"It's a birthday party, Dray, not a funeral. Try to look like you aren't calculating the cost of the napkins."
Arthur Darkson's voice was as loud as it was arrogant, drawing the attention of the surrounding guests.
We were standing in the grand ballroom of the Darkson manor, celebrating his sixty-fourth year of existence. I was wearing my only suit—the one I'd bought for our wedding—and under the harsh glow of the crystal chandeliers, I could see how much this suit didn't meet the standard.
"I'm just enjoying the music, Mr. Darkson," I said, my voice tight.
"Are you?" Rico stepped into the light, looking effortless in a bespoke midnight-blue tuxedo.
"Because you're standing near the buffet like a man who hasn't eaten in a week. Don't worry, Hudson. Lina's father is a generous man. We won't charge you for the caviar, even if it does cost more than your car."
Lina laughed. It was a small, uncomfortable sound, but it was still a laugh. She didn't defend me. She was busy admiring the diamond brooch her mother had just pinned to her dress.
"Rico, don't be mean," she said, but she didn't look at me. "Dray is just... introspective."
"Introspective? That's a fancy word for 'unemployed,'" Rayna chimed in, leaning against a marble pillar.
Once one person attacked me, the rest of the family always showed up to join in.
"Let's be honest, Dray," she continued, "You're a leech. You're hanging onto my sister's skirts because without her name, you're just a guy with a laptop and a dream that's going nowhere. You don't fit here. You're like a plastic cup in a cellar of fine wine."
I looked at Lina, pleading with my eyes for her to say something—anything—to remind them that I was her husband.
She avoided my gaze.
"I'm going to get another drink," she said, turning away.
I felt the heat rising in my chest, a mixture of shame and fury.
"I need some air," I muttered. No one answered. They had already moved on to a conversation about offshore tax havens.
I walked out of the French doors and into the sprawling gardens. The night air was cool, smelling of jasmine and expensive fertilizer. I walked deep into the shadows, away from the thumping bass and the smell of judgment. I found a stone bench near a marble fountain and sat down, burying my face in my hands.
How had I let it get this far? I was a month away from changing the world, and yet I was being treated like a stray dog at a banquet.
"Rough night?"
I jumped. A woman was standing in the shadows of a willow tree. She was wearing a dress that was little more than a shimmering gold slip. I didn't recognize her from the guest list.
"I'm fine," I said, standing up to leave. "Just taking a walk."
"You don't look fine." She stepped closer, her perfume filling my lungs.
"I've been watching you in there. Those people are monsters. They don't appreciate a man with a mind like yours."
"I don't know who you are," I said, stepping back. "But I'm a married man."
"Married?" She laughed, a low, sultry sound. She moved fast, her hand sliding up my chest before I could react. She leaned in, her lips inches from mine.
"A man like you shouldn't be tied to someone who lets her family treat him like trash. I could give you a reason to forget this whole night."
"Get off me!" I shoved her back, my heart racing. "I love my wife. Get away from me right now!"
"Dray?"
The voice was like a gunshot. I spun around. Lina was standing on the gravel path, a glass of champagne frozen in her hand. Her face was a mask of horror.
"Lina! It's not what it looks like," I shouted, stepping toward her.
"This woman—she just jumped on me!"
"Is that your story, Dray?" The woman in the gold dress suddenly collapsed into a fit of sobbing. She pulled her hair messy and wiped her eyes, looking up at Lina with a terrified expression.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't know he was married! He told me he was single! He said he was only here to scout for investors and that his wife was back in the city!"
"What?" I gasped. "You're lying! I've never seen you before in my life!"
"He's been messaging me for weeks!" the woman wailed, reaching into her small clutch and pulling out a phone. She flashed a screen at Lina—a series of texts from a contact labeled 'Dray Hudson.' They were explicit and disgusting.
And they were fake.
"Lina, look at the number! That's not my number!" I reached for the phone, but Lina backed away, her eyes filling with tears.
"You ruined it," Lina whispered, her voice trembling. "My father's birthday. The one night I asked you to be normal. The one night I asked you not to embarrass me."
"Lina, listen to me! I was set up! Look at her! Who is she? Ask her name!"
"I don't care what her name is!" Lina screamed. The music inside stopped as people began to spill out onto the terrace to see the commotion. Arthur, Eleanor, and Rico were at the front of the crowd.
"What's going on?" Arthur demanded.
"He was cheating on her," Rayna called out, pointing at me.
"In the garden. Like the dog he is."
Lina stepped forward. Her hand came up so fast I didn't see it until the sting bloomed across my cheek. The slap echoed through the garden.
"Don't come back home, Dray," she said, her voice cold and dead.
"I'm done. I'm done with the excuses, the poverty, and now the lies. You're a pathetic, cheating loser."
"Lina, please—"
"Get him out of here," Arthur commanded. Two large security guards stepped forward, grabbing my arms. They didn't lead me out; they dragged me, my heels digging into the expensive gravel.
"Lina! Check the phone!" I yelled as they threw me through the front gates. I landed hard on the asphalt of the driveway, the gates slamming shut with a final, metallic clang.
I didn't have my car keys. I didn't have my wallet. I walked for three hours in the dark, my mind a whirlwind of static. By the time I reached our apartment, my feet were blistered and my suit was ruined.
I let myself in with my spare key. The lights were on. Lina was sitting at the small table, a bottle of wine half-empty in front of her.
"Lina, thank God," I panted, closing the door. "I walked all the way. Listen to me. That woman was a plant. Think about it. Why would I ever do that? I've spent every second of my life trying to build a future for us. Why would I throw it away for a stranger in a garden?"
She looked up. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but there was no love in them. Only a deep, burning resentment.
"Rico showed me the metadata on the messages, Dray," she said quietly. "They were sent from a device registered in your name. He's a tech expert. He wouldn't lie to me about something like that."
"Rico is an expert at destroying me!" I shouted. "He wants you back! He's been trying to ruin us since the engagement party! Don't you see that?"
"All I see," Lina said, standing up and walking toward the bedroom, "is a man who has nothing to offer me but stress and shame. I checked our joint account tonight, Dray. There's forty dollars in it. Forty dollars. And you have the nerve to tell me you're building a 'future'?"
"The software is almost done, Lina! I fixed the kernel crash. I just need one more week!"