Ruptured Loyalty, Revived LoveChapter 1

I am excited to take this trip with my husband, Michael Addam and our daughter Lily, and hoping it would bring us closer.

But on the day we were supposed to leave, Michael bailed on us without warning.

I had called him, upset and confused, but all he said was, "Something came up at work, Emma. Just go without me, and don’t make a big deal out of this!"

But then, at the airport, I was scrolling through Instagram, when a post from Allison, my so-called best friend, stopped me cold. [Thanks for taking me to paradise, M.]

The caption was burned into my brain. I knew exactly what she meant. There were pictures of her on a beach, looking smug and carefree. And there, in one of the photos, was Michael’s hand holding hers. I’d know that hand anywhere.

I spent years trying to hold our family together while he was off with her, ignoring our daughter and me. I clutched the phone so tightly that my heart almost broke.