I thought I’d found the perfect boyfriend in Brennen. After almost eleven months together, I trusted him completely and felt welcomed by his close-knit group of friends. Then, during dinner, his oldest friend, Adrien, noticed the red butterfly tattoo above my ankle.
“Brennen, I thought she knew,” Adrien said, looking directly at him.
Brennen slammed his hand against the table. “Enough. Not another word.”
Confused, I demanded an explanation. Adrien finally revealed that before Brennen ever messaged me on a dating app, he had shown my profile to his friends. He bragged that he could make any woman fall in love with him. Caleb challenged him to make me say those three words within six months. The prize? Five hundred dollars.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The thoughtful messages, romantic dates, flowers, and constant attention might have started as part of a cruel game. I remembered telling Brennen about my painful previous relationship and explaining why I got my butterfly tattoo. Had he genuinely listened, or was he simply learning how to win?
Brennen insisted the bet had started as a joke and that his feelings eventually became real. But when I asked why he hadn’t told me, he had no answer. I left with Simone, refusing to listen to another explanation.
Over the following days, Brennen repeatedly called and sent flowers. Then Marissa revealed that he’d asked his friends to deny the bet and convince me Adrien had exaggerated. Nobody agreed. Even Adrien apologized for keeping the secret.
When Brennen eventually appeared outside my apartment, he asked whether we could start again. I returned his spare key and told him I couldn’t rebuild a relationship that began with deception.
Eventually, I reconnected with Nina, the friend I’d neglected while dating him. Looking down at my red butterfly tattoo, I remembered why I’d gotten it: to celebrate choosing myself. Brennen had turned it into part of his game, but its meaning was still mine. And this time, I chose myself again.