Denise felt a flicker of unease. She forced a smile and reached for Ezra, trying to calm him, but he shoved her aside.
By the time everyone reached the bridal suite, they saw me crawling out of the fire, covered in wounds.
Every face around me was frozen in horror.
I hauled myself to my feet, wrenched open my smoke-scorched throat, and screamed:
"Officers! I am making a formal accusation! My husband, Ezra Mason, is having an affair with his personal medic! They released convicted rapists into my bridal suite to assault and kill me!"
"Shelagh! What the hell are you talking about?!"
Ezra roared, pulling Denise behind him. She swayed on her feet, her face a portrait of wounded innocence.
"Your petty jealousy on a normal day is one thing! But how dare you spread lies about my medic! Denise has treated my injuries and helped me more times than I can count! Instead of being grateful, you turn around and do something this vile!"
He turned to face the officers, whose expressions had gone stone-cold.
"Sirs, I'll be honest with you. My wife has mental health issues. She's always been convinced I'm cheating on her..."
His voice took on a note of bitter resignation.