It still wasn't as cold as what I felt inside.
Last winter, when the weather first turned, he'd complained that the down jackets I bought were cheap brands that didn't keep me warm. He'd thrown every single one of them out without asking. The next day, he'd given me the Canada Goose himself, telling me that things were better now, that he'd never let me freeze again.
Neil knew all of that perfectly well. He was doing this on purpose, just to humiliate me.
In that moment, all I felt was regret.
Regret that I'd been so blind about who he really was.
One of the guests thought things had gone too far and tried to intervene. "Come on, Neil. It's below zero out there. She's barely wearing anything underneath. Without that jacket, she'll freeze."
"It's supposed to be a happy occasion. Don't let it end like this. Just swallow your pride and make up with your wife. There's no shame in that."
Neil clearly didn't see it that way.
His lips twisted into a mocking smirk.