She’s different.

She wanted me despite who I was. That meant something to me, and I didn’t want to lose it.

That was when I decided exactly how I’d prevent it from happening.

I’m going to make her fall in love with me.

Fifteen

Whitney

Present day

My first night in the she-shed turned into a sleepover with Cricket, and that was totally fine by me. At least, until she had to leave at the ass crack of dawn to lead a hike up into the mountains, and I couldn’t fall back to sleep.

Being home unsettles me.

With Cricket’s bright chatter around, it’s easy to block out thoughts of Lincoln, but as soon as I’m left with silence, everything about him and our history comes rushing back.

For ten years, I’ve been telling myself my memory made too much of it. That it wasn’t as good as I remember. That’s what I needed to tell myself to get through the days of being Ricky Rango’s wife.

I never should have married him.

But at the time, there was no other choice. I’d only agreed to marry him if he stayed true to his promise to be faithful. And shockingly, he did.

At least until I went in for my annual physical earlier this year, and my doctor delivered the bad news that I had an STD. Antibiotics might have fixed the medical part of it . . . but absolutely nothing could change the fact that my marriage was over.

When I confronted Ricky, he blamed me. Said I must have gotten it from cheating on him. That accusation caught me completely off guard, and I knew it had to be coming from the guilt. Monogamy was the one thing he promised me in return for everything I did for him. The only thing.

I should have known he couldn’t keep that promise.

My world revolved around his career. Going wherever his tour took us. Making sure he never disappointed his fans. Keeping him off drugs and away from damaging publicity.

He’d been careful; I’d give him that. He hadn’t gotten caught by the paparazzi. But that didn’t change a thing.

I refused to be that woman. I wasn’t going to give him another day of my life when he refused to treat me with the most basic level of respect, and had been lying to me for who knows how long.

I’ll still never forget his face when I told him it was over and I was filing for divorce.

Absolutely stunned shock.

Then came the rage. His screams that I would never humiliate him like that.

I stayed stoic. Refused to back down.

That’s when he turned cruel.

I can still hear his words ringing in my head. “I don’t know why you care now. I’ve been fucking around for ten years. I never loved you. I needed you. There’s a difference.”

Then I played my trump card. I told him he’d give me a quick and quiet divorce, or I’d tell the truth and everyone would know what a fraud he’d always been.