CHAPTER 11
Game
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 across his 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.
Because this life is a lie.
Dominic gently turns me around to face him. “I have something planned for us tonight,” he says, smiling. “But before that…” His hands slide to my waist, pulling me closer. His mouth brushes my neck, slow and familiar, his lips lingering against my skin.
A shiver runs through me. My body remembers him instantly.
His voice lowers near my ear. “We have plenty of time before I take you out tonight,” he murmurs.
“I missed all of you.” His words carry a quiet hunger that makes my pulse jump.
For a second, I let myself lean into it, into him.
Then my eyes drift toward the staircase and everything in me locks down, bracing.
The stairs feel like a rotten reminder of a place where everything I thought was real might have already broken.
I gently pull away from him. “My head is killing me,” I say softly. “The flight… I think I just need to lie down for a bit.”
Dominic studies my face for a second, concern replacing the playful warmth in his eyes. “Of course, my love,” he says immediately. I turn toward the stairs. Just as I place my foot on the first step, he speaks again.
“Era.” I pause and look back. “Everything okay?” For a moment, the truth almost slips out. But instead I force a small smile.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “Just tired.”
Then I turn and walk upstairs.
* * *
I wake slowly. For a moment I don’t know where I am.
Then the ceiling comes into focus. The soft afternoon light spilling through the curtains.
The familiar quiet of our house. The bed beside me is empty.
Something red catches my eye. Folded neatly at the foot of the bed is a dress.
A deep, rich shade of red. Next to it lies a small handwritten note and I pick it up.
Went for a run. Back soon.
Wear this tonight, my love.
A smile slips onto my face before I can stop it. Unexpected and unwelcome. But there it is. I carry the dress into the bathroom and turn the shower on. Steam quickly fills the room, curling along the mirror as the hot water runs over my skin.
For a few minutes I let myself forget everything. The questions, betrayal, doubt. Just warm water and quiet. When I step out, I wrap a towel around myself and start getting ready. The mirror slowly fills with the version of me Dominic knows.
I curl my hair into loose waves, letting the dark strands fall over my shoulders.
Soft makeup. Just enough. When I open the jewelry box on the dresser, a delicate bracelet catches my eye.
Dominic gave it to me on our second anniversary.
Thin gold links with a small diamond charm that catches the light whenever I move.
I fasten it around my wrist. Then I slip into the red dress. It fits like it was made for me. Soft lace curves along the neckline, dipping just low enough to reveal the gentle line of cleavage. The fabric hugs my waist before falling into a slit that runs high along my thigh.
When I walk downstairs, the front door opens at the same time. Dominic steps inside. He freezes. His eyes travel slowly from my heels to the curve of my waist, up to my face. That look. Possessive and Proud. Like he’s staring at something that belongs entirely to him.
“Well,” he says slowly, shutting the door behind him. “That’s unfair.”
I raise an eyebrow.
He steps closer. “I’d say I want to tear that dress off you right now,” he murmurs, voice dropping. “But that would ruin the surprise I have planned for you tonight.” A slow grin spreads across his face. “So I’ll wait.”
Despite myself, I tug a small smile. He studies me like he’s memorizing every detail.
“I think I’m crushing on my wife all over again.” Then he gestures toward the stairs. “Give me ten minutes. Five to shower. Five to get dressed.”
He winks. “Maybe six if I get distracted thinking about that dress.” Typical Dominic. He disappears upstairs, and moments later the shower turns on, followed by his off-key singing echoing down the hallway.
“Versace on the floor…” He reaches the chorus, loud and dramatic. “Take it off for me, for me, for me…”
I let out a small laugh despite everything.
God.
He’s ridiculous.
Still smiling, I wander toward his office.
Something about it pulls me there. The door creaks open.
His desk sits exactly how he left it. Laptop closed, stacks of medical paperwork neatly arranged.
I slide open the top drawer. Training schedules, hospital forms, continuing education paperwork.
The second drawer holds patient manuals and folders.
Then I pull the bottom drawer. It stops halfway.
Locked.
I tug again.
Nothing.
My eyes scan the room. Bookshelves, desk corners, the small bowl where he sometimes leaves keys.
Nothing.
The office door suddenly opens behind me and I turn.
Dominic stands there, still damp from the shower, a towel draped loosely around his neck.
His body is strong and sculpted from years of early morning runs and long hospital shifts.
Broad shoulders. Defined arms. The kind of quiet strength that makes him look almost carved from stone.
He watches me with mild curiosity. “What are you looking for?”
“Oh—nothing,” I say quickly. “I think I lost one of my earrings earlier. I thought it might’ve fallen in here.”
Then I gesture casually toward the drawer. “Actually… you have a locked drawer.”