Chapter 1

"Clara, are you really leaving Damon behind and moving abroad?" In the quiet café, Clara Rayner laid down her spoon and caught her best friend, Olivia Hyde's startled look from across the table. "I'm already divorced from him," Clara said. Her voice was calm and steady. "Divorced?" Olivia blurted out. She was clearly caught off guard. A beat later, her shock gave way to outrage on Clara's behalf. "And Damon just went along with it? You've treated him so well these past three years. Anyone else would've come around by now. Does he really feel nothing at all?" Clara smiled, and a flicker of emotion crossed her eyes. The truth was, she had no idea if Damon had actually agreed or not. Half a month ago, she'd handed him the divorce agreement. He signed them while he was on the phone—barely listening to a word she said—then took off. He hadn't brought them up since. Now, with just half a month left, she'd finally get the divorce decree and be free. Clara was about to say something when a low voice came from behind them. "Are you done talking?" Both she and Olivia turned to see Damon Croft approaching. He was dressed in a black overcoat. Olivia was still fired up and was ready to call him out. "Damon, Clara just said she's di—" "What brings you here?" Clara quickly reached over and gave Olivia's hand a light pat, signaling her to stop before she could finish. "I saw the forecast. It's supposed to rain soon, so I came to pick you up," Damon said. Smiling, Clara said goodbye to Olivia. Then, she grabbed her bag and headed out with him. Rain tapped against the car windows on the drive home. It filled the silence inside the car. As he sat next to the wife he'd practically married by accident years ago, Damon parted his lips a few times like he was about to say something. But each time, he stopped—probably remembering he hadn't even been home in half a month. After a long, uneasy silence, he finally asked, "Clara, that document you had me sign half a month ago… what was it?" It had been forever, and now he was finally asking her. Then again, he'd been wrapped up with Giselle Sutton this whole time. Why would he bother with something so insignificant? Clara's lips curved into a bitter smile. She was about to answer when Damon's phone rang. "Damon, I drank too much. My head hurts. Can you come get me?" The sweet, lilting voice on the other end made Damon's grip tighten around the steering wheel. His knuckles turned white. A shadow crossed his face as he said, "Giselle, I've told you over and over—I'm married." Giselle went quiet for a second before saying, "So what? I was supposed to be the bride that day, anyway." Her light, careless tone set Damon off. In three years of marriage, Clara had only ever seen him calm and composed—never like this. He slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched as they gripped the road. "Did you come?" Damon asked. Giselle went quiet on the other end of the line. A moment later, her voice wavered with unshed tears. "I'm sorry. I won't bother you again." The call ended abruptly, leaving Damon in an even worse mood. He tapped the steering wheel a few times, then let out a resigned sigh and typed a quick reply. "Send me the address." When Giselle's location popped up, he glanced at Clara with a hint of an apology in his eyes. Clara already knew what he was about to say and spoke first. "Go ahead if you need to take care of something. I'll grab a cab." She pushed open the door and raised her umbrella. Damon felt a flicker of guilt. "I'll come right back when I'm done," he said quietly. Clara nodded. She stood in the rain and watched his car disappear. Her eyes clouded with emotions she couldn't quite untangle. This was her seventh year in love with Damon. She could still picture the moment she first saw him and fell for him instantly—on the basketball court, dressed in his uniform, sinking shot after shot, and single-handedly carrying his team to victory. He was a force of nature out there. The young women erupted around her, some shouting his name, while others excitedly shared that Damon, a star from Aeloria College's Computer Science Department, was from the Croft family in Jeston. But he, the campus heartthrob, had only ever had eyes for one person—his childhood sweetheart, Giselle. They had been together for years. He once blew a ton of money renting out an entire amusement park just to surprise her on her birthday. He had swallowed his pride and begged Giselle to take him back in front of the whole campus—just because she got jealous and blocked his contact after someone confessed to him. He once waited out in the freezing snow until his hands were frostbitten, all because Giselle blew off their date to get her nails done with her roommate. He never said a word about it. All through her four years in college, Clara heard story after story about their romance. She'd always believed she was just a side character in their happily-ever-after. Then, two years ago, Damon rushed to marry Giselle right after graduation. Clara wasn't invited, but she showed up anyway as just another classmate at what everyone called the "wedding of the century". But even after the ceremony started, Giselle was nowhere to be found. Panic set in as Damon kept calling her, only to get a message saying she wasn't ready for marriage yet. She had left the country. That was the day his patience finally snapped. He grabbed the microphone and said, "Today, I, Damon Croft, have decided to marry a different bride! Is any single woman here interested?" Clara, who was usually invisible in a crowd, felt her heart pounding so hard it might burst. She knew plenty of women were in love with him, and the second those words left his mouth, she shot to her feet. That day, she put on a wedding dress that didn't even fit and married a man who barely remembered her name. For the next three years, they lived under the same roof as nothing more than polite strangers until a little over a month ago, when Giselle came back. As she watched Damon push Giselle away one moment and get pulled right back in the next, Clara knew her dreamlike story was over. It was time to let go of the title of Mrs. Croft. That way, he could follow his heart, and she could finally set herself free. Standing in the pouring rain, Clara pulled out her phone and texted Damon. "The document you asked about is in the glove compartment on the passenger side. If you're curious, just open it up."