Ten Strikes and You're Out

I unpinned the groom's boutonniere and pushed the door open.

The two people locked in a heated kiss on the bed jumped in shock and sprang apart in panic.

The moment she saw the look on my face, Tracie Conner hurriedly wiped the smear of saliva from her lips, guilt flashing across her face.

"You're back, honey. Have all the guests left?"

She forced a laugh. "Don't get the wrong idea. Elton and I were just playing Truth or Dare to kill some time while you were gone. If you don't believe me, ask Erica."

She nudged her best friend, Erica Frey, who stiffly turned around and flashed me an awkward smile. "Don't misunderstand, Jonas Sawyer. I was the one who suggested the game."

A game? A game that involved putting on a live show on our bed while Erica watched?

"Sounds like quite a game. Why stop? We can stay and watch."

My expression darkened, and Tracie secretly pinched Erica, who looked like she'd been trying to slip away.

Her face flushed red as she said, "Look, Jonas. Here's what happened. I suggested the game, but Tracie didn't want to do it, so I told her that she was being a buzzkill and wasn't acting like a real friend. She was forced into it."

She squeezed out her final words through gritted teeth, glared at Tracie, and bolted from the suite without looking back.

Her hasty retreat practically screamed, "I did what I could."

"Tracie, do you think I'm an idiot?"

I stared straight at her. After all these years together, she knew exactly how much I despised cheating.

When I was a kid, Dad brought his mistress into our home. Mom couldn't take it and tried to end her life more than once.

My childhood was defined by a biased father, a shameless mistress, and a mother constantly on edge.

I'd told Tracie that there were many things I could tolerate, but she shouldn't have brought her lover into our bed and desecrated our proof of love. That was a knife straight through my heart.

"I already explained it, didn't I?" Tracie snapped. "Elton and I were just playing a game of Truth or Dare, and it was just a kiss.

"It's not like I've never kissed him before. If there were really something going on between us, I wouldn't have married you, would I?"

Elton Stafford immediately chimed in, "It's just a kiss, Jonas. Tracie's with you now anyway, so don't be so petty. Besides, that's how people usually greet others abroad. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Tracie nodded along with him, the guilt in her eyes slowly hardening into certainty.

I felt sick.

How could they shamelessly twist the truth? Even if some cultures greeted people with a kiss, it was never so passionate.

I knew exactly why Tracie was being so bold; she was convinced I could never leave her. Fortunately, the marriage hadn't truly been finalized yet. Maybe this was fate giving me a way out.

When I said nothing, Tracie suddenly grabbed Elton's arm and hissed at me, "Since we've cleared things up, you owe Elton an apology. He's a guest, and no one just walks in and starts accusing a guest like that! Do you even want this marriage to work or not?"

Elton quickly waved his hands. "No need to apologize. Jonas just cares about you."

He looked up with a stubborn expression, revealing the bright red hickeys on his neck. When Tracie wasn't looking, he shot me a smug, triumphant look, though his voice sounded pitiful.

"Still, today was just a misunderstanding. I only came to deliver a wedding gift."

He took out a photo album from his jacket. The moment it opened, page after page of photos spilled out, including close, intimate photos of them together from every angle.

I punched him hard in the face. He cried out and immediately clung to Tracie.

"I'm sorry, Jonas! I was in such a rush that I grabbed the wrong gift. These are my most precious memories, so please give them back and don't tear the photos. You can hit me or yell at me however you want. Tracie is all yours now. This album is all I have left."

I looked down at the album torn apart in his struggle. He sounded so wounded, like he was the victim who'd lost love, while I was the villain who'd just suffered a little.

Suddenly, Tracie struck me twice across the face.

"If you're going to hit him, you might as well kill me too! I'm the one who let him take those photos. They are our shared memories, so what right do you have to destroy them?

"That's just my past, Elton. You can't forbid me from having a past, can you? How can a man be so disgusting and controlling?"

With that, she bent down to pick up the photos and carefully handed them back to Elton. "Don't mind him. He's just a rabid dog who bites anyone he sees."

As Elton clutched the photos to his chest, the two of them locked eyes, lost in a world where no one else existed.

My chest tightened.

That was exactly how she used to look at me. I thought she loved me then, but it turned out that I was just a shadow of someone else.

Perhaps this whole relationship was a mistake from the very start.

"Let's get a divorce."