When I saw the headline—Vegas Chapel Opens Drive-Thru in Nightclub, Dare Option Unlocked—I laughed along with the rest of the internet, sharing the spicy comments about it being a new punishment for losing a round of dares. I was still laughing about it yesterday. Today, when I went to the courthouse with my fiancé to get our marriage license, I found out he was already married. He’d registered last night. His “best friend,” a woman I’d only ever heard described as “one of the guys,” gasped with theatrical surprise. “Oh my god, Ryan! I think… I think we lost a dare at the club last night. They made us go get married as a penalty.” Ryan, with his arm still wrapped around my waist, just shrugged it off. “We thought it was just a joke, a gimmick. We didn't think it was real. But hey, no big deal. We’ll just get it annulled.” He gave my side a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll take a month for the paperwork to go through, and then we can get our license. Simple.” I gently pushed his hand away. A smile played on my lips. “Okay,” I said, my voice sweet. “I’ll wait.” I’ll wait for you to get on your knees and beg me. 1 As I turned to leave, Ryan grabbed my wrist, his relaxed expression tightening with annoyance. “What’s the big deal, Audrey? It’s not like it can’t be undone. You can’t wait one month?” Alex, the “female friend,” draped her arms around Ryan’s neck without a shred of shame, pulling his head toward her chest. “Don’t worry, ‘sis’,” she purred, the title dripping with condescension. “It’s only a month. I can test-drive the marriage for you. Test-drive him too, if you want.” She winked at me. “If he’s no good, you can kick him to the curb. Save you from a passionless marriage.” The rest of their friends burst out laughing, a chorus of bros who saw absolutely nothing wrong with this. Including Ryan himself. He gave Alex a helpless push, pulling at the collar of her low-cut top to peek inside. “With that flat chest of yours? I’ll pass on the test drive.” Alex didn’t even flinch. She just puffed out what little she had. “They say these can be grown with the right pair of hands. Want to give it a try, Ryan? Experience the joy of a home-grown project?” Rage, hot and sharp, surged through me. Until this very moment, I had never known that Alex, the person he always called his best buddy, was a woman. A completely shameless one at that. Someone in the group must have noticed the murder in my eyes and tried to play peacemaker. “Hey, Audrey, don’t be mad. It’s our fault. We were all wasted and egging them on.” “Yeah, none of us knew you could actually get a real license at a nightclub. It’s crazy, right?” another one chimed in. Someone else popped the trunk of Ryan’s car. “Ryan was so excited about today. He even had a surprise for you.” The moment the trunk opened, a wave of awkward silence fell over the group. The back of the car, which was supposed to be filled with flowers, was a wreck. Dozens of roses were crushed and flattened, and lying right on top of the floral carnage was a single piece of black lace underwear. “Oh!” Alex chirped, stepping forward to snatch the panties. “I was wondering why I felt a draft this morning. Turns out I forgot something.” She shot a pouty look at Ryan. “You could have told me.” My mind went blank, a white-hot static where my future used to be. My hand moved on its own, the crack of my palm against Ryan’s cheek echoing in the sudden silence. “You disgust me.” He stared at me, stunned for a second, before grabbing my wrist. “It’s not what you think!” “She… she was drunk last night and insisted on sleeping in the car.” He shot Alex a desperate look, begging her to play along. She rolled her eyes before sighing dramatically. “Right, right. All my fault. I insisted on sleeping in the trunk alone and accidentally ruined your big surprise. But hey, you guys didn’t get your license today anyway, so no harm, no foul.” She emphasized the word “alone,” her tone a perfect blend of apology and taunt. I yanked my hand from Ryan’s grip, my face a cold mask. “Since you two are already married, there’s nothing left to say. I wish you both the best. A bitch and a dog, a match made in heaven.” A man this filthy was no longer my problem. Ryan blocked my path, his face dark. “I told you, marrying Alex was an accident. Do you have to be so cruel with your words?” he snapped. “These are all my friends. They came all this way to celebrate with us. The least you could do is buy them dinner.” He puffed out his chest. “Let’s do Aura.” I stared at him, truly baffled. I never realized the depths of his shamelessness. Aura, a restaurant with a six-thousand-dollar tasting menu per person, was so exclusive it didn’t even take reservations from the general public. Even Ryan Walker couldn’t get a table there on his own. And now, standing here on the day he was supposed to marry me, already married to another woman, he had the audacity to ask me to use my connections to save his face? I was so furious I could barely breathe. I kicked him hard in the shin. “Get lost,” I seethed. “Take whoever you married and buy them your own damn dinner.” I got in my car and drove straight to my office. I had barely sat down at my desk when my phone rang. It was the concierge from Aura. “Ms. Pearce? A Mr. Walker has just charged an eighty-eight-thousand-dollar VIP package to your account. I was calling to confirm when you might be available to settle the bill?” I laughed, a sharp, humorless sound. The absolute nerve of Ryan. “He’s the one who spent the money,” I told the concierge, my voice ice cold. “He can be the one to pay for it. If he doesn't, I suggest you call the police. He and I are no longer associated in any way.” A few minutes later, Ryan’s name flashed on my screen. I answered, and his furious roar filled my ear. “Audrey! Are you trying to humiliate me in front of my friends? Get over here and pay this bill right now!” I let out another cold laugh. “Why, exactly, would I do that?” “When have you ever not paid when we’ve come here?” he shot back, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. My voice dropped to a whisper. “Oh. Why don’t you take a moment and remember why I ever paid for you in the first place?” There was a pause. He remembered. He remembered showing up at my door with nothing but his good looks and a sob story, begging me to support him, promising he’d be the perfect, devoted husband who wouldn't interfere with my career. Back then, he was sweet, attentive, and gorgeous. And I, facing the pressure of inheriting my family’s company, thought that having a handsome, uncomplicated man by my side was a perfect solution. So I said yes. His tone softened, shifting to the gentle, pleading voice he always used to get his way. “Audrey, baby, don’t be angry. I promise I’ll book an appointment to start the annulment with Alex tomorrow. Next month, it’ll be you and me. Even if her name is on that paper, you’re the only one in my heart. A tomboy like Alex could never compare to you.” A few days ago, those sweet words would have melted me. Now, they just made my stomach turn. I could hear Alex’s voice in the background. “Is Audrey still giving you a hard time? I told you, you’re too good to her. Just because she has a little money, she thinks she can throw these tantrums whenever she wants.” “Yeah, man,” another voice chimed in. “She’s almost thirty. Who else is going to marry an old maid like that besides you?” “Exactly. Alex is way better. She can be your bro in the streets and in the sheets.” “I say, since the license is already signed, why not just roll with it? Otherwise, your life is basically over, dude.” “Hey, speaking of last night in the car… weren’t those rose thorns a little prickly?” A wave of raucous laughter followed. The sound was so incredibly mocking. Now I understood why he never wanted me to meet his “friends.” He was afraid I’d see them for who they really were. The background noise muffled as Ryan presumably covered the phone, but his own voice grew bolder. “Look, just get over here. Weren’t you always dying to meet my friends? Stop playing hard to get.” “Fine,” I said. “Tell them to wait for me.” Just before I hung up, I heard Ryan’s triumphant voice, loud and clear. “See? I’ve been giving her way too much credit. I tell her to come, and she comes running.” The sound of it was so pathetic, it was almost funny. Ryan was clearly flying high on his own delusion. I watched the call recording save automatically to my phone, then blocked his number and got back to work. The anger fueled me. I worked straight through the night and didn't head home until the next morning. But the moment I opened my front door, I saw it. A trail of discarded clothing—his jeans, her dress—snaked from the entryway to my bedroom door. The rage I had managed to suppress came roaring back. I walked to the kitchen, filled a stainless-steel ice bucket with water, marched into the bedroom, and dumped the whole thing onto the bed. Two figures, tangled together, shot up with panicked screams. They were both completely naked. When Alex saw it was me, she shrieked, “Are you crazy? Can’t you see we’re sleeping?” I tossed the bucket onto the floor with a loud clang. “Oh, I see,” I said, my smile venomous. “I see everything perfectly.” Ryan scrambled to pull on his boxers. “Audrey! Don’t misunderstand! Nothing happened between us! We’re innocent!” There are moments when you’re so utterly speechless that all you can do is laugh. “Do you take me for an idiot, Ryan?” Naked, in my bed together, and he was trying to sell me on ‘innocence’? Alex, completely unbothered by her own nudity, stood up to defend him. “Do you have any idea how much face Ryan lost last night because you didn’t show up?” she yelled. “And you have the nerve to be angry at him? Besides, Ryan and I are legally married now. Even if we did sleep together, it’s nobody’s business but ours!” Ryan grabbed her dress from the floor and expertly helped her pull it on, his movements practiced and familiar. Then he turned to me, his eyes full of disappointment. “Can’t you just trust me for once, Audrey? Why do you always have to be so suspicious? And about last night… those are my best friends! You completely humiliated me in front of them.” He took a deep breath, as if preparing to deliver a royal decree. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to wire each of my friends a hundred thousand dollars as an apology for the eighty-eight-thousand-dollar dinner you refused to pay for. Then, maybe, I’ll consider putting in a good word for you with them.” I stared at him, incredulous. How could one person possess such an astounding level of arrogance? Did he actually believe what his friends said, that I was so desperate I couldn’t live without him? He seemed to take my silence as a sign that his threats were working. His tone became even more condescending. “Consider this one-month annulment period a trial. For you. A chance for you to prove you’re worthy of marrying me. We’ll see how you behave.” He then added, “Oh, and Alex is craving the caviar and chocolate pudding from Aura. Have a serving delivered.” Alex stepped forward and gave me a hard shove, a triumphant smirk on her face. “Ryan and I are the married couple here. That means this is my house now. You can get out.” She leaned in closer. “And you’d better spend the next month figuring out how to get on my good side. Because if I’m not happy, I might just decide not to sign those annulment papers. Then where would you be?” I stumbled backward, the corner of a dresser digging painfully into my lower back. For a split second, I saw Ryan’s hand start to reach for me, but he pulled it back, his expression hardening. “Your attitude really has gotten out of control lately, Audrey. You need to fix it.” Fix this, I thought. I steadied myself, stood up straight, and slapped them both, one after the other. Alex screamed and lunged at me, grabbing a handful of my hair, her other hand raised to strike back. I could have dodged it, I could have fought back, but Ryan grabbed my arms, holding me in place for her. “Audrey, don’t you dare go too far!” he yelled. Alex’s slaps landed hard across my face, stinging and sharp. I could taste blood in my mouth. When she was done, Ryan looked at me, a flicker of guilt in his eyes before he quickly looked away. “You hit her first,” he mumbled. “You can’t blame Alex. Maybe you should stay somewhere else for a while. Alex doesn't really like living with other women.” I thought Ryan had a limit, a line he wouldn’t cross. I thought wrong. He wasn’t just a spineless user; he was an animal. “Really?” I spat, the blood making my words taste metallic. “Is her mother not a woman? Or did she crawl out from under a rock?” Any lingering shred of affection I had for him vanished in that instant. I pushed myself off the floor, walked to my desk, pulled open a drawer, and threw the deed to the condo right at his face. “Read it and weep. This is my property. The only two who should be getting out are you and your whore.” I pointed a trembling finger at him. “And you, Ryan. Your clothes, your car, your entire existence for the past three years—I paid for it all. Get naked before you leave. And that pathetic little startup I funded for you? Get ready to watch it file for bankruptcy.” Alex stepped in front of him, her arms crossed defiantly. “You were going to marry him anyway. It’s not just the condo; your company was going to be his too. You should be handing it all over willingly, and instead, you’re trying to kick him out?” She sneered. “What, are you trying to be some kind of online girlboss now? Just wait. Once Ryan dumps you for good, you’ll come crawling back.” I found it fascinating that Alex, a woman, could be so contemptuous of other women. She seemed to identify so strongly with men, she’d practically become one herself. She would learn soon enough what happens when you put all your faith in them. “I’m done talking,” I said flatly. “Are you leaving, or do I have someone make you leave?” I pulled out my phone and dialed three numbers: 9-1-1. Seeing me actually do it, Ryan hesitated. But Alex grabbed his arm. “Who do you think you’re threatening?” she snarled at me. “You don’t want me living in your precious condo? Fine. Then nobody gets to live in it!” With that, she stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of olive oil, and ran back into the bedroom. She started splashing it all over the curtains and my clothes in the open closet. My eyes widened in horror. I moved to stop her. “Ryan, what are you waiting for? Stop her!” Alex screamed at him. “If you don’t teach her a lesson now, do you really think she won’t hold this over your head every single day after you’re married?” That was all it took. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ryan wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pinning me in place. I could only watch in helpless horror as Alex finished emptying the bottle, pulled a lighter from her pocket, and set the curtains ablaze. The oil acted as an accelerant. Flames erupted, climbing the fabric in seconds. Choking on the smoke, Alex pushed past me, grabbed Ryan, and dragged him out of the room. I heard the click of the lock just as I lunged for the door. The fire was already consuming half the room. The heat was a physical force, searing my skin. I pounded on the door in a panic. “Ryan! Open this door right now!” I think he might have considered it, but I heard Alex’s sharp voice from the other side. “Ryan, I’m doing this for you. Have some goddamn backbone. Wait until she begs you. Then we’ll talk.” A moment of silence, then Ryan’s voice, muffled but clear. “Alex is right, Audrey. You should have signed the condo and the company over to me a long time ago. All you ever needed was me, right? If you promise to sign everything over to me right now, I’ll open the door and let you out.” The flames grew higher. The ends of my hair began to singe and curl. The thick, acrid smoke clawed at my lungs, and every attempt to breathe was like swallowing knives. I heard Alex again, her voice laced with cruel excitement. “See? She’s still got fight in her. That means the fire isn’t big enough yet. Let’s wait a little longer.” Ryan’s reply was a single word that sent my heart plummeting into an icy abyss. “Okay.” I stopped hoping they would save me. Stumbling and choking, I made my way into the en-suite bathroom. I turned on the shower, drenching myself in cold water, and curled into a ball on the wet tile floor. Through the haze of smoke and fear, I heard Alex’s panicked shriek. “The fire’s spreading out here!” Ryan’s voice was filled with alarm. “What about Audrey?” “Who cares about her right now?” Alex screamed back. “Do you want to die?” Then, the sound of frantic footsteps fading down the hall. They had left me there. Smoke seeped under the bathroom door, making the small space a death trap. My breathing became shallow, my vision started to swim in black spots. Just as I thought this was it, that I was going to burn to death in my own home, the bathroom door splintered open. “Ma’am, are you okay?” A firefighter. The first thing I did, the very first conscious act after being saved, was to grab his arm. My voice was a raw, broken rasp. “Call the police,” I choked out. “This was arson. They tried to murder me.”
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