Game Over, Marriage Over

The turn for Truth or Dare fell on my husband’s so-called “sworn sister.” Sophie Miller winked at me.

“Daniel Carter has a scar on his butt—it was me who bit it.”

The private room instantly fell silent.

My mind went blank. So the scar near his tailbone wasn’t from a motorcycle accident after all.

Seeing my stunned look, Sophie laughed and explained,

“Oh come on, it was just a whim on your wedding night. Relax, it was nothing more than a ‘souvenir’ of our brotherly bond.”

“If we really had something going on, I wouldn’t be bringing it up on your third wedding anniversary, would I?”

…

The air was still.

Daniel lifted the banana in his hand and shoved the whole thing into Sophie’s mouth. “Eat, before you choke on your own words.”

Sophie rolled her eyes dramatically, laughing as she reached toward Daniel’s pants.

“This banana is nothing compared to my boy’s!”

The group erupted in laughter.

Someone tried to ease the tension by turning to me.

“Come on, Anna, don’t take it to heart. We brothers are used to dirty jokes. Let’s keep playing the game!”

It wasn’t the first time.

My fingers dug into the glass so tightly that sharp pain shot through my fingertips.

The beer bottle spun in front of me, then stopped.

Everyone pointed at me, chanting, “Anna Lewis, you lost! Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

I stood up calmly and strode toward Sophie.

I yanked up her skirt and snapped a photo in one swift motion.

By the time she shrieked and tried to pull it down, I had already taken a dozen shots.

Daniel reacted first, shoving me hard.

“Anna, are you insane?”

I laughed, raising my phone toward them.

“I just exposed Sophie’s little graduation gift. How does this dare compare to biting someone’s ass?”

Everyone looked at one another, no one daring to speak.

“What’s wrong? Why isn’t anyone laughing? Isn’t it funny?”

My chest felt heavy with bitterness as I spoke.

Daniel’s face darkened. He took off his jacket and tied it around Sophie’s thighs.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she clung to his arm and looked at me.

“Anna, why are you so serious? If you can’t handle the game, don’t play!”

I forced a smile. “Wasn’t it a dare? Why are you the one taking it so seriously?”

“Anna!”

For the eighteenth time, Daniel shouted at me for Sophie’s sake. “You’ve gone too far. Apologize to her now!”

The one who was humiliated was me, yet somehow I was also the one in the wrong.

Suddenly, everything felt meaningless.

I grabbed my bag and stood up to leave.

But my wrist was yanked back roughly. Daniel’s face was pale with anger.

“Today is our anniversary, all my brothers are here, and you insist on making a scene?”

Brothers, always brothers.

I wrenched my hand free.

Smack!

The slap landed squarely across Daniel’s face, leaving everyone frozen in shock.

The room went rigid.

Sophie forced an awkward smile, slinging her arm around Daniel’s shoulder and covering his mouth.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough.”

Her smile turned gentle. “Anna, Daniel and I are just like real brothers. We grew up running around naked together. Even if I stripped in front of him, he wouldn’t react.”

She pushed Daniel toward me, coaxing, “Go on, apologize to her. Take her home now. If we stay any longer, she’ll start suspecting every man in this room of having something with you.”

After exchanging sly glances with the others, she stifled a laugh behind her hand.

Under Sophie’s urging gaze, Daniel muttered, his voice stuck in his throat,

“I’m sorry.”

My chest tightened painfully.

If he hadn’t apologized, maybe there would still have been room for hope.

I turned and strode out of the room.

In the end, Daniel still chased after me.

Inside the car, usually so quiet, he wouldn’t stop talking.

“Why do you always have to clash with Sophie? What did she ever do to you?”