Chapter 1 (Felicity)

                                        

                                              
Copyright © 2025 All rights reserved. 
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. 
NOTE:
A few notes about this 온라인카지노게임: While there's no cheating, the male main character makes a significant mistake by essentially becoming emotionally distant from his wife. This is a reconciliation 온라인카지노게임 where Caden (MMC) and Felicity (FMC) work things out together. If you prefer other types of romance, this might not be for you. The 온라인카지노게임 focuses on Caden recognizing his failures and making amends, understanding how he missed so much in his life, while Felicity discovers herself and learns that personal growth doesn't mean sacrificing her marriage. The 온라인카지노게임 comes with emotional nuance that will follow a path in which a couple finds themselves and their love again. It is not a fast read. But I hope it will be a memorable one for you. It has certainly been a memorable one for me!
The Dior bag gleamed under the kitchen lights like a beacon of everything wrong with my marriage.
I stood frozen in the doorway. The grocery bags cut into my fingers as I watched my stepdaughter Macy trace her fingers over the embossed leather. 
It was the exact shade of powder beige I'd circled in the catalog. The precise gold hardware I'd screenshot and texted to Caden three weeks ago with the message: This is what I want for my birthday. Please don't send Lauren to get something for me this year. I just want this. Nothing else. Just this.
"That's a beautiful purse, Macy," I said, forcing my voice to remain calm and steady.
Caden's head snapped up from the algebra worksheet in front of them. His blue eyes widened with what was clearly panic. "Oh, hey babe. Didn't hear you come in." His voice sounded gravelly and his gaze darted between me and the purse. "We were just—"
"I found it today!" Macy chirped, hugging the bag to her chest. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Dad said it was for the first day of school next month. Isn't he the best?"
The grocery bags slipped from my numb fingers.
"Shit." Caden jumped up as a jar of my favorite tomato basil sauce hit the ground and shattered across our kitchen floor. "Felicity, are you okay?"
No. The word wouldn't come out, feeling instead stuck in my throat. I stared at the mess the sauce had made. 
My birthday was in four days. The purse - my fucking purse, the one thing I'd specifically asked for - was now promised to an eleven-year-old for the first day of school.
"I'm fine." I coughed out. I grabbed paper towels from the counter, tossing towels on the floor to contain the sauce before it spread any further. "Macy, honey, why don't you take your homework upstairs?"
"But we're not done—"
"Now, please." I snapped out. The sharp edge in my voice made both their heads shoot up from where they'd been watching me clean the sauce. 
I sighed. My shoulders drooping and I softened my voice. I gave Macy a small smile that should have shouted to my husband how much my heart was breaking. "You can finish after dinner."
Macy gathered her things, clutching the designer purse like a security blanket. "You're not mad about the purse, are you, Felicity? Dad said it was okay..."
"Of course not, sweetheart." The lie burned my throat. "Go on upstairs."
She bounced out, the $2,000 bag swinging from her thin shoulder. A bag I had no doubt would be battered within a week by an eleven-year-old's carelessness.
"Felicity—" Caden started. 
I shushed him and once she was out of hearing range I spit out "Don't."