They Bet On How Fast I Would Cry On Our Anniversary Chapter 01

They Bet On How Fast I Would Cry On Our Anniversary Chapter 01

My husband Ethan Whitmore always saw pranks as part of the fun of marriage.

Every year on our anniversary, he invited my best friend and a group of friends over for Truth or Dare.

Three years ago, he drew Truth.

Sophie Hayes asked him what he regretted most in his life.

He looked straight at me and smiled.

“Marrying Claire.”

I walked away with tears in my eyes. He followed me a moment later, insisting it was all part of the game.

Two years ago, he drew Dare.

His challenge was to kiss a woman in the room for ten seconds.

Instead of picking someone random, Ethan reached past me, grabbed Sophie by the waist, and leaned in like he was going to kiss her.

I lost it, rushed over, and shoved them apart.

Ethan and his friends burst out laughing.

“We didn’t even kiss. Why are you so easy to mess with?”

Last year, Sophie asked him who he would marry if he could choose all over again.

Ethan pointed at her without hesitation.

The whole room burst out laughing.

He put an arm around me and said, “The more outrageous the answer, the better it plays.”

But this year, their prank went too far.

Sophie drew Dare.

In front of everyone, she called Ethan.

“Ethan, I’m pregnant. It’s yours.”

Ethan paused on cue, playing along, then said, dead serious.

“Have the baby. I’ll divorce Claire and take care of you and the baby.”

They shot each other a look, barely holding back laughter as they waited for me to fall apart like I always did.

But this time, I just set my cards down and slipped off my wedding ring.

“If you’ve already decided to divorce me, consider it done.”

—

The room went silent for a few seconds.

Ethan was the first to laugh.

“Oh, finally learned to play along?”

He held out his hand.

“Come on. Show’s over. Give me the ring.”

Sophie laughed too and turned her phone around.

The screen showed a prank page she’d set up in advance.

The call had never been real. It was a prerecorded audio clip playing from her phone.

The pregnancy was fake.

Even Ethan’s promise to divorce me was just a scripted line for this year’s anniversary prank.

Everyone eased up and started throwing out compliments.

“That was way too convincing. I almost bought it.”

“Sophie really knows how to play the game.”

“Claire’s reaction was pretty good too. I’m surprised she held out this long before taking it off.”

Ethan picked up my wedding ring from the table and reached for my hand to put it back on. I pulled away.

His smile faded. “The game’s over.”

“Don’t make this awkward for everyone.”

Sophie came over too. Her eyes were red as she gently tugged at my sleeve.

“Claire, I’m sorry. I just happened to draw Dare.”

“The questions are random. None of us meant to single you out.”

She sounded so wronged. Like she was the one who’d just been publicly told her marriage was over.

Before I could answer, Derek Cole, the one filming everything, suddenly slapped the table.

“Wait. We haven’t settled this year’s bets yet.”

The screen lit up on the wall. It was packed with names and wagers.

Someone had bet that I’d throw my drink in Sophie’s face.

Someone else had bet that I’d cry and force Ethan to choose between us.

Another person had bet that I wouldn’t make it to the end of the game before storming out.

Ethan had bet $10,000. He’d bet that I’d take off my ring within five minutes. That I’d leave within ten.

And that I’d go home and beg him to make up that same night.

There was even a note underneath.

[Three rounds of groveling, max, and she’ll put the ring back on.]

Sophie laughed and bumped Ethan’s shoulder.

“See? No one knows Claire better than you do.”

Derek kept scrolling.

The betting records from the previous three years popped up on screen one by one.

Three years ago, after hearing Ethan say he regretted marrying me, I teared up at the forty-seven-second mark.

I’d left the room at three minutes and nine seconds.

Ethan had gone after me three times before I let him carry me back inside.

Two years ago, after I shoved them apart, I cried all night. The next day, he brought me flowers, and I still showed up for his family dinner.

Last year, after that fake wedding stunt, I went three days without wearing my ring.

Ethan apologized twice and took me out to dinner. I forgave him again.

They’d tracked everything down to the minute.

How long before I cried. How long before I walked out. And how many times Ethan had to grovel before I’d give in.

Whoever got the most predictions right won a cash prize from Ethan.

Every year’s video had the same title.

[Claire’s Jealousy Challenge.]

I stared at the screen, my blood ran cold.

All those anniversaries that kept me up at night. To them, it was just an annual show.

My tears, my breakdowns, my fear—it was all rewatchable entertainment to them. They’d even put a price on it.

I looked at Ethan. “You knew I’d be hurt. Why did you keep doing it?”

His face didn’t change. Like I’d just asked the simplest question in the world.

“Because you get hurt. That’s what makes it fun.”

“Claire, every time you get jealous, it just proves how much you love me.”

“And no matter how far we take it, don’t I always come back and make it up to you?”

“We’ve been married how long now? And you still can’t tell when I’m just messing with you?”

Before we got married, we’d played Truth or Dare with our friends once.

Someone had dared me to kiss a stranger.

Ethan downed a few penalty shots for me and stepped in front of me.

He’d said, “Games have boundaries.”

“No one gets to use Claire for entertainment.”

Later, when I was upset over how close he’d gotten to Sophie, he held me and made me a promise.

“It’s not unreasonable for you to be upset.”

“I’ll never turn your feelings into a punchline.”

Now the person who knew exactly where my boundaries were had been the one to put a price on them and hand them over to his friends for betting.

Derek’s phone suddenly started blowing up. He checked it, and his face went white.

“The teaser for the game already got posted to the public account.”

“People are tearing Sophie apart.”

The video had stopped right at the moment Sophie claimed she was pregnant.

And right where Ethan promised to divorce me and take responsibility.

The comments were flooding with accusations that the prank went too far and that they were actually sleeping together.

Some people even recognized Sophie as my best friend and accused her of trying to wreck my marriage.

Sophie’s face went white.

Ethan immediately pulled out a rewritten script and placed it in front of me.

“We’ll reshoot the ending tomorrow.”

“You look into the camera and say it was all a surprise we planned for our anniversary.”

“Then hug Sophie and make up. It’ll all blow over.”

I shut the script.

“I’m not doing it.”

Ethan looked at me. For the first time, his voice turned cold.

“Claire. This isn’t a request.”