The house had never felt so empty. He wandered from room to room, telling himself her absence meant nothing. He'd wanted this, hadn't he? She was the one who'd fallen in love with him, the one who'd mistaken their marriage contract for something more. He'd simply told her the truth.

So why couldn't he stop looking for her?

He picked up her pillow, pressing it against his face as he searched for the faint trace of her perfume. Then he found the top she'd left behind in the closet, holding the soft fabric between his fingers before reluctantly putting it down. And then there was her hair tie.

He stared at it in his palm, his thumb brushing over the worn elastic. Suddenly, he remembered the little things he'd never paid attention to. The way she'd tie her hair up while cooking his favorite meals. The way she'd sit on the couch, waiting for him to come home, pretending she hadn't been watching the clock. The way she'd smile at him, even when he gave her nothing in return.

His fingers tightened around the hair tie.

When had he started remembering all of this? A tear slipped down his cheek before he could stop it. He wiped it away quickly, almost angrily, but another thought crept into his mind, one far more painful than the last.

What was she doing right now?

Was she somewhere laughing with another man? Was there someone else who got to see her smile, someone who held her close and made her feel loved in all the ways he never had? Someone who noticed the little things about her, who made her laugh instead of leaving her to find happiness on her own?

His chest tightened painfully.

What if another man was holding her right now? What if he was the one who got to smell her perfume, hear her laugh, and wake up beside her every morning? What if that man gave her everything he'd been too blind to realize she deserved?

He'd thrown away every chance she'd given him. She'd looked him in the eyes and asked if he could ever love her, and he'd answered never without a second thought. Now, he'd give anything to take those words back.

He looked down at the hair tie in his hand, his jaw trembling as he finally admitted the truth he'd spent weeks trying to bury.

He loved her. God, he loved her. And she'd left believing he never could.

He couldn't change the past. He couldn't undo the nights he'd ignored her, the affection he'd rejected, or the tears she'd cried where he couldn't see them. But he could find her. He didn't care how long it took, how many doors he had to knock on, or how many times she'd tell him to leave her alone.

He would find his wife. And this time, he would fight for her heart—even if it took him the rest of his life to earn it.