Chapter 1

Tags: Bet Romance | Cheating Ex | Glow Up | Devoted Senior | The Ultimate Regret

After dating Tyler for three years, I genuinely thought I’d found the one.

Then, at a college reunion party, I overheard him bragging to his boys.

"Back then, it was just a bet. Whoever won got to ask out the campus queen."

"Who knew she’d actually take the bait? Now she’s clinging to me, and I can’t shake her off."

His friend asked, "So did you ever chase after the queen?"

He smirked. "Hell yeah. Chased her for three years. I’m almost at the finish line."

"What about Maya?"

"As long as she doesn't throw a fit, I don't mind keeping her as a side piece."

I stood there, listened in silence, and smiled.

The next day, I moved all my things out of our shared apartment and changed my number.

He assumed I was just throwing a tantrum.

Three months later, I posted a photo on Snapchat.

"Happily Married."

"Back then, it was just a bet. Whoever won got to ask out the campus queen."

Tyler’s voice drifted over from behind the booth, stabbing straight into my chest like a knife.

I froze at the corner of the hallway, my hands ice-cold.

"Who knew she’d actually take the bait? Now she’s clinging to me, and I can’t shake her off."

His tone was dripping with smug pride.

Casual, indifferent, as if he were talking about a piece of trash he forgot to throw away.

In his eyes, that was all I was.

"So did you ever chase after the queen?"

That was Jake's voice—Tyler’s best friend, and the guy who set us up in the first place.

Looking back now, being introduced to Tyler was probably just part of their sick little bet.

"Hell yeah," Tyler chuckled. "Chased her for three years. I’m almost at the finish line."

Three years.

The exact amount of time I had spent by his side.

"What about Maya, then?"

Tyler paused for a beat before answering.

"As long as she doesn't throw a fit, I don't mind keeping her as a side piece."

The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering against the carpeted floor.

Dark red liquid splattered outward, staining my heels, my ankles, and the hem of my dress.

A waiter rushed over and began cleaning it up, apologizing frantically, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

The laughter inside the booth died instantly.

Tyler poked his head out. When he saw me, his expression flickered for a few seconds.

He recovered quickly. Pushing off the back of the sofa, he stepped around the corner and walked up to me.

"Maya? What are you doing standing here?"

There was a hint of suspicion in his voice.

I looked up at his face—the face I had kissed countless times.

"Just bringing you some drinks."

My voice was shockingly calm.

"Oh."

He visibly relaxed and took the empty tray from my hands.

There weren't even any drinks left on it, but he was too drunk to notice.

"Wait for me for a bit. Let me wrap up with the guys, and I’ll drive you home."

He turned to walk back.

"Tyler," I called out.

He looked back over his shoulder. A flash of irritation crossed his face before he smoothed it over.

"I’m heading home first," I said.

"You sure you don't need a ride?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright. Get home safe and send me a Snapchat when you get back."

With that, he slipped right back into the booth without another glance.

Behind me, Jake's lowered voice drifted out. "Did she hear anything?"

Tyler’s reply was even louder than before, almost as if he wanted me to hear.

"So what if she did? She doesn't have the guts to do anything about it."

He was right. Ever since I was a kid, I never picked fights, never made scenes. Whenever I was hurt, I just swallowed it down.

My mom always said I was too soft; my dad warned me that people would walk all over me.

They were right.

Starting tonight, though, that girl was dead.

When I stepped out of the lounge, the late September night air hit my face with a chill.

Standing on the sidewalk, I took a long, deep breath.

Cold air filled my lungs, but the suffocating knot in my chest refused to untangle.

I waited for my Uber, my mind replaying the past three years on an endless loop.

Whenever he said he had to work late, I stayed up until 2:00 AM waiting for him.

Whenever he went out for business drinks, I waited until my stomach ulcer flared up, yet I never called once to rush him home.

Whenever he stayed out playing poker with the guys, I stayed awake until dawn just to make him hangover soup.

I thought he was grinding for our future.

Turns out, he was just building a path toward someone else.