MasukBetsy The next morning I woke up feeling strangely light, almost weightless. I stretched lazily across the bed, muscles loosening, and wondered how long I’d actually slept. Rolling onto my side, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand to check the time. My eyes widened. Past ten. I bolted upright. I had nothing planned today, but sleeping this late wasn’t like me at all. Then the notifications caught my eye. I opened the group chat, messages from the others, one after another: “We didn’t take the bet seriously.” “Javier really likes you, you know.” “We’re sorry.” Oh please. I wished they’d seen how he’d grabbed me, how he’d refused to let go even when I said no. That wasn’t someone who “liked” me. That was someone throwing a tantrum because he couldn’t get what he wanted. I tossed the phone onto the bed. I had better things to deal with. Like Roman. I’d hoped by morning the memories of last night would fade, feel distant, but they were still razor-sharp. His lips
Betsy “Both,” I blurted out. He smiled, that slow, knowing curve of his lips. “So when do you want to start dating someone?” he asked suddenly.I raised a brow. “You didn’t ask me to date you. You said just a fling.” His eyes widened slightly, caught off guard. “Oh… I guess that word does sound off-putting. I only said it like that so you wouldn’t get too serious with me. You know I don’t do serious.” “And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t start anything with you,” I shot back. He shook his head. “No, Betsy. You won’t fall in love with me, I know that for sure. And I know you’re not ready to date anyone right now. So why not just have a fling with me?” “Because it’s not as easy as you make it sound,” I said, voice sharper than I meant. He was right, I’d never fall for him. I didn’t want to date. But he was supposed to be completely off-limits. So why was my body reacting like this, warm, tingling, traitorously aware of him, while he suggested something so absurd? What’s n
Betsy We reached the limo, and Roman didn’t say a single word at first. The door closed behind us with a soft, expensive thud, sealing out the noise of the street. “What did you say to him?” I asked, curiosity burning despite everything. He turned to me, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “It’s better you don’t know.” I shook my head, half-exasperated, half-relieved. “So tell me,” he continued, voice low against the quiet hum of the engine, “how did you become friends with him?” “He’s not my friend,” I corrected quickly. “I told you—we’re in the same program.” I left out the bet; I wasn’t ready to relive that humiliation again. “We were all inside. I just… didn’t feel comfortable. That’s why I texted you.” I was so grateful he’d shown up exactly when I needed him. If he hadn’t… I didn’t want to think about it. But the question nagged at me: what had he been doing so close by? And who was this “friend” he’d been with? I hoped I hadn’t ruined some date. “W
Betsy Suddenly my phone rang, it was obviously Roman. But I had no idea what to say if I answered. How could I explain any of this with everyone around, listening, watching? I needed to get away. “Hey, I need to take this call,” I said, standing up quickly. They all turned to look at me at once. One of them spoke up, voice dripping with fake concern “But you know what you did to Javier isn’t nice.” I wanted to scream at them, tell them to burn in hell, but I bit my tongue. I barely knew these people. I had to be careful. Instead, I quietly shared my location with Roman without picking up the call. “You can’t force me to date someone I’m not interested in,” I said, my tone sharp and clipped. Just then Javier reappeared. The look I gave him was pure despair. He was the only one I’d actually gotten close to in this group, and now I realized he was a complete creep. God, I hated him right now. “Where are you going? It’s dangerous for a girl to walk alone,” he said, smiling l
Betsy “Wait, Betsy, is this really what you want to wear?” Javier asked, his eyes scanning me up and down. “Baby, I do love you, but this is not the right dress for tonight.” I didn’t listen to a word of it. I knew exactly why I’d chosen something simple and low-key. “Then it’s safe for me to just stay home,” I said flatly. He smiled, not buying it for a second. “I see what you’re trying to do, but it’s not going to work. Come on, let’s go.” I sighed and followed him anyway.We arrived at the nightclub, and it was exactly what I’d expected: couples making out right near the entrance, pulsing lights, the whole scene. We quickly spotted some of the group and waved back as we walked over to join them. Well… I was definitely the odd one out. “Seriously, Bet, moi—you could’ve at least put in some effort,” Chantel said, her French accent thick with teasing disappointment. I just smiled. “I didn’t even plan on coming, so… sorry about that.” We all headed toward the line to
Betsy Everything was suddenly hitting me at once, I’d basically just admitted, without saying the words outright that I might actually consider giving him a chance. My head was spinning, and I needed to steer the conversation somewhere safer, anywhere else. “So… what did Barnes give you to pass on to me?” I asked, forcing my expression to shift back to something neutral. Roman mirrored the change instantly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. “Your mother’s pendant,” he said, placing it gently in my hand. Then he added quietly, “He wanted me to tell you that… so you’d feel a little closer to home, even when you’re far away.” The moment I opened the box, my vision blurred with unshed tears. It was the heirloom pendant, the one Mom always wore, the delicate piece that had been passed down from her own mother to the oldest daughter in each generation. Seeing it here, felt like a piece of home had been delivered straight to me. “I have to say, that
BetsyThe day before Roman was due to arrive, I treated myself to a full spa day and got my hair neatly done. I wanted to look put-together and presentable when he showed up. That morning, I slipped into one of my favorite beautiful dresses, added some soft, natural makeup, and couldn’t help feeli
Betsy“Your place would be nice,” I said, “but what about Benjamin?”He was the one brother who stuck to the newlyweds like glue.“He left too,” Roman replied.Of course he did. I hadn’t expected him to head home tonight anyway. So yeah… I was pretty much stuck with Roman.It wasn’t the first time
Betsy“Oh come on, I didn’t say that just to make you cry,” Barnes said, his voice tinged with hurt. “Didn’t I just sound completely selfish?” I replied, my voice cracking. This was honestly the first time I’d let myself cry since the wedding. I felt like an utter failure. He quickly scanned fo
Betsy Roman replied in that calm, even tone of his: “The meeting with Mr. Hendricks can wait. Tell him that.” I just stood there, quietly listening to their exchange. My hair felt a little stiff from the way I’d been standing, so I decided to break the tension myself. “It’s nice to see you ag







