“I thought you’d make another excuse about your sick kid,” she said, laughing.

“Not tonight,” Jason replied. “I missed you.”

She smiled. “My parents want to meet you. If they like you, they’ll gift me a house.”

He laughed. “We won’t mention my wife. I’m divorcing her soon anyway.”

Then came the part that shattered me.

“As soon as she gets her inheritance, I’m out. No point in leaving with nothing.”

I kept driving, quietly, heart pounding. They arrived at a small house with a porch—somewhere I’d never been. He paid in cash, thanked me like a stranger, and disappeared inside with her. He never looked back. But I did.Days before our anniversary, I asked Jason if he remembered what Saturday meant. He fumbled, then guessed correctly: the day we met. I told him I’d made dinner reservations. He declined, saying he had a work trip. “We’re not the kind of couple that needs anniversaries,” he said.

I nodded, already planning a different kind of evening.

When Saturday came, I dressed Jamie in his best and wore the same blue dress from our first date. We drove to a backyard party at a house I now knew well—Ashley’s house. Jason’s other life.I rang the bell. Ashley answered. She didn’t recognize me at first. I told her I was family-adjacent. She hesitated, then let us in. Her parents welcomed us warmly.