Cassandra* is in a weird situation — one that seems to happen more often than people want to admit. She is, for the most part, happily married. Her husband, Nex*, is a decent guy.
Sure, her marriage has issues. Yes, they’re working on it. Sure, she’s not as happy as she could be, but hey, it’s not a marriage that is bad enough to break it off. They’re content.
She wasn’t expecting Nex to have a friend who made her go woah. His friend is named Dan*. Dan likes Cassandra, is a good man, is objectively handsome, and also has a booming career.
Dan is Cassandra’s Mr. Almost-But-Never. He’s a glimpse of a future that never would be, but definitely could have been if things just played out a little differently.
It’s a phenomenon that’s common enough — an alternate universe version of the “one who got away.”