The guest

The candlelight flickered between them, casting elegant shadows across the table. June held her wine glass gracefully, her expression composed, but her eyes dark, sharp never left Larry’s face. Her last words still lingered in the air, thick with veiled venom:

“Someone obviously better than you.”

Larry chuckled softly, swirling the amber liquid in his tumbler. He didn’t speak right away. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, a slow exhale escaping his lips as he masked the sting with a practiced smile.

But inside?

It burned.

She had someone else.

She had moved on.

And not just moved on she had come here tonight to rub it in. Dressed like a goddess. Poised like royalty. Speaking with the coolness of a woman who no longer needed him.

He wouldn’t show it, of course. Pride was his armor. Pride, and power.

With a subtle glance toward his phone lying beside his plate, an idea crept into his mind petty, spontaneous, but perfect.

He reached for the phone, casually unlocking it as if he were checking a text, but his fingers moved with purpose. June arched a brow, curious but silent.

Larry dialed.

The line rang once, twice.

Then: “Hey baby,” he said in a suddenly warm, velvety tone, one June hadn’t heard in years not since he used to speak that way to her.

June blinked.

“Yes, I miss you too,” he continued, his voice light, romantic, intentionally performative. “You know you’re always on my mind.”

She didn’t look away. But she stiffened just slightly, barely perceptible to anyone who didn’t know her like he did. He caught it. And he pressed forward.

“Babe, listen,” he said, smiling into the phone. “Would you mind coming over to Leo Lounge? Yeah, ATM Leo. That one. Mhm… yeah. Guess who I’m with right now?” He chuckled. “My ex-wife. Yes, that June. I was just thinking it’d be wonderful for you to finally meet her. You’ve always said you were curious, right?”

There was a pause as the woman on the line replied. Larry’s eyes flicked up at June, gauging her reaction like a hunter stalking his prey.

“Alright, dear,” he said sweetly. “Please rush down. I’ll be waiting.”

He ended the call and gently set his phone back on the table, meeting June’s gaze with a practiced look of innocent amusement.

“Sorry for the interruption,” he said smoothly, lifting his glass. “That was my fiancée.”

June said nothing, her lips pressing into a cool, amused smile, but Larry could see the flicker of tension in her jaw. That was enough for him for now.

“She’s been going on and on about wanting to meet you,” he continued, as if the idea were charming, harmless, even serendipitous. “Always asking about you, wondering what kind of woman could’ve stolen my heart once.”

He paused dramatically, letting the irony simmer between them.

“So since we’re both here, and she’s on her way, I figured... why not?” He gave a shrug, feigning nonchalance. “Hope you don’t mind a plus one?”

June took a slow sip of her wine, her expression unreadable. She set the glass down with precision, folding her hands in her lap.

“Of course not,” she said calmly. “I’d love to meet her.”

But beneath the surface, her heart thudded once heavier than she’d like to admit. The woman he left her for. The woman he divorced her for. She’d never seen her in person, only heard whispers, caught flashes in gossip columns and from mutual acquaintances. That was who he was marrying?

The thought twisted like a blade.

Still, June didn’t flinch. She adjusted the strap of her dress, crossed her legs again, and leaned slightly forward.

“If she’s anything like the man she’s marrying,” she said with a sweet but pointed tone, “this should be... fascinating.”

Larry gave a slow grin, sensing the silent sparks crackling in the air.

The door to the private suite opened again—this time with the quiet but unmistakable rustle of designer fabric and the sharp click of stiletto heels against marble.

She had arrived.

Audrey.

She swept into the room with effortless poise, her entrance timed like a performance. Clad in a blood-red satin dress that hugged every curve and shimmered under the low lighting, she looked like a woman who knew exactly how beautiful and how powerful she was. Her makeup was sculpted, bold lips to match her dress, and a perfume that filled the air like an announcement.

“Hey baby,” she said in a sultry tone that dripped with possession as she walked toward the table, her eyes immediately locking onto June like a predator sizing up competition.

Without hesitation, Audrey leaned down and kissed Larry right on the lips. Long, deliberate. She smiled through it as his hand snaked confidently around her waist... then lower.

“Oh, stop babe,” she giggled, brushing his chest playfully as she pulled back. “We’re in public. You have a guest.”

Larry laughed, clearly enjoying every second. “Please forgive my manners,” he said, his tone light but smug, eyes flickering to June with a spark of triumph. “June, meet my fiancée—Audrey.”

June smiled or something that resembled one. “Hi, Audrey. It’s nice meeting you.”

Audrey’s expression curled into something almost pleasant, but her eyes betrayed her sharp, smug, laced with quiet hostility.

“Nice meeting you too, June,” she said coolly, her voice soaked in fake warmth. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

She slid into the seat beside Larry, placing a manicured hand on his chest as she adjusted herself with feline grace. Her long nails rested possessively against his shirt while Larry slipped an arm behind her chair, leaning in as if the three of them were old friends sharing casual conversation.

June sat upright, clutching her wine glass tighter than necessary. Her heart raced beneath her ribcage, her stomach twisting into a thousand tight knots. She had expected games—Larry was always calculating but this was a whole other level of cruelty.

And she hated how effective it was.

She tried to keep her breathing even, her posture straight, her face unreadable. But inside, the room was spinning. Her ex-husband was sitting beside the woman who had stolen him away flirting, touching, performing in front of her like she was an uninvited guest at her own funeral.

Audrey giggled again as Larry whispered something into her ear, and she laughed too loudly, flicking her hair over her shoulder so it brushed his cheek.

“You always know how to make me laugh,” Audrey said, tapping his nose playfully.

“I try,” Larry replied, eyes gleaming.

June forced a sip of her wine, but the taste was lost on her. Her hands trembled slightly as she set the glass down, hoping neither of them noticed. Her chest felt tight, and her throat was dry despite the wine. She wanted to scream, to cry, to walk out—but she couldn’t give them that satisfaction.

Not after how much she'd fought to stand tall again.

“So, June,” Audrey said suddenly, turning her attention like a spotlight. “What have you been up to since... the divorce?”

The way she said divorce was intentional. Like she wanted to press it against June’s skin like hot metal.

June took a deep breath. “Oh, you know,” she said with the ghost of a smile. “Travel. Work. Living life on my own terms.”

“How inspiring,” Audrey said, glancing at Larry with a wink. “Some women really struggle after losing someone like him. I mean, it’s not easy, right?”

Larry chuckled, sipping his drink.

June’s throat tightened, but she forced another smile. “It’s true some losses are blessings in disguise.”

The air tightened.

Audrey raised a brow, but Larry stepped in, diffusing the tension with a smirk. “Let’s not turn this into a war zone, ladies. It’s just dinner.”

But the lines had already been drawn. And June could feel herself unraveling.

Every laugh they shared, every soft touch between them, every knowing glance was like a dagger, chipping away at the armor she’d so carefully built. She sat there, rigid, trying not to let the tears that were threatening in her chest spill over. Not here. Not in front of them.

She swallowed hard and smiled again, more fragile this time.

But she knew if she didn’t pull herself together soon, the mask would crack.