The plane lands in San Diego a little after noon. The moment the seatbelt sign turns off, people start standing, reaching for bags, moving like they’re being released back into their real lives. I stay seated for a second longer. The city waits outside the window. Sunny, warm and familiar. Nothing about it looks different. By the time I step out of the airport, the afternoon light feels almost too bright. Palm trees sway lazily in the breeze. Cars rush past in steady lines. Someone nearby is laughing into their phone.
Life.
Normal life.
I pull my suitcase behind me and call an Uber. The whole drive home sits heavy in my chest. A quiet dread spreading through my ribs. Because I know what waits at the end of this drive.
Not answers.
A decision.
The car turns into our neighborhood. Same houses, same trimmed hedges and same quiet streets where nothing bad is supposed to happen. Then we pull into the driveway. My house, our house. Dominic is outside. He’s standing near the rose bushes by the front walk, trimming them carefully with a pair of garden shears while talking on the phone.
For a moment I just sit there in the car, staring at him.Tall, broad shoulders, dark hair catching the sunlight, slightly messy as it falls acrosshis forehead. His jaw is sharp, his features clean and confident in a way that always made people trust him instantly. The kind of man people turn their heads for without even realizing it.
The man I married.
The man who betrayed me.
I grab my suitcase from the trunk and start walking toward the house. Dominic turns just as I reach the walkway. The moment he sees me, his face lights up. He ends the call without another word and walks quickly toward me.
“Babe,” he says, breath warm with relief. “I’ve missed you.”
Before I can react, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me. Soft at first, then deeper. Familiar. Like nothing ever happened. Like he never lied. Like he never touched someone else. For a moment my mind goes completely blank. How is he this good? How is he able to pretend like everything is normal? I pull back slightly and look at him. The man I loved for five years. The question rises in my throat.
Why? Why did you cheat on me?
The words are right there.
Waiting.
But instead—
I grab the front of his shirt and kiss him again. Harder and more passionate this time. Dominic freezes for half a second, surprised. Then he kisses me back. And somewhere in the back of my mind, a cold thought settles into place.
Fine.
If this is the game we’re playing, two can play.
“Let me get that,” Dominic says, taking the suitcase from my hand. “Come inside. I have something for you.”
The moment I step through the door, the smell hits me. Pancakes. Warm, sweet, buttery pancakes on a Wednesday afternoon. He knows me. Not just the obvious things. He remembers the ridiculous, tiny details no one else would notice. The way I like my pancakes slightly undercooked in the middle because I swear they taste better that way. The cinnamon sprinkled into the batter even though the recipe doesn’t call for it. The strawberries sliced thin because I once complained they’re too sour when they’re cut too thick.
On the counter sits a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice, still frothy at the top, with thin slices of orange floating inside the glass like little suns. Next to it is a small bowl of honey butter and a jar of maple syrup he knows I secretly prefer over everything else. And in the center of the counter, a simple glass jar filled with baby’s breath. Tiny white flowers. My favorite.
He always remembers.
Before I can say anything, I feel his arms wrap around me from behind. Strong and familiar. His chest presses against my back as he leans down and kisses the curve behind my ear.
“I love you, babe,” he murmurs.
Then he adds softly, almost playfully, “I even requested today off. I’m all yours the whole day.”
The words sink into me slowly.
All yours.
A quiet thought creeps in before I can stop it. Have you always been just mine? Or have I been sharing you this whole time without even knowing it? I let his arms hold me anyway. The words sink into me like warmth. Part of me soaks them in greedily. The part that loves him for the way he loves me. Another part of me wants to push them away.