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?”

“I’m married to you, not sold to you. Do I not get basic freedom to have a social life?”

“If Sophie and I really had something, our kid would be in middle school by now—would we still be arguing like this?”

The last taut string in me snapped.

“Right, it’s not my place—” my voice broke into a shout, “—but I’m done!”

Years of pent‑up anger burst free. I stared out the window, fighting back tears.

“Daniel, you remember her cycle, you remember she hates cilantro, and every time we eat out you play the servant—scalding her chopsticks and bowls with hot water again and again.”

My eyes burned; the tears still fell.

“But the one thing you never remember is my mango allergy. On my birthday you bought her favorite mango cake, and I almost died in the ER.”

“When you were starting the business, I was the one drinking with clients till my stomach bled. I was the one who put up my parents’ life savings to plug your holes. Where was your ‘brother’ then?”

“And now that you’re Mr. Carter, basking in success, she throws on the ‘brother’ mask and clings to you. You love it, don’t you?”

I exhaled, eyes closed.

“Daniel, let’s get a divorce.”

Silence. Only my muffled sobbing filled the car.

I turned my head.

He was slumped against the window, lightly snoring.

…

I sat alone until three in the morning.

Staring at the wedding photo on the coffee table, I called my attorney.

“Sorry to bother you. Please draft a divorce agreement.”

At dawn, the clatter from the bathroom woke me.

Daniel fixed his tie in the mirror, then looked down at his phone and grinned like an idiot.

My phone reminder blinked: Today is my birthday.

Seeing me awake, he came over and pinched my cheek with a smile.

“Babe, sleep a little more. I’ve got to head to Ethan’s Mountain View Campground to review a project.”

As if nothing had happened.

It was always like this.

Conflicts never resolved—if I didn’t bring them up, he’d just play dumb and move on.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he turned away, fingers flying over his screen.

A knock at the door.

Daniel set his phone down and went to answer it.

A bad feeling hit me. I picked up his phone.

The screen was still lit; a WhatsApp group called “Original Crew” was scrolling fast.

Princess Sophie: “I’m downstairs. Come greet your ‘dad.’”

I scrolled up, compelled.

Each message stabbed into me like a needle:

Friend A: “They’re fighting over this? Anna is so dramatic. Told you two wouldn’t last.”

Friend B: “She’s an outsider who’s been mooching off us for five years. Brutal. He should just dump her and be with Sophie.”

Sophie sent a hugging emoji: “I’m not mad anymore. Daniel said he’s buying me an amazing campground. Some people grind half their lives and still can’t beat having a good ‘brother.’~”

Daniel replied: “Riding with ‘dad’ got you the good life—now you see who treats you right.”

Friend C: “Muah—play day first! And we agreed—no partners allowed!”

Friend D: “Dan, you hear that? Sophie says if you dare to show up, she’ll share a tent tonight to properly thank you!”

A sheet of cold rushed over my scalp; my vision pulsed black.

How ridiculous.

Back then Sophie had invited me into their chat, even renaming it “Fantastic 6+1.”

Turns out they made a new group behind my back.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried to fit in.

In their world, I would always be the outsider who didn’t belong.

My hands trembled, my chest tight. I resisted the urge to smash the phone and instead saved screenshots of their chat.

By the time Daniel walked back in, I had already put his phone down.

He picked it up, hesitated, and muttered,

“Babe, these people act like they’ve never seen the world before, but they insist on tagging along. Just stay home and wait for me.”

I calmly picked up my bag. “Ethan Walker has been my friend for over ten years. This project—I’m coming too.”

Daniel froze, then reached out to block me.

“You don’t get along with them anyway. Better if you don’t come, saves you feeling left out.”

With that, he turned as if to leave.

I grabbed his arm, staring into his eyes. “Today is my birthday.”

I didn’t say more. It was his last chance.

From the doorway came Sophie’s impatient stomp.

Daniel’s face immediately twisted with irritation. He shrugged me off hard.

“Why are you acting like my mom? Always the same old routine. What’s so special about a birthday?”

The back of my hand slammed against the doorframe; the pain seared my chest.

“Tsk!” Sophie tiptoed and playfully tapped Daniel on the head.

“What did your daddy teach you? Treat girls gently. Honestly, I think Anna being dramatic and sensitive makes her cute. Be grateful, son!”

Daniel snorted. “That’s just how she is—always picking fights. If she’s not making drama, she’s not happy.”

Ignoring me, he slipped an arm toward Sophie’s waist. “Who just called me ‘son’? Watch your manners!”

Sophie spun around laughing. “Oh my god, you almost grabbed your dad’s chest. You perv!”

Daniel’s lips curled as he went ahead and groped her. “Really? Looks more like little dinner rolls to me.”

The group burst into laughter as they all filed out together.

I stood frozen, as if the air had been sucked from the room.

Watching them disappear behind the elevator doors, I dialed Ethan.

“I’ll meet you at the Mountain View Campground.”

He didn’t waste words. “Okay.”

Having grown up together, I knew the difference between friendship with boundaries and the opposite.

Two years of dating, three years of marriage.

I needed to see with my own eyes how humiliatingly my marriage to Daniel would end.

The campground was far from the city, the early autumn wind crisp and cool.

Beside the white tents, a group of young men and women cheered.

Ethan found me a spot at the edge of the grounds and pulled over a chair.

Across an artificial lake, I watched as a group of men surrounded Sophie.

Blindfolded, dressed in a camisole and shorts, she groped forward and landed straight in Daniel’s arms.

The crowd roared, “Danny lost! Truth! Truth!”

“Say it—do you like Sophie?”

Sophie looped her arms around Daniel’s neck, laughing as she scolded them.

“Oh, you guys are so annoying!”

Someone shouted louder, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Or better yet, switch to a dare. Sophie, you’ve already bitten Danny’s ass once—do it again and show us!”

Amid the laughter, Sophie threw Daniel a sultry glance.

“I think that sounds fun.”

Before the words faded, she reached for his belt.

“Hey! Stop it!” Daniel laughed as he dodged, but half-heartedly.

Then Sophie slipped. Daniel immediately caught her, and they tumbled together onto the soft grass.

In the chaos, her skirt was pushed up to her waist.

Daniel wrapped one arm tightly around her waist while the other hand possessively shielded her bare thigh.