The guards threw me into the rain-slicked alley. I landed in a puddle, and water soaked through the waiter’s uniform. The hotel doors shut behind me.
The words I had shouted through the doors came back to me: *Was it all a lie?*
From my knees, I could see Serena through the rain-streaked glass. The man who had stepped between us was still at her side.
He took the glass when she finished drinking. They exchanged a few quiet words, too far away for me to hear.
Serena smiled at him. I had seen her polite smile at hundreds of dinners.
This time, her eyes creased at the corners. I searched my memory for the last time she had looked at me that way and found nothing.
For three years, I had called every kindness from her obedience.
I got back on my feet. She had my company and reputation, b
