the middle of a game. She doesn't have time to deal with you!" He then let out a mocking laugh. "Fine, I'll be generous. If you miss her that much, I'll let you hear your wife beg me to—" I lay there on the ground as the last of my strength drained away. My mind grew hazy. Through the fog, I felt several hands searching through my clothes. Then came a low, knowing laugh. "Damn, he's passed out. Looks like he's got money. No cameras around here... Should we take advantage of it?" Chapter 3 When the group of thugs surrounded me, I still hoped they would leave soon enough after taking whatever they wanted. But the moment one of them reached toward the pocket over my chest, real panic set in. "Get away from me!" My phone wasn't worth much. What mattered was the confidential bid proposal stored on it—the one I needed for tomorrow's board meeting. If it got leaked, my career would be over. "Wow, look at him protecting it." The blond-haired guy leading the group narrowed his eyes. "Get his hands off it." The first wave of pain hit my ribs. Someone kicked me hard, and my whole body jolted. A metallic taste filled my mouth. I curled up in pain but still refused to let go. "Damn it! You asked for this." The blows kept coming. My arms grew numb as I shielded my head, nausea churning in my stomach. Faintly, through my phone, I heard the sound of a game ending in victory. "Hell yeah! Willow, I got a pentakill!" Jayden laughed. "Remember your promise?" Willow's voice came through, unusually shy. "Okay… Jayden, you can carry me all day long." "So this is why you're protecting this piece of junk?" the blond-haired guy sneered. "What, are you some girl's pathetic lapdog?" Then they burst out laughing. What came next was meant to humiliate me. I felt warm liquid splash across my face, and within seconds, I reeked like a filthy public restroom. I lay there, unable to move, my fingers digging into the cracks in the pavement until my skin split. Eventually, their footsteps faded, along with their mocking voices. "A lapdog always ends up with nothing…" Right then, an old sanitation worker named Ben Westfield pulled up in a beat-up utility cart and hurried over. "Young man, are you okay? Those little bastards…" I coughed and spat out blood. I finally realized that, to Willow, helping Jayden win a game mattered more than answering my call when I was in trouble. Probably more than what was happening to me. And definitely more than the phone in my pocket—the one containing the bid proposal that could determine my future. I finally understood. For three years, I had revolved around her like a fool, always putting her first. But now, at last… I was awake. "Young man, do you want to call your family?" I gripped my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. The screen was cracked beyond repair, and the phone wouldn't even turn on. But even if it had worked, what difference would it have made? Any call to her would only have ended the same way—with her rejecting it. Back then, Willow had set herself as my emergency contact and set up a shortcut so I could call her with a single tap. Her expression was more serious than I'd ever seen when she gave her reasons. "Caius, if you're ever in danger, call me immediately. I don't care where I am or what I'm doing. I'll drop everything, call the police, and send them your location." I laughed and playfully poked her. "What if I'm just bored and want to call you?" Willow had leaned against me, her expression softer than usual. "Even if you call by accident—even if it turns out to be nothing—I'd still rather answer. I can't take the chance that something might happen to you." At that time, I pulled her into my arms, grinning like an idiot. I thought I would never meet anyone who cared about me more than she did. But now, I wiped the blood from my face and felt as if my heart were being scraped raw. I pulled a few bills from my wallet and handed them to Ben. "Thank you, but I'll be okay. I live just up ahead." Seeing that I insisted, Ben could only warn me repeatedly to be careful as he watched me stagger toward home. When I pushed open the door, Willow was standing in the entryway, putting on her shoes. For once, she looked genuinely anxious. But the second she saw me, her face hardened. "Where the hell have you been? Why weren't you answering your phone? Are you seriously staying out this late and refusing to come home over one stupid strawberry?" I caught the brief flicker of concern in her eyes. Under different circumstances, it might have touched me. Instead, it only felt painfully ironic. Maybe she still cared about me in her own way. But when it came down to it, Jayden would always come first. Ben hadn't gone far after making sure I got inside safely. The moment he heard her, his expression hardened with anger. "Watch how you talk to him! He passed out from low blood sugar, got attacked and robbed, and he's hurt pretty badly! Are you seriously that blind?" Willow's expression darkened at being confronted by a stranger. Without a word, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me inside, slamming the door behind us. I was already dizzy, and when she yanked me forward, I stumbled and hit the wall. "Willow, what the hell is wrong with you?" My voice trembled as I stared at her. "You're the one who ignored my calls. You left me out there alone, and now you're acting like I'm the problem?" She said nothing. Her expression darkened as she dragged me into the bathroom and turned on the shower. A blast of freezing water hit me, sending a violent shudder through my entire body. "I'm not supposed to be angry?" Willow stared at me. "Do you smell yourself? You came home like this without even washing up. Do you have any idea how filthy and disgusting you are right now?" My blood ran cold at her words. I tipped my head back and stared at her calm, detached expression. Something inside me finally snapped. "I called you three times before I passed out! Three times! But you were too busy playing games with Jayden. If you'd just answered, I could've—" "Enough!" She cut me off, frowning. "You're a grown man. If you got beaten up that badly, that's on you for being too weak." I froze. In an instant, all the anger I'd been holding onto seemed ridiculous and pointless. I stared at her, barely recognizing the woman who had once been so familiar to me. For the first time, she looked like a stranger. When we were younger, Willow had once looked at me through red-rimmed eyes and made me a promise. "We're the most important people in each other's lives. If I ever do something that hurts you, don't keep it bottled up. Tell me. I want us to stay this way." But somewhere along the way, marriage had changed her. She'd become so calm and detached that it bordered on cruelty. She could pick apart my pain with cold, rational words, never seeming to notice—or care—how deeply they cut. In the dead silence, her phone suddenly rang from the bathroom counter. The ringtone was loud, aggressive rock—completely out of character for Willow. But it was Jayden's favorite song. He'd casually mentioned liking it once, and she had changed her ringtone immediately. She'd never changed it back. Willow let go of me. Ignoring the water dripping from her hands, she grabbed her phone. The moment she answered, her voice softened. "What is it?" Jayden's voice came through the speaker, light and teasing. "Willow, I'm in a bad mood. Come have a drink with me." Chapter 4 Willow softened her voice, speaking to Jayden as gently as she would to a frightened child. "Okay. Just wait for me. I'll be there soon." Seeing how much patience she had for Jayden, I suddenly found it almost ridiculous. She could be endlessly patient with him, but when it came to me, I was always an afterthought—left with the cold silence and whatever little attention remained. I wiped the water from my face, my teeth chattering as I glared at her. "He invites a married woman out for drinks in the middle of the night? Alone?" I let out a bitter laugh. "Tell me, does Jayden really just want a drink—or does he have something else in mind?" Jayden had clearly heard me. "Willow, don't come. Caius seems to have misunderstood our relationship. Forget it. I'll just take a few sleeping pills and try to get through the night. Maybe if I fall asleep, I won't feel so bad…" "Don't be ridiculous!" Willow snapped. "Don't take anything. It's bad for you. I'll be there in five minutes." She hung up and turned to me. The warmth in her eyes was gone, replaced by an icy glare. "Caius Morales, is sarcasm all you're capable of?" Her words hit harder than I expected. "Did you ever stop to think that Jayden might be going through something? Maybe he just needs a drink to clear his head. Why do you always have to make everything about yourself?" I stared at her, my chest tightening as if the air had suddenly been knocked out of me. "Willow Simpson, you're calling me selfish?" I could feel my heart growing colder despite the icy water soaking through my clothes. I met her gaze, refusing to look away. "When he's upset, you care this much about him. But what about me? Why am I always expected to just put up with everything?" She didn't answer. She only looked at me with the weary disappointment you'd give someone who refused to listen. "You're impossible to reason with right now." She slammed the door behind her and walked away. The sound echoed through the room. I didn't know how long I sat there. By the time most of the water on my clothes had dried, I finally forced myself to get up. After washing up and changing into dry clothes, I crawled into bed. It was already 12:30 am. By then, she'd spent four hours drinking with him. Then my phone lit up. It was a message from Jayden. "Sorry, Caius. I had too much to drink, and Willow was worried about me, so she stayed to look after me. I figured you'd probably start overthinking things again." I tightened my grip on my phone until my knuckles turned white. I knew he was trying to provoke me, so I didn't respond. Then another notification appeared. It was a video this time. The room was dimly lit, with only a warm bedside lamp. Willow sat beside him, her usually stern expression softened as she quietly hummed, trying to lull him to sleep. Jayden leaned against her, one hand wrapped around her arm, his head resting comfortably on her shoulder. Then Jayden opened his eyes, a mischievous glint in them as he leaned closer to Willow. "Can I get a goodnight kiss?" Willow froze, looking caught off guard. "Stop it." But Jayden moved closer. "Just one. Please?" he coaxed. "Don't worry. Caius will never know." Willow fell silent. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then she slowly closed her eyes. The video showed them kissing. Then, without warning, it cut off. A message appeared on the screen—Message unsent. But those few seconds had already burned themselves into my mind. My hands trembled as I stared at the screen. After a long moment, I typed two words into the chat. "You're just a pathetic homewrecker." Right after I hit send, my phone began vibrating nonstop. Chapter 5 Willow's name flashed across my screen again and again. I stared at it, almost amused by the irony. Of course Jayden had gone running to her, and of course she'd come after me demanding an explanation. I knew exactly how this would play out. And yet, when her call finally came through, all I felt was a deep, bitter disappointment. I let the phone ring until it stopped. Then I calmly blocked her number, powered off my phone, and set it aside. For the next three days, Willow seemed determined to punish me with silence. She didn't come home, call, or send a single message. Jayden, meanwhile, kept posting updates about their fun online. "Checking out the new art museum. Having a beautiful woman by my side definitely turns some heads." The photo showed Willow in profile, listening to him with a soft, almost tender expression. Then came another post. "Late-night dinner. Someone insisted this steak place was amazing. We waited two hours and nearly starved, but it was totally worth it." In the photo, Willow was holding a fork to his mouth, feeding him the first bite. I scrolled through the pictures, one after another. By then, something inside me had gone completely numb. It felt like I was watching someone else's life—one that had nothing to do with me. Still, I left a comment beneath his post. "You two look so sweet." Meanwhile, I focused on packing my things. A few days later, I pulled my suitcase out of the house and headed to a college friend's wedding. When I arrived at the hotel, I paused outside and took a deep breath. The bride had been Willow's college roommate, and she was also a close friend of both Jayden and me. So I was certain that Willow and Jayden would be there. The moment I stepped into the ballroom, several former classmates gathered around me. "Caius, where's Willow? I thought you two were coming together. It's been years since we've all been in the same room." I forced a smile. "She'll be here. Just... not with me." They immediately noticed that something was off. The atmosphere turned awkward, and no one dared to ask another question. Just then, a commotion stirred near the entrance. Willow had arrived. She stepped into the ballroom with Jayden on her arm. Her eyes met mine for barely a second before she looked away, her expression cold and indifferent—as if I wasn't even there. She went straight to the table, pulled out a chair for him, and asked gently, "Are you tired? Do you want some water?" Jayden glanced over at me before deliberately pulling away from Willow. "Hey, don't cling to me like that. Caius is watching. He'll start giving me a hard time again." Willow gave a cold laugh. "Just ignore him. He's being ridiculous." The conversation at the table died instantly. One by one, our friends exchanged awkward glances, clearly unsure of what to say. I sat there feeling like everyone was staring at me. Finally, I stood and smiled at the group. "I'm going to the restroom." I splashed cold water on my face, trying to clear my head. Then the door swung open. Jayden stepped inside and caught my eye in the mirror. "Caius, you've been lucky your whole life, but that's all you've got going for you. You're not better-looking than me, and your family isn't anything special. So how did you ever manage to end up with someone like Willow?" He stepped closer, his voice dripping with mockery. "Good thing she ended up choosing me anyway." I stared at him for a moment before pulling the divorce papers from my bag and laying them across the counter. "You want her?" I asked quietly. "Fine. She's yours." Jayden froze. Then he snatched up the papers, glanced over them, and let out a mocking laugh. "You couldn't compete with me, so now you're pretending to just hand her to me?" He sneered. "That's pathetic." He took the papers and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. I took a moment to collect myself. I had planned to say goodbye to everyone and leave. But as I approached the private dining room, I heard the bride's hushed voice from inside. "Willow... does Caius know what happened back then?" Chapter 6 My heart lurched at the bride's question. A brief silence followed before Willow finally spoke. "No, he doesn't know, and he never will." "Why are you doing this to yourself?" another classmate asked with a sigh. "Jayden has stayed single all these years because of you. He loves you, and he feels guilty about what happened with Caius. I even heard he can't sleep without taking sleeping pills anymore." "I know." Willow's voice was cold and steady. "I was drunk that night. I thought he was Caius... and he took advantage of me." "Then are you planning to keep this from Caius forever?" someone asked. "What choice do I have?" Willow snapped. "What am I supposed to tell him? That I slept with his best friend the night before our wedding? What good would that do besides destroy him?" She fell silent for a moment before continuing, her voice quieter. "I've only ever loved Caius. But Jayden was my first, and that means something too. I'm not going to divorce Caius. All I can do now is find a way to make things right with Jayden." I stood frozen, listening to the painful truth unfold in voices I knew so well. Among them was the college friend who had once shared a dorm room with me, along with people I had considered some of my closest confidants. I had always believed we were important to one another… that we trusted each other… that after everything we'd been through together, they would never keep something this significant from me. But they had. They had all known the truth and deliberately kept it from me for three whole years. I let out a bitter smile, my heart feeling as though it had been ripped apart. But I was leaving anyway. What was the point of holding on to any of this now? I turned and walked away. Suddenly, Jayden rushed out and dropped to his knees in front of me, punching himself hard in the face. He grabbed my arm. "Caius! I'm sorry! I was drunk that night. It had nothing to do with Willow. I'm sorry! Please, don't go to her office and cause a scene. If you're angry, take it out on me!" The commotion brought everyone rushing out. When Willow saw me, she froze, looking genuinely shaken for once. Then she noticed the bruise on Jayden's face, and fury flashed across her eyes. Without a word, she stormed over and slapped me across the face. "Caius Morales! Was causing a scene at home not enough? You had to come here and cause trouble too?" The force of the slap sent me stumbling, my cheek throbbing with pain. Our mutual friends immediately rushed to Jayden's side, helping him to his feet and crowding around him. "Jayden, don't worry. This isn't your fault." One of them turned on me. "Caius, stop being so petty. So what if you found out? Jayden was drunk. He didn't even know what he was doing. It was an accident." I dug my nails into my palm, forcing myself to stay on my feet. "I didn't hit him. There are security cameras around this place. Check the footage if you don't believe me." Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away. "Stop!" Willow grabbed my wrist. "You owe Jayden an apology." I turned to look at her. There was no warmth left in the eyes I had once loved. So this was really the end. I pulled my wrist free and gave her a bitter smile. "I'm sorry. Is that enough? Can I leave now?" Something in my expression made her freeze. Her grip loosened. I walked out of the hotel, hailed a cab, and headed straight to the airport. In the back seat, I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror. My cheek was swollen and red, and the sting of the slap still lingered. I let out a quiet laugh, but nothing was amusing about it. My eyes were heavy with sorrow. Just before my flight took off, my phone buzzed. It was a photo from Jayden. In the bottom corner of the divorce papers was Willow's signature, the ink still fresh. I closed my eyes, and the tears I'd been holding back finally slipped down my cheeks. Goodbye, Willow. Goodbye to my foolish, painful first love.