DEE
Two Weeks Later
Colt’s been spending a lot of time with Macy and Caleb. After wrapping up his interviews or photo shoots, he heads straight over to their place to spend the evenings with his son. I’ve been staying home, telling myself it’s to give them space and to let them bond without Colt feeling like he has to divide his attention. Caleb deserves that time with his father.
But truthfully? I stay away because I don’t know where I fit into that picture anymore.
Anna’s been coming over most days to keep me company while I work on the band’s PR. She chats, rocks Aston in his stroller, and does her best to distract me. And I try, I try so damn hard to be the supportive wife Colt needs me to be, but the truth is, I feel like a ghost in my own marriage.
Colt’s happy—glowing even.
And me? I’m hollow.
We’re newlyweds, but you wouldn’t know it. I see him in the mornings, and some nights, he comes home after dinner, but even then, it’s late. Our conversations are short, his attention is tired, and I’m left holding pieces of a life I thought we were building together. I feel like I’m losing him one quiet night at a time. And the worst part? I’m not even putting up a fight. Somewhere deep inside, I’ve already convinced myself it’s over. That I’ve already lost.
“Hey,” Anna says, snapping her fingers to pull me from the fog. “Are you even here with me right now?”
I blink at her from across the kitchen table, where I’ve been mindlessly scrolling on my laptop. “I don’t know where I am,Anna,” I admit, my voice flat. “I’m stuck. Lost somewhere in between hope and giving up.”
She reaches across and takes my hand, her other gently rocking Aston’s stroller. “Dee, you’ve got to talk to Colt. He doesn’t know how much you’re hurting if you don’t tell him.”
“I know, but what’s the point?” I say, dragging in a breath. “He needs to be with his son. That’s more important than me right now.”
Anna frowns. “Don’t give me that crap. You’re just as important.”
I shake my head. “I’m not the one who’s sick, Anna. Caleb is. If they don’t find a donor—”
“Then you deal with thatifit happens. But in the meantime, your marriage is falling apart, and it is not because of Colt, Dee. It’s because you’re letting it.”
Her words hit me like a slap, but I don’t flinch. I just nod slowly.
“I don’t have the energy to fight. And I know how this ends. How could I ever compete with Jolene?”
Anna stares at me, confused. “Jolene? Like, the song?”
I nod, and she scoffs, half-laughing. “Jesus, Dee. You’re prettier than Macy McCormack by a mile. Colt loves you, you know that. He’s never looked at another woman the way he looks at you.”
“He would’ve stayed with her,” I whisper. “He told me that fact. If he’d known about Caleb, he would’ve stayed. Macy made a mistake, and now she’s trying to make it right. Who am I to get in the way of that?”
Anna’s face softens, and she squeezes my hand harder. “Stop it. I’ll call Colt myself and tell him what a jerk he’s being. He needs to be here for you too. I hate this vacant look in your eyes. I hate what this is doing to you. You’re my best friend and Colt’s wife. Neither of us wants to lose you.”
“You make it sound like I’m going to do something stupid,” I say, trying to lighten the moment, but Anna doesn’t laugh.
She tilts her head and meets my gaze squarely. “That’sexactlywhat I’m afraid of. You’re fading, Dee. I know what you’re like when Colt’s not around. I’ve seen you fall apart before, and this? This feels like that again. I’m scared. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You really think I’d—”
“I don’t know what you’d do. But I know the signs. And you’re hanging by a thread right now. Please, Dee. Fight for him. For you.”
I clutch her hand tighter. “I promise, Anna. I’m not going anywhere. I couldn’t do that to you or Colt. No matter how dark it gets, I won’t give up like that. I swear.”
She lets out a shaky breath and pulls me into a hug. We cry together, quiet and heavy with all the words we’ve said and all the ones we haven’t.
“I love you, Dee,” she whispers against my hair. “Talk to him. Please. If you don’t, I will.”
I nod, pulling back and wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I’ll try tonight. It’s his birthday tomorrow. Maybe he’ll want to spend it with me.”
“Of course, he will,” she says.
