My Fiancé Bet Me Away. I Married His Best Friend Three Days Later

The night before my wedding, my bestie Delphine suddenly wants to make a bet with my fiancé Reid. "I'm guessing how many candies you've got in your hand." "Guess right, and you have to do whatever I bet." "Guess wrong, and I'll cover the rest of the drinks tonight." "I say five." Reid opens his right hand. Three. Delphine tips her head back, ready to down her drink. Then Reid says, "You won." He pulls his left hand out of his pants pocket. "Two more. Right here." Delphine smiles with tears in her eyes. She unfolds a note she'd written earlier. "Sorry, Reid. I really didn't think I'd get it on the first try." "I wrote... Postpone your wedding for three years." The whole room goes dead silent. Then Reid laughs, "I've never gone back on a bet since college. A bet's a bet. I'll postpone the wedding for three years." This isn't the first time Reid has bet on me. I glance up at the clock. It's past midnight. Right on cue, my phone is buzzing with two new messages. Happy birthday. Twenty-seven and still not married. Marry me. Deal still stands? I type back: A bet's a bet. -- The silence shatters, and the living room erupts. "You're really going through with this?" "A wedding isn't a game!" "Wren handwrote five hundred invitations. Do you know how much work that was? We've already told every relative. You can't just call it off. What kind of stunt are you pulling?" They crowd around Delphine, all talking at once. "Wren is your best friend. Say something. Tell everyone it was just a joke and not a real bet." Delphine sits in the corner with a wineglass in her hand, avoiding everyone's eyes as she slowly swirls the red wine. "I wasn't joking." "You all know I don't joke about bets." "It'll bring bad luck." The moment she says "bad luck," the room goes silent. Everyone understands. The wedding is really over. The reason is simple. I'm the only one with a normal job, working at the gallery. Reid and his crew make a living buying storage units at auction. At an auction, you get a few moments to look through the doorway before bidding on the entire unit without seeing what's inside. Cut the padlock, roll up the door, and you might find a Rolex, a Cartier watch, or a stack of cash in a shoebox. Or you might get a rusted lawnmower and forty-year-old newspapers. Every unit is a coin flip. Every one is a bet. They hit the big auction circuits every month. Vegas, Miami, out of state. Their first real money in college came from one of those runs. A bet is a bet. That's their rule. Nobody speaks anymore. I lower my eyes and pour myself a glass. "Reid. Your call." Reid looks at me, his eyes hazy with alcohol. He reaches out and pinches my cheek, just like he always does. "Wren, we can still have the wedding three years from now." "But risking everyone's luck over a wedding date isn't worth it." "You'll understand, won't you?" It's exactly the answer I expected. I lower my head and swallow the bitterness in my throat. When I look up again, I smile. "I don't understand, but I agree." Reid lets out a breath that almost sounds like a laugh. "Still cracking jokes. Guess you're not that upset." The room falls silent again. Then the door swings open. Callum is standing there. I hadn't even noticed him step outside. He wheels in a three-tier cake, its candles lit and the frosting spelling out Happy 27th, Wren. "Happy birthday!" Reid startles, then seems to come back to himself and is the first to clap. And just like that, my pre-wedding party turns into my birthday party. A few rounds of drinks later, the room is filled with the rattle of dice cups and someone singing off-key. I get up and walk over to Reid. I slip my hand into his suit pocket and pull out a fistful of wedding candies. "Why?" Reid smiles. "Knew I couldn't hide them from you." He pulls me into his arms, his voice low and rough from the wine. "If Delphine had lost, she'd have had to drink everything. Her liver can't handle much. If it were you, you'd have done the same." I tilt my head and look at him for a long moment. I want to ask if he already knew what Delphine was going to bet, if he'd been expecting it. But the words die in my mouth. There's no point. I get up and go find Delphine. "Why?" Delphine looks back at me. The wine has made her bolder than usual. "Because I love Reid." "And I'm not apologizing. I've held back for seven years. For you." The answer is exactly what I expected. The honesty isn't. She's been my best friend since college. I tip my head back and take a long drink. And suddenly, I can't help but think how absurd it all is. Completely ridiculous. I set down my glass and reach for the bottle again. A steady hand settles over mine. Callum is behind me. I hadn't heard him come over. He leans down, his warm breath brushing my ear. "Got your answer?" "Then, three days from now. Wedding?"

I tilt my head up slightly and look at Callum. "A bet's a bet, sure. But my birthday just started. What makes you so sure I've already lost?" Callum gives me a sly smile. "Doesn't matter. I've waited seven years. One more day is nothing." I stand up, turn toward Delphine, and raise my voice. "Delphine. I want to bet you too." The music seems to cut out for half a second. Everyone goes still. My two closest friends are the first to catch on. They start whooping. "Yes! Reid, you bet the wedding away. Wren can win it back!" "Right! My groomsman suit is way too nice to waste. Bet again, come on!" But Reid's face falls instantly. "Wren. Don't be ridiculous." "I said a bet's a bet. The wedding is in three years." Right on cue, Delphine clamps a hand over her mouth and gags. Reid is at her side in a heartbeat. He steadies her, then turns back to me. His voice is cold. "She's had too much. Stop pushing her. If you really want to bet, bet someone else." I watch him hold her like that. The last of my hope slips away. "Fine." I pick up a dice cup and give it a hard shake. "Then I'll bet you. High or low?" I lock eyes with Reid. I'm putting everything I have on the line. The truth is, there aren't any dice in the cup. I'm not really betting. I just want to see what he'll do. Will he bet me? Will he give me a fair shot? If Reid really does, I'll bet all my luck on breaking my bet with Callum, and wait three years. I guess we're all gamblers when it comes to love. But Reid's expression only gets colder. His eyes are full of disappointment and disgust. "Lose once and keep betting until you win. Wren, do you have any pride left at all?" I feel a dull ache in my chest. "You won't even bet me?" "You think I'm going to force you to marry me? Is that it?" He looks away and says nothing. I understand. I slowly lift the dice cup right in front of him. Empty. Everyone stares at the empty cup. For a few seconds, nobody speaks. Then Kai says quietly, "An empty cup... That's an automatic loss." I force a smile and look at Reid. "I never planned to win. Why are you acting like I just declared war?" Reid opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks at the empty cup, and it finally clicks. He reaches for my hand. "I just didn't want you to lose..." But you already made me lose. Completely. I pull my hand out of his reach. His fingers hang in the air for a moment. Then he laughs, but it sounds forced. "I know you've always wanted to get married. It's only three years. You don't believe in us? You think you'll change your mind in three years? I won't. Not in ten." I let out a bitter laugh. In three sentences, somehow I've become the one who's unsure about us. Things are getting tense, someone finally stands up to smooth things over. "Okay, okay. It's past three. Let's just call it a night." Everyone takes the chance to leave. Chairs scrape against the floor as people put on their coats. Reid helps Delphine up and turns to me. "I'll drop her off first, then come back for you. It's on the way." I smile. "No need. I'm going with Callum." He opens his mouth to argue, but Callum has already stepped into the elevator. Callum holds the door open and calls out, "Wren. Let's go." I walk over quickly and stand beside him. The doors slide shut on Reid's face.

I wake up hungover to the sound of my phone going off over and over. "Wren, what did the hotel say? Is the wedding still on or not?" "Wren, your Uncle Ted wants to know if he should still come!" "You little brat, how could you just call off your wedding like that? Get home and explain yourself!" My head is splitting. I sit in bed for a long time before it hits me. Last night wasn't a dream. The wedding I've waited seven years for is gone, all because of a candy bet. I rub my temples and open my messages. 99+ unread messages. I tap on Delphine's voice note. "Wren... I'm not taking back anything I said last night. Get ready." Below it is a message from Callum. "There's an apple washed and sliced on the counter. Eat it. It'll help. And don't forget what you promised. A bet's a bet." Reid's chat is empty. Someone posted a group photo from last night. Caption: Happy birthday, party never ends. The photo has a warm filter. Everyone is smiling. I'm standing in front of the cake, candlelight on my face, looking genuinely happy. Someone commented, When's the wedding, though? The person who posted it replied, lol, not telling! I take a deep breath and call Reid. "Wren?" In the background, I hear Delphine. "Reid, my head hurts so bad..." Reid doesn't wait for me to speak. "Can you tell my parents? And can you handle the hotel cancellation while you're at it? I'll cover the fee." "I can't get away right now. Delphine's thrown up a few times, and her stomach's still bothering her. I'll take her to the hospital to get an IV." Not a single word of apology. He just assumes, like he has for the past seven years, that I'll take care of it, that I'll go along with every decision he makes without question. "Fine." I say it softly and hang up. I pull an empty cardboard box out of the closet and start packing up everything that has anything to do with Reid. The scrapbook he stayed up late making for me back in college. A pressed rose petal is still tucked between the pages from junior year. I touch it, and it crumbles into red dust. The first pair of mugs we made together. R&W is scratched into the bottom of mine in his crooked handwriting, faded now. And then the emerald bracelet. Senior year. A group trip to a big storage-unit auction. I emptied my checking account and gave Reid every dollar I had. Reid outbid everyone else for the unit tucked away in the far corner. No one else even wanted it. The padlock was rusty, and the door was dented. He cut the lock and rolled the door up. Inside was exactly what it had looked like from the doorway: broken furniture, water-damaged boxes, and a stained mattress against the back wall. The whole crew groaned. Reid didn't say a word. He stepped inside and started digging. An hour in, at the very back, buried under a stack of old estate papers, he pulled out a small velvet pouch. The original owner had died decades ago, and no one in the family knew what was inside. He opened the pouch. Inside were emeralds. Uncut. At least, they looked real. Then Reid turned to me and lifted me off the ground. He kissed me right there in the doorway of the unit. "Wren, the emerald is worth a fortune. I had the biggest one set into a bracelet for you. One of a kind. There's nothing else like it." "Real gems last forever. So do we." Seven years. Twenty-five hundred nights. I thought we'd already won. I never thought he'd bet our future. I drop everything into the box, one piece at a time. Then I drag the box downstairs. The woman down the street who buys scrap and secondhand stuff lets out a small gasp. "Sweetheart, are you sure? All this stuff is beautiful!" I smile at her. "I'm sure." "I don't want any of it. You can have it all." She thanks me over and over as she takes the box. "Oh, and this too." I slip the engagement ring off my finger and drop it in with the rest. She freezes, staring at me like she can't believe her eyes. ... I hail a cab and go to the hotel. The manager sees me walking alone. "Ms. Halloway. You came by yourself?" I answer smoothly. "My fiancé is busy telling everyone that we've changed the date." His face lights up with relief. "Oh! I thought you were canceling! What day are we moving it to? I'll get it done right away." "The day after tomorrow. Thank you." Walking out of the hotel, I finally feel like I can breathe again. Seven years. The dream is over. I'm awake.