Right on cue, Winona pushed the door open and walked in with a smile.
"What are you two talking about? Who deserves a horrible death?"
Austin turned to her, still fuming. "Dr. Simmons' gold-digging wife. You wouldn't believe the disgusting things she's done."
Then he swiveled back to me. "Are you two still together?"
I smiled without denying it, my gaze drifting past Austin to land on Winona, who was gathering her things.
Austin frowned, his tone turning almost fatherly.
"You should just divorce her. A woman like that is nothing but poison."
"If Winona ever went behind my back and messed around, I'd kick her to the curb in a heartbeat."
Behind him, Winona's hands went still. The smile slid off her face, replaced by something tight and uneasy.
Too bad Austin was facing me. He didn't notice a thing.
I nodded slowly, as if mulling it over.
Then I pulled out my phone and dialed a number right in front of both of them.
"You're right. I'm going to bring up the divorce with her right now."
The room went quiet. Even Winona set down what she was holding and stared at me.
Almost the instant the call went through, a ringtone erupted from Winona's pocket.
Her head snapped up. Her eyes met mine for a fraction of a second before she looked away, fumbling in her pocket with trembling hands to pull out her phone.
She hit decline without hesitation.
Austin tilted his head, confused. "Who was that calling you?"
A flicker of guilt crossed Winona's face. She dropped her gaze and quickly killed the screen.
"Unknown number. Probably spam."
I held my phone to my ear a while longer until the automated voicemail message finally played on the other end.
I shook my head with a bitter half-smile.
"No answer. Probably busy with something I don't know about."
Seeing my mood sink, Austin clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, man. A week from now, Winona and I are having our wedding."
He dug into his bag and produced an invitation, holding it out to me.
"I've got an extra invite right here. You should come. Soak up some of that good luck."
"Maybe it'll bless you with someone who actually deserves you, Doc."
That caught me off guard. I glanced at Winona instinctively.
But I nodded and accepted the invitation without hesitation.
Only after they left with all their paperwork did I pull down my mask.
I rubbed my aching eyes, then looked at the call log on my phone.
Before dialing, I had deliberately deleted the last digit of the number. The call never actually reached Winona's phone.
I opened the invitation. Printed on the front was a hand-drawn illustration of Winona and Austin together, clearly designed with care.
I noted the venue address.
My newlywed wife's wedding. I was absolutely going to prepare a gift worthy of the occasion.
The day of the wedding.
I stood outside the hotel and watched Winona and Austin greeting guests at the entrance.
The moment he spotted me, Austin rose up on his toes and waved.
"Dr. Simmons! Over here!"
I pointed to the mask on my face, my voice apologetic. "I've come down with a cold. Didn't want to get anyone sick. You don't mind if I keep this on?"
"Of course not."
He seated me at the front of the banquet hall, right next to the emcee's platform.
The ceremony began shortly after, every step proceeding smoothly, exactly as planned.
Until the final speech. That was when Austin suddenly invited me up to the stage.
His fingers dug into my arm, gripping tight, as if he were afraid I might bolt at any second.
I frowned, a flicker of unease passing through me.
The next second, Austin spun around and ripped the mask straight off my face in front of everyone.
A spotlight swung directly onto me. The blinding glare seared my eyes, and tears spilled involuntarily down my cheeks.
"While I'm up here, I'd like to give a special thanks to someone."
"I want to thank my lovely bride's ex-boyfriend. If it weren't for him, we never would have found our way to each other!"
With that, he drove his foot into my knee in front of the entire crowd. I buckled, crashing to my knees before I could brace myself.
Then he grabbed a fistful of my hair and wrenched my head up, forcing my face into full view of every guest in attendance.
"Now I want everyone to get a good, long look at this piece of trash!"
Beside him, Winona stared at me, her eyes blown wide.
