On our wedding night, the man who'd shared my bed was a homeless stranger. Stan had spent three years weaving a web of lies, all to destroy me for Annette Simmons's sake.
I closed my eyes on that operating table, filled with despair and hatred.
When I opened them again, I was back. Right here. The exact day my best friend had insisted on playing matchmaker.
...
Leona Fox was chattering away beside me.
"Jade Kaufman, what do you think of Clyde's executive assistant, Stan Delgado?"
"He's Clyde's most trusted man. Gorgeous, too. You two would be absolutely perfect together!"
I stared at the scene before me, nails digging into my palms until the skin broke.
The sharp sting confirmed it. I was really alive again.
In my last life, Leona had been so eager to show off her relationship with Clyde Henson that she'd dragged me into this ridiculous "power couple" scheme.
Out of respect for years of friendship, I'd gone along with it. Let myself be talked into giving Stan a chance.
Stan was a master of disguise.
He'd played the perfect gentleman, attentive to my every need, thoughtful in every way.
Three years of marriage, and he'd been nothing but devoted. I'd genuinely believed I was a happy woman.