Chapter 1

After Matthew hung up on me, I called him again. Seventeen times, he refused to answer. Left with no other choice, I sent him a message about the divorce.

It did not take long before he called back. Before I could get a word in, he launched into a furious tirade.

"Do you even have a heart, Cat? Megs fell into the river! She’s still so young, she was scared, and now you’re talking about divorce and lying about being pregnant?

“And you’ve got Sarah pulling the same stunt on Patrick. Do you think we’re idiots?

"I’ve said it before—Megs is our sister. She’s young and needs us to take care of her. We’ve been looking after her since she was little, and just because we’re married now doesn’t mean that changes.

"You both need to understand your place. You’re older than her. You should be good to Megs. Don’t you get that?"

Listening to his endless complaints, I felt a surge of bitter irony.

Megan was less than two months younger than Sarah and I. She was taller and heavier than both of us.

"I don’t get it!" I shot back. "I want a divorce! And I mean it!"

The moment I uttered the word ‘divorce’, he froze, his breathing heavy before rage filled his voice once again.

"Do you think marriage is some kind of joke? You think you can just get married and divorced on a whim? If you're not going to bother visiting the hospital to help with Megs, that’s fine but don’t sit there being petty. I married you, didn’t I? What more do you want—why are you always stirring up trouble?"

Ha ha ha what a joke.

He married me.

Yes, I had pursued him for years, and in the end, it was Sarah who brought us together. If I had known marriage would lead to this, I would have preferred to admire Matthew from afar for the rest of my life—at least then I would have had a dream to hold onto.

I opened my mouth to speak, but then I heard Megan’s whiny voice on the other end, demanding that he bring her some water.

Without waiting for me to respond, Matthew hung up the phone. I suspect he even blocked my contact.

As I sat on the bed, I stared out the window, memories of the rock climbing accident flooding back.

Sarah and I had planned the trip together with no thought of Megan joining us. But when she found out, she insisted on coming along. Matthew and Patrick, always overly indulgent of her, agreed, saying it would be more lively with her there.

Megan loved thrill-seeking activities like rock climbing, white-water rafting, and other extreme sports. As Matthew is a rock-climbing instructor and Patrick a swimming champion, neither objected when she suggested we go for some adventure climbing.

At first, Matthew watched over Megan and me, while Patrick kept an eye on Sarah. But then, suddenly, all five of our ropes snapped simultaneously, and we plummeted into the raging river below.

At that moment, neither Matthew nor Patrick came to our aid. Instead, they rushed toward Megan and worked together to lift her out of the water.

Megan emerged with no visible injuries, while Sarah and I bore the marks of our ordeal.

Sarah had lost her baby while I was spared mine. We mourned the loss of her child, quietly and bitterly, much like the inevitable end of our fragile marriage.