On Valentine's Night, the Hunt of the Ten Husbands

When Penelope Ashworth woke up, there were ten men sitting in the living room. Their faces were grim, as if they had arranged it beforehand, each with an exquisitely wrapped Valentine's Day gift placed in front of him. She knew all ten of them—they were the "husbands" she had juggled in different circles over the past year. She had always thought her scheme was flawless, until the moment she saw them exchange glances. Right then, she realized this wasn't a surprise. It was a reckoning. The air hung heavy as lead, and before her hand could even turn the doorknob, ten gazes pierced through her like nails, all at once.