Twenty Springs
At the bachelor party on the eve of my wedding, everyone starts playing "Never Have I Ever".
When it's Zander Carlson's turn, he bluntly declares, "I have a child."
Before I can even recover from the shock, my fiancée, Clover Sorrell, chimes in, "So do I."
As soon as she finishes speaking, she pushes the penalty drink toward me without batting an eye, as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
She goes on, "Since we're already talking about this, I'll be straightforward. Drink up. I slept with Zander. He wanted a child, and as his best friend, I felt I should help him. He, my parents, and everyone else here already know about it.
"The child is already three years old. I conceived him around the time your father passed away. As long as you can be mature and let this go, our wedding can still go ahead."
The private room falls completely silent. Not a single person looks surprised.
Even my best friend, Samson Silva, joins in to smooth things over. "Come on, Ezra. It's only natural. It's just one child. Everyone knew about it. We didn't dare tell you because we were afraid you'd get upset."
At last, I understand. They all knew Clover was involved with Zander, and even my closest friend had been keeping it from me.
After coming clean, Clover reaches out her hand with an outrageously confident expression. She expects me to swallow my grievances like I always have.
But this time, I'm done putting up with it.