Greg Fox had been a respectable intellectual his entire life. He'd probably never been publicly humiliated like this before.

"David, I know long-distance relationships are hard, but you can't just—"

I knew words alone wouldn't clear my name.

So I pulled out my phone and dialed 911.

I'd only pressed the first two digits when Dora snatched the phone from my hand.

"Don't make a scene on our big day. I said I believe you, isn't that enough?"

"The engagement ceremony starts soon. Calling the police over something this trivial? That's bad luck."

I stared at her, disappointment crashing through me. My head was buzzing.

Ever since Guy showed up a year ago, I'd sensed Dora pulling away. She didn't cling to me like she used to.

When I'd gotten into that minor car accident in Berlin, she'd barely seemed concerned.

I'd told myself it was normal—relationships cool down after a while.

But now I saw the truth. The man in her heart wasn't me anymore.

"Are you worried the police will delay our engagement—or are you afraid they'll arrest the person who made up these lies?"

I swallowed the hurt clawing at my chest and shook off Dora's grip as she tried to pull me back.

"David, I—" she started.

Before she could finish, Guy's eyes welled up, his voice cracking into a pitiful whimper.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault..." He sniffled. "Please don't fight with Ms. Fox because of me. There are so many business partners here—if you cause a scene, how is she supposed to face her clients afterward?"

He dabbed at his eyes. "I got the wrong person. I was talking nonsense. There. Happy now?"

I almost laughed from sheer disbelief.

What a performance. Retreat to advance—classic.

With all these people listening to his carefully vague denials, they'd all walk away thinking exactly what he wanted: that I'd sold myself overseas.

If I didn't clear this up today, Dora would spend the rest of her life wearing the shame he'd pinned on me.

I clenched my jaw and fixed Guy with a cold smile.

"I don't care what your angle is or why you pulled this stunt."

"You're going to explain yourself. Right now. Or I won't hold back."

The color drained from Guy's face.

His expression crumpled into wounded innocence, tears threatening to spill.

"I already said I got the wrong person! What more do you want from me?"

"That account's been deleted anyway. I'm not going to share the videos I downloaded."

"Please..." His voice broke. "Don't use your position as the boss's future husband to fire me..."

"I'll get on my knees and apologize if that's what it takes!"

Still sobbing, he started to lower himself into a kowtow.

His knees had barely bent before someone caught him.

Dora shoved past me, nearly knocking me off balance.

Her face was ashen. Behind her perfectly applied makeup, her eyes had turned venomous.

"David, are you done?"

"I've been biting my tongue this whole time. Even if you had a lapse in judgment and made those videos, I was willing to look the other way!"

"So why do you have to keep pushing? Why are you bullying him?"

My mind went blank.

The pain in my chest made it impossible to breathe.

This woman—who had occupied a full third of my life, who had held my hand just an hour ago, who had promised to grow old with me—didn't believe me.

What was the point of this engagement anymore?

"Fine. If we can't sort this out here, then you're coming with me to the police station."

I reached past Dora to grab Guy.

A grown man in his twenties—yet he recoiled like a rabbit facing the butcher's knife, thrashing in wide-eyed terror.

"Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox, save me! I think he's trying to kill me!"

I ignored his wailing completely, dragging him toward the exit.

Dora rushed over and pried at my grip on Guy's arm.

When I wouldn't let go, she wound back and slapped me across the face.

Crack.

The sound cut through the banquet hall like a gunshot. The room fell silent.

Half my face went numb, then burned—like a thousand needles stabbing at once. My right ear rang with a high-pitched whine.

Dora seemed frozen too, staring at her own hand as if it belonged to someone else.

"Ha."

I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth and let out a hollow laugh, stepping closer to her.

Guy immediately threw himself between us like a hen guarding her chick, arms spread wide in what he clearly imagined was a heroic stance.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "Even if Ms. Fox hit you, you deserved it! You're the one who couldn't keep it in your pants—you betrayed her first!"

I looked at his self-righteous display.

I was so tired. Bone-deep exhausted.

"You keep claiming I filmed obscene videos overseas," I said evenly. "Where's your proof?"

"Young man, you think you can just flap your lips and spread whatever lies you want?"

Murmurs rippled through the guests.

"He has a point—you can't just take one person's word for something like this."

Guy bit his lip, doing his best impression of a wronged martyr standing tall against injustice.

"Fine. You asked for this."

He pulled out his phone and connected it to the venue's main screen.

The photo of Dora and me—our engagement portrait, the two of us smiling—vanished. In its place, a video began to play.

A man and a foreign woman, tangled together. The man's face was slack with pleasure, wearing a greasy, leering grin.

And that face—displayed in perfect clarity for everyone to see—was mine.

The banquet hall erupted.

Parents covered their children's eyes.

Others leaned forward, gawking.

Some pulled out their phones to record.

"Holy shit! He's really going at it!"

"Damn, look at those moves—"

"Who would've guessed? Looks so refined and bookish, but underneath? Total sleaze."

"'Studying medicine abroad'—yeah right. Wonder how many rich women's beds he climbed into over there."

"That's wild. Think he'd actually settle down with just Ms. Fox after marriage?"

The comments grew filthier by the second.

Dora's face had gone a sickly green—the exact shade of the blanched vegetables on the banquet table.

Greg Fox looked like he might collapse. He grabbed my lapel to steady himself, then slammed his fist into my chest.

"I pitied you! Your parents died young, and I treated you like my own son! How could you be this shameless? How could you do this to my daughter?"

Guy clutched at Dora's sleeve, sniffling pathetically, his face arranged in an expression of pure noble sacrifice.

"Ms. Fox, I just—I couldn't stand watching you get deceived by this... this filthy man who's slept with God knows how many people!"

"You've been so good to me. Even if you fire me after this, I'll accept it. I had to tell you the truth."

I folded my arms and let a cold smirk curl my lips.

"Funny. I don't think anyone knows that particular feeling better than you do."

Guy flinched like I'd struck him. His eyes darted away, and he shrank back behind Dora.

That was the final straw for her. Humiliation and rage collided, and she exploded.

She pulled Guy protectively behind her, her eyes blazing red as she glared at me.

"David! How much longer are you going to humiliate him?"

"You're the shameless one! You're disgusting! You think everyone else is as filthy as you?"

Her chest heaved violently, her hoarse voice cracking with the raw anguish of betrayal.

"Ten years! For ten years, I kept you in my heart like you were the only bright moon in my sky—pure, precious, untouchable!"

"And what was I to you?"

I looked at her contorted face and felt a bleak smile twist my lips.

"You say I was your bright moon? Dora, if you ever truly cared about me, why couldn't you believe a single word I said? Not even once?"

"You didn't even bother to verify if the video was real or fake before deciding I was trash?"

"Did it never occur to you that it could be an AI deepfake?"

Guy's shrill voice cut me off.

"Ms. Fox treated you like a god, and this is how you repay her?"

"The evidence is right there! What, you expect her to gaslight herself into believing your lies?"

I didn't waste my breath on him.

I stepped forward and seized his wrist.

"Guy, spreading rumors might only cost you an apology. But creating and distributing deepfake pornography of someone? That's detention and fines at minimum. At worst, it's prison time."

"If you want to dig your own grave, I'll gladly hand you the shovel."

Guy's face went chalk-white, as if I'd threatened him with something far worse than the law. He let out a panicked shriek.

"Ah! Mr. Gilbert... don't push me!"

He threw himself backward, slamming into the champagne tower behind him.

Crash!

The glittering crystal pyramid collapsed in an instant. Glass exploded outward. Golden liquid splashed across the floor.

"Guy!"

Dora's eyes went wild with panic. She lunged to shield him, then whirled and shoved me—hard.

I didn't see it coming. My feet tangled beneath me and I crashed to the ground.

Several jagged shards of glass bit deep into my palm. Blood welled up instantly, pooling in the creases of my hand.

Dora's gaze flickered to my bleeding hand. For just a heartbeat, something softened in her eyes.

Then she looked away, and when she spoke again, her voice was colder than before.

"Don't you dare play the victim! David, I must have been blind all these years to ever love you. You make me sick!"

"Don't think I can't live without you. Plenty of men would treasure what you threw away!"

"I don't want you anymore! Get out of my sight."

Voices rose around me, a chorus of contempt.

"Always knew there was something off about him. Finally showing his true colors."

"Ms. Fox made the right call. Marrying a man who can't keep it in his pants? Disgusting. Like stepping in dog shit."

"Cheating while still engaged—what a piece of trash. He deserves to be dumped."

Greg closed his eyes. When he looked at me again, all that remained was exhaustion and disappointment.

He shook his head slowly, let out a heavy sigh, and turned back to his seat. He didn't even offer me a hand.

A hotel attendant approached cautiously.

"Ms. Fox, shall I still have the officiant come for the engagement ceremony?"

Dora's voice exploded like a challenge. "Yes! Why wouldn't I?"

She grabbed Guy's hand and announced to the room:

"Today, Guy and I are getting engaged!"

Guy's eyes went wide, so overwhelmed with delight he looked ready to faint.

He swept Dora into his arms like a dog receiving a treat, his voice pitched low—but just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"Ms. Fox... you really mean it? You'll let the baby in your belly call me its father?"

Every drop of blood in my body turned to ice. I stared at Dora, unable to process what I'd just heard.

"You... slept with him? You're pregnant?"

Dora's jaw tightened. Fury and defiance warred across her face, her teeth clenched so hard the muscles in her cheek twitched.

"Yes! So what? You get to screw around overseas, but I can't find a decent man?"

And right in front of me, she threw herself into Guy's arms.

"At least Guy is clean! At least he's pure—unlike you!"

She jabbed a finger toward the security guards flanking the entrance.

"Get this filth out of my sight. Don't let him contaminate my engagement party!"

Two guards seized my arms immediately, hauling me toward the door.

I struggled against their grip, craning my neck to lock eyes with Dora. A bitter smile twisted my lips.

"Dora. Before you throw me out—just answer one question."

I pointed at Guy, who stood there looking insufferably smug.

"Did you know he has HIV?"

The words detonated like a bomb.