I've known Claire since childhood—our friendship had boundaries, clarity. I knew what real loyalty, what clean companionship, looked like.
Two years of dating. Three years of marriage.
I needed to see, with my own eyes, just how filthy, how degrading the end of my marriage would be.
The camping base was far from the city. Early autumn winds rustled cool and gentle through the mountains.
Beside rows of white tents, a group of young men and women cheered in excitement.
Claire had saved me a spot on the edge of the camp, handing me a chair.
Across the artificial lake, I saw them—a cluster of men and women circling around Beckett.
Wearing nothing but shorts, blindfolded, he stumbled forward and lunged—wrapping his arms around Serina with perfect aim.
The crowd whooped.
"Serina lost! Truth or Dare, Truth or Dare!"
"Tell us honestly—do you like Beckett?"
Beckett hooked his arm around Serina's neck, laughing as he cursed at them.
"Oi! You guys are so annoying!"
But someone shouted louder, "Oh, come on—it's obvious!"
"Forget Truth, let's go Dare! Didn't Beckett already bite Serina's ass? Come on, do it again so we can see!"
Roars of laughter filled the air.