02

As July and Greg left the stage hand in hand, Max felt a piece of his heart go with them. The woman he loved, the future he had dreamed of—it was all crumbling away.

His heart was shattered into pieces; he felt betrayed and cheated.

Amid the loud noises surrounding the bar, the wine glass in his hand slipped and crashed to the floor.

His reaction attracted attention, and the guests snickered. Laughter erupted around him, louder and more mocking than before.

“He’s really delusional!” the college boys laughed at him. “How did he even think she was going to call his name?”

“You better focus on your bartender job and stop dreaming about celebrities,” someone jeered.

The snickers brought Max back to his senses, and he quickly crouched to pick up the shards. But just then, July’s voice could be heard through the noise.

“Thank you, Greg. For always being there for me.”

Max looked up just in time to see a man appear on the stage. He hugged her, and they kissed on stage. He was at a loss and continued to stare at the screen even as July left with Greg and another winner was called.

“Two bottles of martini, over here!” He heard someone yell and instantly came to, picking up the glass shards. But because he was disoriented and rushed, a few pieces pricked him, and blood dripped down his fingers.

He sighed with exasperation, but just then, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. “Max.”

He turned to look and saw that it was one of his colleagues, May. She bent beside him with a duster in hand and said, “I’ve resumed my shift. Take a break and let me handle this.”

Max was relieved to see her and nodded, returning to his station. He slumped in one of the chairs and held his head, unable to come to terms with what just happened.

He was unable to sit still and grabbed his backpack, stumbling out of the bar through the employee’s door. Someone greeted him, but he was not in the right mind to respond and didn’t even say goodbye to May.

A few minutes later, Max appeared in front of his apartment and mindlessly opened the door with the keys. He entered and stumbled into one of the sofas, not bothering to turn on the lights.

He leaned his head on the headrest and closed his eyes, the scene of July and Greg kissing on stage swirling in his head. He was no longer in shock, yet, he was unable to stop thinking about it.

How could she? How could she do this to him after everything? After all he’d done for her, how could she stand there and kiss another man on national TV?

With a bitter laugh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. He had been so excited about this moment, planning it for weeks. The anniversary gift – a delicate ring – sparkled even in the dim light filtering through the windows.

"Happy anniversary, July," Max muttered sarcastically to the empty room. "Hope you enjoyed your award and your new man."

Anger surged through him, hot and violent. Without thinking, he hurled the box across the room. It hit the wall with a satisfying crack, the velvet case splitting open and spilling ring onto the floor.

Max buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. How had it come to this? When had their love, their marriage, become nothing more than a sham?

“Ha!” He snickered derisively at himself. But now, his thoughts were nothing but a joke.

He sat there in the darkness, his mind replaying the scenes in his head. No one knew how long he sat there, but after a long time, he heard the sound of keys in the door.

The door opened wide, and July stumbled in. She flipped on the lights and pulled off her heels, not noticing him. But when she turned, she saw him sitting on the couch and let out a startled scream.

"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, clutching her chest. "Max? What the hell are you doing sitting in the dark like some kind of creep?"

Max said nothing, his gaze cold and unflinching as he stared at his wife. July's initial fright quickly gave way to annoyance.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she snapped, her words slightly slurred. "This is how you congratulate your wife on winning an award? By pulling some stupid prank?"

She stumbled further into the apartment, her designer dress sparkly and rumpled. Max could smell the champagne on her breath from across the room.

"Well?" July demanded, her tone growing more irritated by the second. "Aren't you going to say anything? Congratulations, maybe? Or were you too busy wallowing here in the dark to even watch the ceremony?"

Max's silence seemed to fuel July's anger. She let out a derisive laugh, shaking her head.

"Of course. I don't know why I expected anything different. You're good for nothing, you know that? I win the biggest award of my career, and instead of throwing me a surprise party or at least having a bottle of champagne ready, you're sitting here with your dumb ass on the couch."

Her words cut deep, each one another twist of the knife in Max's heart. He thought of all the sacrifices he had made for her career, all the support he had given her. And this was how she saw him?

But he cut in and said calmly, "I want a divorce."