My head had been foggy from consecutive sleepless nights. At the time, I hadn't even caught the panic in his voice.

He must have had her warm body nestled against him, our agreement already forgotten.

After I'd arranged their examination items, Ervin took the forms and went out to pay.

Only when his figure had completely disappeared down the corridor did Annette reluctantly tear her gaze away.

She rubbed her belly.

"We've been talking all this time, and I don't think I even caught your name, Doctor."

I lifted my eyes to look at her.

"It's Simmons. You can call me Dr. Simmons."

A flicker of something passed through her eyes, and she smiled.

"What a coincidence."

My heart stirred, but I kept my expression neutral. "You know someone with the same last name?"

Annette smiled faintly and nodded. Then her expression shifted, a flash of disgust crossing her features.

"My husband's ex-girlfriend was a Simmons too. But that's ancient history."

"He told me she was ugly, had a terrible temper, treated him horribly, and was a total control freak."

"Thank God he was brave enough to break things off. And now he's found someone as wonderful as me."

I tightened my grip on the pen in my hand and let out a silent, bitter laugh.

"Your husband told you all that himself?"

"Of course."

She clenched her fists, her expression indignant, as though she were outraged on Ervin's behalf.

"She even used his career to threaten him, trying to force him into marrying her."

"But he turned her down flat and put her in her place."

I raised an eyebrow. In my mind, I'd already sentenced Ervin Harding to death a thousand times over.

When I first met Ervin, he was a broke nobody whose only talent was burying his nose in textbooks.

He told me he wanted to work in Sterling City after graduation. It was the place he'd dreamed about since he was a kid.

So I convinced my father to pull some strings, to build him a ladder straight to the top firms in Sterling City. We even bought him an apartment here.

I held his hand and told him, "Go after whatever you want. People who truly love each other don't let distance change what they have."

When he proposed, he stood in front of all our friends and admitted that without the Simmons family, he would be nothing.

He got down on one knee, slid the ring onto my finger with ceremony and conviction, and swore he would be with me for the rest of his life.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he had betrayed me so completely.

I looked at the girl sitting across from me, let out a quiet breath, and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over everything. Suddenly, none of it seemed worth caring about anymore.

I twisted the wedding band on my finger, then abruptly changed the subject.

"I envy you, having a husband who loves you so much. My situation is... different."

Annette's head snapped up, her eyes glittering with curiosity.

I continued.

"I'm actually married too. Within the first month after the wedding, I found out my husband was cheating."

"He'd been hiding a whole other life behind my back."

Bang.

The moment the words left my mouth, Annette slammed her fist on the table.

"What a piece of garbage! Dr. Simmons, you're such a wonderful person. How could he not appreciate what he had?"

I gave a helpless little laugh, then went on in the same unhurried tone.

"And recently, I found out he got another woman pregnant behind my back."

This time Annette shot to her feet, her chest heaving.

"Scum!"

"A man like that deserves to be struck by lightning. He deserves to rot!"

Right on cue, the door swung open and Ervin walked in, a smile on his face.

"What are you two talking about? Who deserves to rot?"

Annette turned to him, still fuming. "Dr. Simmons' scumbag husband. You have no idea the disgusting things he's done."

She turned to me again. "Are you two still together?"

I smiled, a silent yes, my gaze drifting past Annette to land on Ervin, who was busy gathering his things.

Annette frowned, her tone taking on a note of genuine concern.

"You should just divorce him. A man like that is nothing but trouble."

"If Ervin ever pulled something like that behind my back, I'd kick him to the curb in a heartbeat."

Behind her, Ervin's hands went still. The easy smile slid off his face, replaced by something tight and uncomfortable.

Too bad Annette was facing me. She didn't notice a thing.

I nodded slowly, as if mulling it over.

Then I pulled out my phone and dialed a number right there in front of both of them.

"You're right. I'm calling him about the divorce right now."

The exam room went quiet. Even Ervin set down what he was holding and stared at me.

Almost the instant the call went through, a ringtone blared from Ervin's pocket.

His head snapped up. His eyes met mine for a fraction of a second before he looked away, fumbling in his pocket with trembling fingers.

He hit decline without hesitation.

Annette tilted her head, curious. "Who was that calling you?"

A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He dropped his gaze and quickly killed the screen.

"Unknown number. Probably a spam call."

I kept the phone pressed to my ear a while longer, until the automated voicemail message finally played on the other end.

I shook my head with a bitter smile.

"No answer. Probably busy with something I don't know about."

Seeing my spirits sink, Annette reached for my hand and squeezed it.

"A week from now, Ervin and I are having our wedding."

She fished an invitation out of her bag and held it out to me.

"I happened to have an extra one on me. You should come. Soak up some of the good luck."

"Here's hoping Dr. Simmons finds someone who truly deserves her."

I blinked, caught off guard, and glanced at Ervin without thinking.

But I nodded and accepted her invitation with a warm smile.

Only after the two of them left with all their paperwork did I pull off my mask.

I rubbed my aching eyes, then looked down at the call log on my phone.

When I'd dialed, I had deliberately left off the last digit of the number. The call had never reached Ervin's phone at all.

I opened the invitation. Printed on the front were delicate line drawings of Ervin and Annette, clearly custom-designed with care.

I noted the venue address.

My husband's wedding. I was absolutely going to prepare a gift worth remembering.

The day of the wedding arrived.

I stood outside the hotel, watching Ervin and Annette greet guests at the entrance.

The moment she spotted me, Annette rose on her 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. I don't want to get anyone sick. You don't mind if I keep the mask on, do you?"

"Of course not."

She seated me near the front of the banquet hall, right beside the emcee's stage.

The ceremony began without a hitch, every step proceeding exactly as planned.

Until the final speech segment, when Annette suddenly invited me up on stage.

Her fingers clamped around my arm like a vise, as though she was terrified I'd bolt.

I frowned, an uneasy feeling prickling at the back of my mind.

The next second, Annette spun around and ripped the mask off my face in front of every single guest.

A spotlight hit me dead-on. The blinding glare seared my eyes, and tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

"While I'm up here, there's someone special I'd like to thank."

"I want to thank Ervin's ex-girlfriend. If it weren't for her, we never would have found our happily ever after!"

With that, Annette kicked me hard in the knee right in front of everyone. I wasn't ready for it. My legs buckled, and I dropped to my knees before the entire crowd.

She grabbed a fistful of my hair and wrenched my face upward, putting me on full display.

"Now, everyone, take a good, long look at this vile woman!"

Beside her, Ervin stared at me with wide eyes.

"Evelyn? How— why are you here?!"