Chapter 1Six Toasts to Betrayal: Exposing My Husband on Our Wedding Day

On the day we signed our marriage license, I scrolled past a viral video on my husband’s secret TikTok account. It was titled "Six Toasts to Myself," and it had millions of likes.

"Toast one: To myself, for stealing my mom's gold ring at age five to propose to her."

"Toast two: To myself, for intentionally bombing the SATs so we could go to the same college."

"Toast three: To myself, for buying her dream house at age thirty."

"Toast four: To myself, for standing by her side through thick and thin for twenty-five years."

"Toast five: To myself, for never breaking a single promise."

In my heart, I chuckled at Liam’s childishness.

But then, I watched him speak his sixth line.

"Toast six: To myself—for sharing the twin swallows with my one true love. No regrets in this lifetime."

I froze. It felt like I had been plunged into an ice bath.

I turned to look at my husband. The swallow tattoo on his collarbone was faintly visible under his shirt.

And the other matching swallow? I had seen it on the shoulder of his junior lab assistant.

* * *

The video already had hundreds of thousands of comments. The top replies were women praising his loyalty.

[Wow, this guy is amazing. I believe in true love again.]

[He loved one woman for 24 years. My ex cheated on me after 4 months. I’m crying!]

[So jealous of his wife! Where do I find a man like this??]

Little did they know, the woman they were so envious of was sitting there, her fingertips trembling against her phone screen.

I opened Mia Thorne’s Instagram page again.

The swallow tattoo on her shoulder was clearly visible in her latest post. The caption was dripping with romantic subtext:

[Sharing the twin swallows with my true love. Isn't this what a lifetime of companionship looks like?]

Tears dropped onto my screen. I finally broke down and cried.

Liam Sterling had been smiling mysteriously at his phone. He turned his head, and seeing my red eyes, a flash of impatience crossed his face.

"Are you reading that toxic internet relationship advice again?"

"Haven't I been good enough to you? I transferred Mia to the out-of-state lab just because you were jealous."

"She’s just a young girl in a new city, who knows how she’s doing..."

My knuckles turned white as I gripped my phone.

I had never doubted Liam’s loyalty until six months ago. My girls' night out had run late, so I asked Liam to pick me up.

I watched with my own eyes as Mia stepped out of his passenger seat, holding a bag of snacks.

When I got in, the passenger side was a mess of crumbs. The car reeked of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

The heavy, gross smell made my throat itch. I casually pulled a cough drop out of my purse, but the moment I unwrapped the plastic, Liam’s face turned vicious. He yelled at me:

"How many times do I have to tell you? No eating in the car!"

"Why can't you ever remember?"

I suppressed my anger and replied, "The car smells terrible. My throat is scratchy."

"If you're uncomfortable, roll down the window! If you take one bite of that, get out of my car!"

In the rearview mirror, Mia watched me with a half-smile, her eyes full of undisguised triumph.

Yet she spoke with a sickeningly sweet, anxious voice. "Liam, you're being so strict with Chloe, it’s scaring me~"

"I won't eat either! Don't be mad, Liam, please don't yell at me! T_T"

Liam’s face softened instantly. He handed her a bottle of water with a doting look.

"It's different with you. You're still practically a kid, you need your snacks."

"Plus, you get carsick. Eating helps your stomach. Don't choke, have some water."

Sitting in that car, I felt like the outsider.

Perhaps noticing my discomfort after dropping Mia off, Liam patiently coaxed me. "Chloe, don't overthink it."

"Our lab director asked me to give her a ride. She was feeling carsick, so I let her sit up front and eat something."

"She's just a young girl, basically like a little sister to me. There is absolutely nothing going on between us! If it bothers you that much, I'll send her to the Paris lab for her fellowship, and she won't come back. Deal?"

As he spoke, he watched my expression through the rearview mirror. Seeing my face soften, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Liam had never been stingy about sweet-talking me.

So, I let it go.

Until a few days later, when I saw Mia's Instagram post.

The young girl was wearing an antique silver locket around her neck, smiling brilliantly.

[Heading off to Paris in a few days. My mentor still treats me like a kid. He gave me this antique locket to keep me safe on my travels.]

That locket was the last thing my mother left me before she died. It was my only keepsake of her.

I sat there stunned for a long time before dialing Liam’s number.

"Who did you give my mother’s silver locket to?"

He answered cleanly, without hesitation: "To Mia."

"Don't read into it. She's leaving for her research in Paris in a few days. The locket has good protective meaning, so I gave it to her for safe travels."

"That was the last thing my mother left me! What right do you have to give it away without my permission?!" I screamed into the phone, my heart tearing open.

Liam’s cold voice came through the receiver:

"It's just a beat-up old necklace. Why are you being so cheap? I'll Venmo you the money for it!"

"Mia is only going to Paris because you're insanely jealous. Think of this as my apology to her on your behalf!"

Through the phone, I could faintly hear Mia whining in her sickeningly sweet voice: "Liam, if Chloe really doesn't want me to have it..."

"It's fine. Ignore her."

Before I could say another word, Liam hung up.

I sat with my mouth open, frozen.

I remembered my mother on her deathbed, holding mine and Liam’s hands, telling us to support each other and stay together forever.

In the end, I swallowed the pain.

Mia was leaving anyway. What kind of sparks could they possibly have from across the world?

So I forced myself to forget the red flags and let myself sink into the blissful bubble of our impending marriage.

I just never expected that bubble to be violently popped today.

I thought about his viral video and the hotel room background that perfectly matched Mia’s latest post.

I looked up at Liam, asking him word by word:

"You didn't come home last night. Where were you?"