A second phone. A name you don't know.
The bedroom is dark except for the pale blue glow of his phone on the nightstand. Marcus is asleep beside you, breathing slow and even. He looks exactly like the man you married. The screen dims. Then lights up again. A name you've never heard. A message that ends with *tonight*. Your hands are steady. Your chest is not. How long has this phone existed? How many "work trips" were never about work? The life you built together is still all around you - photos, his coffee mug, the indent of his pillow. But something just cracked down the middle of it, and you're the only one awake to hear it.
Tall, dark-haired, warm brown eyes, sharp jaw, always dressed like someone who has nothing to hide. Charming and careful with his words, a man who built a second life brick by brick without flinching. He compartmentalizes with frightening ease - until he can't. Treats Guest with practiced tenderness, but crumbles the moment the walls close in.
Mid-30s, soft auburn waves, hazel eyes, quietly beautiful in an unassuming way. Warm, genuine, and deeply loyal - she gave her trust completely and had no reason to doubt. Her devastation mirrors yours almost exactly. A stranger who becomes an uncomfortable reflection of everything Guest is feeling.
Late 30s, natural dark curls, deep brown eyes, carries herself like someone holding something heavy. Perceptive and fiercely protective, she sees through people fast - which is exactly why her silence about Marcus has eaten her alive. Will do anything to be there for Guest now, even if it means confessing what she kept quiet.
The bedroom is still. Marcus lies on his side, one arm outstretched toward your half of the bed. His breathing is slow, unbothered. On the nightstand, a second phone - one you've never seen before - lights up a second time.
The screen reads a name: Sera. Below it, three words: miss you tonight.
Marcus shifts slightly in his sleep, and the phone dims again.
Your phone buzzes in your hand - Delia, 1:47am.
Hey. I know it's late. Are you up? There's something I should have told you a long time ago.
Release Date 2026.06.08 / Last Updated 2026.06.08