A Bet That Changed My Life

Thinking back carefully, Finn had barely worn that coat more than a few times.

I rushed into the store, grabbed Marcus, and studied his face closely.

He touched his chin, asking, “Hm? Is there something on my face?”

“No… that’s not it.”

Something was wrong. Then, it hit me. An image from Finn’s social media suddenly surfaced in my mind, and one of the people in that photo was Marcus.

I froze in shock for a long moment.

“You… You and Finn know each other?”

Marcus curled his lips into a smirk, responding in a vague, noncommittal way. “Maybe. But he didn’t seem to recognize me just now.”

He was wearing sunglasses, after all. He did look different from his usual self. As for my wedding invitation, Finn probably hadn’t even bothered to look at it.

Marcus narrowed his long eyes slightly.

“There happens to be a gathering party of friends tomorrow. Go, and you’ll find out.”

The next day, I arrived a little later after buying something. At the door, I could hear noise coming from inside.

Finn asked Marcus, “Long time no see. What have you been busy with lately?”

“I just got married.”

The moment he said those words, the room exploded.

Finn sounded genuinely shocked. “You got married? Are you kidding me? Since when have you ever dated anyone?”

Marcus crossed his legs and took a sip of wine.

“You met her yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” Finn scoffed. “You must be mistaken. Yesterday I was on a date with Sophie. We even went to a hotel. And then…”

He paused, as if remembering something. Suddenly, he stopped speaking. A trace of loneliness flashed across his eyes, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

He then pulled out his phone, deliberately changing the subject. “You guys talk. I just remembered I’ve got something to take care of.”

I was just about to push the door open when a message popped up on my phone.

“Ruth, about the bet, can we call it my apology? Come and see me. Sophie isn’t here this time.”

Finn apologizing to me was a first, but I couldn’t understand what he was thinking. Just as I was about to turn off my phone, a call came in almost immediately. At nearly the same time, the same ringtone sounded both outside and inside the room.

Finn followed the sound, and when he saw me, his eyes lit up. However, in the very next second, his expression changed.

Marcus wrapped an arm around me and pressed a kiss to the corner of my lips.

“Let me introduce her,” he said. “This is Ruth, my wife. We just got married.”