Page 1 of The Vow Thief
Prologue - Before the Cabin
Matt’s POV - Before The Cabin
Was it possible to love one person yet want another? I already knew the answer to that question. Yes.
The more I tried to convince Sarah that I had made a mistake and wanted her, and only her, the more my deepest inner thoughts contradicted me.
Sarah was cautiously warm this morning, and I took every opportunity to cherish her in some way. A reminder that I was here, I was home.
She was giving me more of her time; maybe she was coming around to the idea of reconciling. At least, that was what I told myself. The cabin trip was a step in the right direction.
She stood at the kitchen counter in yoga pants and a tight-fitting tank top, her blonde hair shining in the soft light coming through the kitchen window.
Every day, I reminded myself I was doing the right thing by fighting for this marriage. Ten years, two kids, I couldn't just let it dissolve into nothing. I remembered months ago when Sarah stood in front of Lily, steady in the presence of the woman who had detonated our lives, which only made my mistake clearer.
Don't get me wrong, I wanted Lily. She made me feel things I hadn't felt in years. But once the affair was out in the open, being with her was poisoned by shame. I told her she was a regret, when the truth was harsher. My real regret was letting my life with Sarah run on autopilot until Lily even had the chance to exist.
If Sarah and I could claw our way back to something better than before, I could live with that.
I set my mug down and tugged lightly at the knot of her hair.“I need to swing by the office before we hit the road.”
Her brows pinched together, and I almost smiled. That look used to mean she was about to call me out. Now it just reminded me how far we’d drifted.
“It’s Saturday.”
“Yeah, and everyone’s there but me,” I said with a crooked smile.“I just need my iPad and five minutes with Holloway. He closed a big deal on Thursday and has everyone scrambling. I’ll be an hour, tops. I really want to get to the cabin before sundown.”
She stayed quiet, but I felt it. The uncertainty. The hole where trust once lived.
I leaned in, pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, then another to the tip of her nose.
She tried to smile, but it faltered as I turned for the door.
I stepped out onto the porch, surprised by how much it felt like home again. The neighborhood sounds settled around me, and by the time I hit the road, Lenny Kravitz thumped through the speakers, my fingers kept time on the steering wheel.
My thoughts spun louder than the music as I drove. I turned the volume down, needing the quiet to follow where my mind was headed. What if I told Sarah about the relocation offer and she told me to go without her? What if she refused to go at all?
When the office lot came into view, I spotted Lily’s car and let out a low, humorless laugh.“Figures,” I said to no one. I killed the engine but didn’t move, eyes fixed on the familiar dent in her rear bumper. There was a time when seeing this made me feel alive. Now it just made me want to turn the fuck around. My pulse betrayed me, quickening at the knowledge that she was inside, even while my gut reminded me of the wreckage she'd left behind.
The office was quieter than I expected. My colleagues focused on their screens. I was halfway to my office when Lily intercepted me in the hallway, leaning against the wall. Her dark hair was pulled into a sleek twist, her lipstick applied with precision. My body hadn’t forgotten her, even if my mind replayed the cost every time she crossed my path. I stepped around her to keep moving, but she was quick and whirled in front of me like a dance move.
“Morning,” she said, smiling just a little too long.“Thought anymore about that relocation package?”
I froze for a half-second.“How do you know about that?”
Her smile tilted, smug and unhurried.“I typed it up. Who else would have put all that together?” She let her eyes run over my frame before adding,“I made it look good, by the way.”
I frowned.“That was confidential, Lily.”
She crossed her arms like it was a game.“You’re welcome. And for what it’s worth, if you decide to go, I would go with you. We could make a clean start somewhere new.”
I stared at her. Fuck, those lips. I shook my head, like I could rattle her out of it. Damn it, Matt. Stop. Avoid her. Avoid her at all costs. I forced my voice steady.“What are you talking about?”
She stepped closer, lowering her voice.“Somewhere without all this. No awkward stares, no history. Just us. You would have my full attention, and I would finally have yours.”
I took a deliberate step toward her.
Her eyes brightened, a spark of expectation flashing like she thought I was finally going to agree.
