Chapter 1I Won’t Stay in a Home for Three

After seven years apart, I quit my job and moved back to share an apartment with Johnny. I entered the door code three times, each attempt rejected. When the door opened, it wasn’t Johnny but my best friend Gigi standing there, wearing his button-down shirt that barely covered her thighs.

“Sera! You’re back?” Her smile was casual. “Had a fight with my roommates, so I’ve been crashing here.”

Johnny emerged from the bathroom. “Stop blocking the door,” he snapped. “Gigi takes the master bedroom. You’re in the guest room tonight.”

Irritation masked his face, but his familiar inner voice rang clear in my mind. [We’ve been apart so long. Have you fallen for someone else? Sera, say this is our place. Tell her to leave. Make a scene. Show you care.]

For seven years, this was his pattern. Late replies meant dinners with Gigi. Missed weekends meant she stayed over. Before, I would have cried, demanded answers, thrown the tantrum he craved.

This time, my eyes caught the pink towel around his waist and the lace bra on the balcony. The questions died in my throat. I stepped back, gripped my suitcase, and turned away. A home built for three was not mine to claim.