During a game of truth or dare at our pre-wedding party, my fiancee, Marissa Jones, plays a game of truth-or-dare with her childhood friend, William Chase. The one who chooses dare is required to sleep with the person next to them.

Alarmed by the dare, I quickly suggest, "Why don't you choose truth instead?"

However, William refuses to let that happen. He eyes me scornfully and says, "I can't believe you still have such an old-fashioned mindset. I don't mind sleeping with her, so why are you making a big deal out of it?"

He turns to Marissa and asks, "Will you sleep with me, Rissa?"

Everyone else in the room starts egging them on.

"Kyle is way too uptight. If Marissa won't do it, I will. Pick me, William, you handsome devil!"

I grab Marissa's arm and try to leave with her, but she flings my hand off.

"If I leave now, what about William? We're about to get married anyway, Kyle. Can't I have one night of freedom?"

She climbs right onto William's lap, and the crowd cheers wildly.

As I stare at Marissa and William, I know without a doubt that my relationship with Marissa has come to an end.

Marissa Jones, my fiancee, and William Chase, her childhood friend, disappeared into the ensuite bathroom. Everyone else in the room was thoroughly amused by the situation. They aimed their phones at the frosted glass of the bathroom to record what was happening.

We were at a luxury clubhouse, but the soundproofing wasn't all that great. Despite being separated by a door, I could still hear William's moans loud and clear.

Shawn Decker, William's friend, pointed his phone at me and said, "It's only a game, Kyle. Surely you're not upset, right? It can't be helped that Will is a man of his word. Besides, it's not like Marissa is losing out on anything. It's Will's first time being with a woman!"

Someone else chimed in, "Will's not a sore loser, unlike a certain someone in this room right now."

Naturally, he was referring to me, the one who'd suggested changing from dare to truth.

A little while later, Marissa came out with a jacket draped around her. That didn't hide the sea of hickeys covering her neck. It was obvious how intensely they'd gone at it just now.

I walked up to her to take her away from him. But before I could say anything, she grabbed my jacket and ripped it right off me with such force that the zip snagged on my hair and yanked a few strands out. I winced in pain, but she didn't even bother looking at me.

She simply said indifferently, "I ripped Will's shirt. Let him use your jacket to cover himself up."

Then, she eyed me in displeasure and snapped, "Why are you reacting like that? I'm just borrowing your jacket."

William drawled from behind, "I must keep my word, Rissa. One night means one entire night."

The crowd hollered and cheered.

"Come on, Marissa. Will's already being so forward. Don't tell me you're going to chicken out!"

Marissa chuckled helplessly, her eyes filled with unabashed adoration. "I really don't know what to do with him. I bet he's going to keep me up all night. Go buy us a box of condoms, Kyle."

I stared at her in disbelief. Once our eyes met, she rubbed her forehead and said, "Don't kick up a fuss with me, Kyle. We're getting married soon anyway. Don't be so petty. I'll always be yours."

I continued to stare fixedly at her. She was supposed to be my future wife, but she felt like a complete stranger to me now.

Shawn was laughing so hard that his shoulders shook. Pointing his phone at me, who was still completely dazed, he said, "Hey, Kyle, didn't you hear what Marissa said? She's telling you to go get a box of condoms!"

I smacked Shawn's phone out of my face. With a sneer on my face, I looked at Marissa and said, "Why even bother using condoms? If you get pregnant, you guys will get to start a family together. William has been dying to get you into bed with him for the longest time, hasn't he? Go on then. You two have my blessing."

William appeared behind Marissa. As he stood there butt-naked, his eyes welled up with tears that threatened to spill over. "I know you don't like me, Kyle, but this is just a game. I had no idea you were such a sore loser. If you're unhappy about it, I won't do it with Marissa then. I'll just sleep with someone else, okay?"

However, Marissa stood in front of him protectively and draped my jacket over him, saying, "Don't be ridiculous! How could I give you to someone else?"

She whipped back around and glared at me, her expression cold with fury. "Apologize at once, Kyle!"

I snorted and simply looked her in the eye. Her gaze filled with disappointment when I refused to apologize to William. "Will is just like a younger brother to me, Kyle. Can you stop making such a big deal out of nothing?"

"A younger brother, you say? What kind of younger brother? The kind who gets into bed with you?" I retorted sarcastically. "No real younger brother would ever act this way."

As soon as I finished speaking, Marissa slapped me hard across the face. My head slammed against the wall. Instantly, my head started spinning, and my cheek was smarting painfully.

Suppressing the urge to cry from the pain, I stared at the infuriated Marissa, who was glancing down at her hand. There was a flicker of remorse in her expression, but she snapped, "It's your fault for saying such outrageous things!"

William shot me a gloating look, but he said, "It's all my fault. Don't get mad at Kyle, Rissa. I'm the one who messed up. I shouldn't have stuck to the rules of the game. I shouldn't have gone along with it just because your dare was to sleep with me."

Marissa used the hand she just slapped me with to hold William and console him.

I could no longer stop my tears from streaming. I turned right around and fled the room.

The rain was pouring outside, which meant that I was soaked to my skin in a matter of seconds. I'd left in such a hurry that I even forgot to take my phone with me. Still, I wasn't about to turn back around to get it. I didn't want to see their faces.

It was three hours before I finally made my way home on foot.

As soon as I got home, I headed toward the bedroom to change my clothes. However, Marissa happened to come out of the bedroom, looking like she was doing her best not to be too loud.

There was a flicker of emotion in her eyes when she saw how drenched I was. She grabbed a towel and started drying my hair, saying, "Are you a child? Even if you're upset, why are you showing so little concern for your own health?"

Recalling how she'd just been intimate with William, I moved away from her. "Don't touch me. You disgust me."

Even as we looked at each other in silence now, I could smell William's favorite cologne on her. Feeling both physically and emotionally repulsed, I pushed her aside and dashed into the bathroom to puke my guts out.

When I came back out, Marissa was standing right outside the bathroom door. She sneered at me. "Do I disgust you that much, Kyle?"

I dried my mouth and stared coldly at her. "That's right. You disgust me more than anything else in this world."

Marissa grabbed my collar and glared at me. "Have I been too tolerant with you? Did you somehow mistakenly get the impression that you could control me as you pleased?"

I turned my head away, wordlessly refusing to be in close proximity to her. She was so enraged that she pushed me to the floor. I was caught off guard as she started kicking me in the abdomen.

Marissa saw right through my feigned composure. Scoffing, she declared, "We're getting married soon, so what's this nonsense about being disgusted with me, huh?"

She continued to kick me while I was lying on the floor, venting her anger. My entire body was shaking from the pain, but she refused to stop.

All of a sudden, the bedroom door opened, and William came out in my pajamas.

"Oh, come now, Rissa. I'm sure Kyle knows he was wrong. Please don't end up injuring him badly because of me!"

Marissa crossed her arms and looked at me, who was now battered and bruised.

"Will, help Kyle get himself cleaned up."

However, I pushed away William's outstretched hand and hauled myself into the bathroom in spite of the pain.

I was now covered in bruises. The patches of purple blooming across my skin proved to be a rather horrific sight.

As I stared at my ashen-faced reflection in the mirror, my heart clenched painfully.

By the time I was done with my shower, the dining table was laden with the food William had made. The oversized T-shirt he wore revealed quite a bit of his chest. His muscles were on display each time Marissa looked at him.

When William spotted me, he greeted me with feigned friendliness. "You're done with your shower, Kyle? Come and eat. I asked Marissa about what you liked to eat and made your favorite jumbo shrimp!"

Ignoring him, I started heading to the bedroom, but Marissa grabbed my arm, squeezing down so tightly that it made me frown. "What's wrong with you? Did your parents not teach you any manners? William cooked specifically for you! Even if you're not hungry, you're going to finish everything on that table before you go anywhere else!"

I was forced into a seat at the dining table. Feeling exhausted, I stiffly shoveled the food into my mouth.

William used his own cutlery to fill up Marissa's and my plate. It was as if he were the one living here, not me. Marissa always had a thing about germs and cleanliness, but shockingly, she didn't mind that William used his cutlery to serve her.

I swiftly ate my share and got up to head to the bedroom. This time, no one stopped me.

The moment I stepped inside the bedroom, I was hit in the face by the overwhelming scent of William's cologne.

In just a single afternoon, the master bedroom in this house, which was meant to be my marital home with Marissa, had changed completely.

A third toothbrush had been added to the bathroom sink that Marissa and I shared. More of William's belongings were now strewn across the dressing table.

William came in behind me and said with a pleasant smile, "My apartment lease ended, Kyle. Rissa said that since you guys have a spare room here, I could move in with you guys first.

"The housekeeper hasn't tidied up the guest bedroom yet, so I left my things here first. I didn't touch any of your belongings, of course. I'll just sleep with you guys for the time being. You won't mind, right?"

I turned around and looked at Marissa, who said with a perfectly nonchalant expression, "Rita will be coming over tomorrow afternoon to prepare the guest bedroom. It'll only be for one night."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Shooting me a sharp glare, Marissa demanded, "Why are you laughing?"

I lowered my gaze and shook my head. I started gathering my things, but Marissa grabbed my hand to stop me. "What are you doing?"

Breaking free of her, I said, "The bed is too small for three people. I'll tidy up the guest bedroom and spend the night there."

Smiling, Marissa said approvingly, "Now that's better. In the future, stop throwing those petty tantrums with me, Kyle, and don't get jealous of William either."

William was grinning widely. He pulled Marissa into his arms and said, "It's fine. I don't mind. It just means Kyle loves you very much."

I calmly nodded, saying agreeably, "It won't happen again."

After all, there was no longer going to be a future involving Marissa and me.

…

The next morning, I went to the jewelry boutique to cancel the wedding ring I'd booked. When I arrived, I was just about to head inside when I heard William's voice ringing out.

"This ring suits me perfectly, Rissa. I saw Kyle wearing it before. I want the same one!"

Marissa said affectionately, "That's supposed to be our wedding ring. Kyle is a petty man. He'll kick up a fuss with me again if he finds out you have the same ring."

"I just won't wear it then," William said with a dissatisfied pout. "Come on. Please?"

It seemed as though Marissa couldn't say no to him. She helplessly agreed to get him the ring.

I stayed outside and calmly listened to their entire exchange. Once they'd left the jewelry boutique, I went in.

The sales assistant recognized me. She was the one who saw Marissa and me picking out our wedding rings.

She hovered around, eyeing me hesitantly, as if she had something to say. I smiled at her and told her I already knew about everything.

I was able to cancel the booking I made for Marissa's wedding ring and process the refund without any issues.

Now that the 20 thousand dollars had been refunded to me, I felt relieved.

Mom had left that money to me, saying that when I got married, I was to use this money to buy my wife a wedding ring. That way, it would feel as though Mom had been there with me at my wedding as well.

Before this, I believed that Marissa was the only woman for me. I didn't hesitate to use that money to buy her a diamond ring.

Now that things had changed, she was no longer worthy of a wedding ring bought with Mom's money.