Guy hunched his shoulders and slapped a hand over his mouth in mock alarm.
"Boys help boys! Fine, fine, I'll stop."
Dora seized my arm and yanked me back, her grip bruising. She stepped between us—positioning herself in front of Guy, shielding him behind her.
"Enough. You're a grown man. Why are you picking fights with some kid fresh out of college?"
Something in my chest seized. I stared at her—the woman I'd loved for a decade—unable to believe what I'd just heard.
She realized it a beat too late. Her red lips pressed together, but she didn't take it back.
Guy, meanwhile, played the wounded party to perfection. His eyes reddened, his voice small and pitiful.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have butted in."
"I'm sure now that Ms. Fox is so successful, brother-in-law won't need to return to his old line of work."
"Let's just say I got the wrong person..."
The guests who had come to offer congratulations now regarded me with undisguised contempt.
Hands rose to cover smirking mouths. Heads bent together, whispers hissing back and forth.
Some pulled out their phones, already searching for my alleged "content."
A red-faced uncle—drunk enough that his neck had flushed crimson—grabbed Greg Fox by the arm and let out an ugly laugh.
"Well, well. The Fox family really does welcome all comers, huh? Even a son-in-law who's been around the block a few hundred times."
"You were bragging to me about how impressive your future son-in-law was—studying abroad on his own, refusing your money even when you offered."
"Turns out he just had to lie back and spread his legs to rake in foreign cash. No wonder he didn't want your pocket change."
Greg trembled from head to toe, his face burning so hot it looked ready to catch fire.
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.