My name is Edward, and for most of my adult life, I believed that loyalty was the strongest bond two people could share, not just in marriage, but in friendship too.
For nearly 15 years, my best friend Liam was like a brother to me. We met in college when we were both broke, reckless, and trying to figure out what the hell we wanted from life. Liam had a laugh that could fill an entire room and a way of talking that made strangers feel like they had known him for years.
We shared everything in those days: cheap apartments, late-night pizza, terrible jobs, and dreams that seemed impossibly big.
But life, as it often does, pulled us in different directions.
I met Hera when I was 27. She worked at a bookstore near my office, and the first thing I noticed about her was how calm she seemed, even when the place was crowded and chaotic. She had a quiet confidence that made people trust her immediately.
We started talking when I came in looking for a novel whose name I couldn’t remember. Somehow, she figured it out within five minutes.
That conversation turned into coffee. Coffee turned into dinners. Within two years, she became my wife.
Liam was the best man at our wedding.
At the time, he was already married to Alyssa, a warm and energetic woman who seemed to have an endless supply of optimism. Alyssa balanced Liam perfectly. Where he was impulsive and loud, she was thoughtful and patient.
They had a little boy named Bill.
Bill was only two years old when everything changed.
