After two grueling hours hooked up to an IV, I stepped outside to find no sign of Alice's car. I felt so awful I could not take it anymore and ended up hailing a cab home.

My phone had only been off for a couple of minutes.

So, it was clear—she had not come for me at all.

Alice used to be so attentive to me. When did she start growing so distant?

"You blocked me. I couldn't even call you."

Alice paused, the fire in her eyes dimming slightly. "I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some French Onion Soup for a late-night bite."

I stared at the bowl she handed me. It was sprinkled with a few green onions but lacked any trace of beef—it looked more like someone's leftovers.

Just half an hour earlier, I had seen Yoel bragging on social media.

He had posted a photo of Alice in the kitchen, cooking soup.

[Who says there aren't any good women left? She's out here taking me for midnight drives in her slick car, and when I'm hungry, she's up making me delicious soup.]

I gave the soup a bitter stir, feeling a surge of nausea. "Just toss it. I'm not in the mood to eat."

Alice's expression darkened in an instant, her eyes turning icy. "What's gotten into you? I went out of my way to bring this for you, and you want to throw it away?

"Is this about me transferring the house to Yoel today? You're annoyed, aren't you? I never said you had to move out. The kid is just grateful he's got his education sorted, and he posted a thank-you. And you? You had to go and leave snide comments. Did I ever pick a fight over that?"

With fresh stitches pulling at my abdomen and my leg throbbing from a second injury, I was utterly spent.

"You've got me all wrong," said I, puzzled over how he could have posted a property deed with my address on it.

Alice cut me off, her patience worn thin. "Wrong about you? Yoel hit the nail on the head, you're exactly that guy!

"You're always on edge, no patience, no room for anyone else's mistakes. Anytime I talk to another guy, you see red! The problem is you, not me."

Before, I would have tried to argue, to get her to see the real me. However, at this moment, I just looked at her, ice in my gaze.

When her tirade finally ran out of steam, I asked, "Finished? Mind turning off the lights?"

She shot me a venomous look and stormed out, leaving the lights on. Seconds later, another door slammed in the living room.

I used to toss and turn all night if she stormed off to Yoel's after a fight. However, that night, I slept like a baby.

Come morning, I got a lawyer's number from a friend to talk about divorce.

Alice had been missing for three days since that door slam.

I saw her again in a vacation snap Jenny posted. There they were, all smiles, Yoel cozying up to Alice in matching outfits.

I gave the photo a silent thumbs-up.

Alice, back from the void, rang me up.

"I'll swing by later, take you to the beach, and introduce you to some friends." She hesitated, then said, "I didn't have to ask you, really. Consider it a reward for your decent behavior lately."

"Sure."

The divorce was in motion, no need to stir the pot.

True to her word, Alice picked me up, and there was no sign of Yoel, the human wrench in our plans.

At the beach, Jenny came up to me. "Sorry about the other night, my bad for not giving you a heads-up. I owe myself a few penalty drinks later."

Jenny stepped up to apologize, putting me on a pedestal in front of everyone.

I gave a half-hearted smile and said, "The office has been swamped lately. I've been up to my neck in work for days."

"I heard you've got some of your top people on board to set up a new branch in Greenwood. That's awesome news."

Jenny was doling out compliments like candy.

I gave a small smile. "Yeah, we're looking into it, but it's all up in the air right now."

Just then, Alice marched over, fixing me with a glare, "You're heading to Greenwood? And you didn't think to tell me? Since when do you make moves without my say-so?"

I turned to face her, taking in her angry expression in silence.

The tension in the air was palpable.

Alice kept grilling me, and Jenny, bless her heart, tried to smooth things over by suggesting we all hit the barbecue.

The server had the grill going in no time, and Alice took a seat next to me, her face showing a rare flicker of panic. "I've got a deal with Yoel. Once his kids are out of elementary school, he's transferring the house back to me.

"Don't get worked up. It's my house, after all. I didn't have to explain myself to you."

"Okay." I nodded, unfazed.

Before long, a familiar, dashing figure came into view, and my smile froze.

A girl I had never met, but who seemed chummy with Jenny and Alice, jumped up and waved frantically at Yoel, "Brother-in-law! Hey, Yoel, Alice is over here—hurry!"

Everyone around sucked in a breath of cold air.

Jenny gave the girl a swift kick and scolded her for her cluelessness.

"I need to hit the restroom." I stood up slowly, not wanting to make a scene, just trying to save face for us both.

Alice shot me a look, then Yoel, but she did not come after me.

When I returned, everyone was lounging on the beach, full and content.

Yoel and Alice were cozied up next to each other, their closeness speaking volumes. I quietly grabbed a seat off to the side, keeping to myself.

Jenny, ever the life of the party, piped up, "Alright, everyone's here. Game time! Truth or Dare, people."

Alice came out on top in the first round, with Yoel on the losing end.

He picked the truth, and Alice, playing nice, asked him about any recent joys.

Yoel's eyes twinkled as he looked at Alice with a tender gaze.

"I met this amazing woman, and just like that, I had it all—a house, a car. And get this, she even took me for a spin in her brand-new car to unwind."

Finishing his tale, Yoel shot me a smug grin.

The crowd knew the score with Yoel's sudden wealth, but it was an unspoken truth, seen but not discussed.

All that, and Yoel was flaunting it like that was a whole different ball game.

The mood turned icy, and even Jenny was startled.

With no outburst from me, Jenny had to tough it out and keep the peace.

"Let's keep it moving, second round—hey, it's our hunk Richard's turn."

Then it was my turn, and Yoel had the reins for my challenge.

"Truth," I stated calmly.

Yoel sauntered over, drink in hand. "Richard, let's up the ante, how about a dare?"

I scrunched my brow, feeling the warning bells. "I'll stick with the truth."

"Come on, live a little. Alice says you're a champ in the pool. Show us a lap."

Yoel's eyes lingered on my midsection, his lips curling with a hint of mischief.

I stood my ground, firmly declining: "I'm not up for it, feeling under the weather—I can't swim."

Yoel turned to Alice with a look of feigned innocence, but Alice was having none of it.

"You're a seasoned swimmer, Richard. Since when can't you swim?

"Just a few days back, everyone had already made their apologies, and now they were bending over backward to get on your good side. What's the harm in taking a quick dip to show them you're cool?" said Alice, paying no mind to my resistance as she and Yoel nudged me toward the shore.

Seizing the moment, Yoel shrugged off my jacket and took a hefty swig from a wine bottle.

"Richard, this one's to you. Your move, buddy."

His toast was like throwing me onto the grill. I snapped back, "I've told you, I'm not up for a swim. Your boozing isn't going to change my mind. And why can't I just pick Truth?"

Yoel's lips tightened, and he shot a wounded look at Alice, whose expression quickly soured.

She chucked her wine bottle onto the sand with a thud. "What's with the act? Swimming is your thing. They're not asking for the moon, and he's already downed a bottle for you! Why do you have to spurn their kindness?"

I glanced at Alice, the heroine in our little drama, and then at Yoel, his eyes brimming with tears. I could not help but sneer. "Who asked him to drink? I said no swimming, and he's pressuring me. How is that not a hassle?"

My sharp retort left Yoel in tears.

Alice's face darkened, and she rolled up her pants. "You won't swim? Alright, I'll join you!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Alice yanked my ear and plunged me into the chilly waves.

A shiver ran up from my feet, where the cold bit into my wounds, and in a flash, the sea flooded my nose, leaving me coughing and sputtering.

Alice was relentless, holding me down with Yoel's help.

My eyes reddened with the sting, tears and snot mingling as I struggled.

When it felt like my lungs would burst, I frantically pushed at Alice, and she finally released her grip.

However, as luck would have it, a rogue wave crashed over us just then, and when I reached for Alice's pant leg, she kicked me away with all her might.

I was dragged into the ocean, the freezing water swallowing me whole.

It felt like an eternity before I mustered the last ounce of my strength to reach the shore, taking deep, life-saving breaths of the crisp air.

Meanwhile, Alice was gently stroking Yoel's well-behaved head, soothing him, "Don't worry, I've dealt with him. He had it coming. I'll set him straight later."

With that, she approached me, looking down with an air of superiority. "Say you're sorry to Yoel! And as for you, down a bottle of wine as your punishment! Or else—"

In the midst of everyone's shocked stares and Alice's demanding gaze, my eyes brimming with tears, I cut her off.

"Alice, my lawyer will be in touch. We're done. We're getting a divorce."

At my words, Alice stared at me, her dark eyes wide with shock.

I stumbled forward, my body weak, and as I hit the busy street, darkness overtook me, and I collapsed.

Right before I blacked out, I could hear the panicked cries around me.

"Someone's down!"

"Get an ambulance, fast! God, he's bleeding from his stomach, there's so much blood!"