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wings lifted just enough for you to hobble to her. You felt a cold, slithering dread settle in your chest. “Anna, what’s going on? Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” “I’ve been trying to reach you for days.” “Sorry, I’ve been busy.” “Let’s go inside. It’s fucking freezing out here.” You both sat down at the kitchen table. “So, did you talk to David?” she asked. “About what?” She looked at you like you were crazy. “About him kissing that woman!” You felt something slip in your brain. The image that you had been evading for days projected itself on your skull. In the shadowed recess of the hallway, the distant sound of music, and friends talking, and two bodies in the dark. They didn’t notice you. You could hear the sound of lips joining and breaking apart, that distinct gooey sound of tongue. The walls of the hallway were closing in, swaddling the three of you where you stood. You couldn’t breathe. Liquid was dripping off the walls and onto you and him and her. They didn’t seem to care, but you were burning. You felt your skin begin to run, to dribble down your legs and feet, and pool on the carpet. Then a whisper. “You are so beautiful,” your husband said. He was obviously saying it to Hayden, their bodies still entangled in confusing ways, but it felt like the words still belonged to you. Maybe you could take them back. The hallway walls released their hold, your skin re-coagulated. You felt a headache start that seemed rooted in something deeper than brain matter. Something felt different inside you. You turned your back on them and returned to the party. It wasn’t until hours later that you told Sophia. If only you hadn’t. “About that, I honestly think I imagined it. I mean I was so drunk,” you laughed. Sophia’s eyebrows rose. “No you weren’t. You barely drank at all.” “No, I totally was—” “Anna, don’t do this.” She was tapping her foot against the table leg. The wings vibrated with each pulse. “Okay, Sophia, yes he was flirting with her. But that’s really all there was. I think I made up the rest. None of it’s his fault. I haven’t CUNNINGHAM