Chapter 1The night before our engagement party, I walked into a club and found my boyfriend Garrett standing on a barstool, waving around a marriage certificate.
"Ladies and gentlemen—Piper and I are officially married!"
Piper? His "girl bro." The same girl sitting at the table, raising her glass and cheering along with everyone else.
Garrett noticed me. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face before he waved it off.
"We were just drunk. We'll get it annulled in the morning. Come on, don't look at me like that—this is Vegas. Nothing's 'too far' before sunrise!"
Piper leaned over, caught sight of me, and flashed a sly little smile before turning back to the crowd.
"Hey, we've got the certificate. One-night marriage is still legal, so... where are our wedding gifts?"
The whole table erupted in laughter.
Cole slapped the table. "Hell yeah! That west suburbs development project? It's yours. But house rules—you want the gift, you gotta win it at dice."
I didn't say a word. Just walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Garrett's jaw clenched. He hissed under his breath, "Tessa, go home."
I met his eyes and smiled—cold and sharp.
"Oh? Don't you want MY wedding gift?"
I leaned back in my chair.
"I'M IN."
...
The table went quiet for a beat.
Garrett reached out to pull me against him.
"Come on, Tessa, quit being dramatic. We're just drinking and messing around. Go home and get some sleep."
I shifted back just enough to slip out of his grip, my expression blank as I looked toward Piper.
"Keep your hands to yourself. That's your wife sitting right there, isn't it?"
Garrett's face darkened, irritation bleeding into his voice.
"I've told you a million times—Piper and I are friends. If there was actually something going on, you wouldn't even be here."
I didn't bother responding.
I'd heard it all before.
Because Piper forgot about our plans.
Because Piper left me stranded on the side of the road.
Because Piper got drunk and Garrett had to rush out in the middle of the night to pick her up.
And now? A drunk wedding in Vegas.
Every single time, the same damn excuse.
We're just friends.
The mood got awkward. Piper noticed and scooted closer, dropping right into Garrett's lap.
"Alright, enough. Drop it."
Then she turned to me with this sweet, fake little smile.
"Tessa, seriously, there's nothing going on between me and Garrett. We were just wasted tonight. We'll get it annulled tomorrow. If it bothers you—" She paused, tilting her head. "—my bad."
Before I could even react, she grabbed a bottle off the table and started chugging.
Garrett's face twisted. He yanked the bottle away, snapping at her.
"What the hell are you doing? You've had enough."
Then he turned to me, and his expression was ice-cold, like I was the problem.
"Tessa Sinclair, don't push it."
I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"It's fine. I can take a joke just fine. Besides, I've got nothing else going on tonight. You guys always say I never hang out anyway, right?"
Everyone at the table froze for a second, then quickly jumped in to smooth things over.
"Oh, that's awesome, Tessa! We've been wanting you to come out forever. Garrett's always gatekeeping you."
That was Cole Brennan, one of Garrett's oldest friends. He shot a pointed look across the table.
"Garrett, get over here and take care of Tessa."
But Garrett just let out a cold laugh and leaned back into the couch, pulling Piper firmly back onto his lap, his hand possessive around her waist.
"Don't look at me. She's my wife tonight."
When no one saw me react beyond a faint, unbothered smile, they started hyping things up again.
"Alright, alright, congrats you two. So what are we playing again?"
Piper was in her element now, totally comfortable soaking up the spotlight.
She laughed, loud and carefree.
"Standard table rules—dice. But since our good girl Tessa's here tonight, and she probably doesn't know how we usually play, let's keep it simple. Just high roll wins."
"Loser drinks, obviously. But since we're celebrating me and Garrett tying the knot, let's raise the stakes a bit."
Everyone groaned in unison.
"No way. Everyone here knows you and Garrett are dice sharks. Now that you two are on the same team, the rest of us are screwed."
Garrett's hand never left Piper's waist. He hadn't looked at me once.
He smirked, cold and confident.
"Then forfeit."
Cole's eyes lit up with competition. He pulled off his Patek Philippe and tossed it on the table with a heavy thunk.
"Alright, I'm in. Just got this baby last week."
The club music was pounding now, bass shaking the floor, and the energy at the table was electric.
Everyone started pulling off jewelry and watches, tossing them into the center pile.
Another girl, Mara, threw down a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet.
Garrett didn't say anything. He just unfastened his custom Hermès cufflinks and added them to the pile.
I froze.
Those were the ones I gave him. For our anniversary.
Piper was practically bouncing in his lap now, tugging on his hand and whining like a child.
"I want that bracelet. Win it for me, babe~"
I didn't say a word. Just took off my diamond studs and set them on the table, my voice even and detached.
"Congrats on the wedding. I'm in."
Chapter 2
The table went dead silent for a second.
Garrett's hand tightened around Piper's waist, his jaw clenched as he shot me a look that was equal parts annoyed and warning.
Piper blinked, then let out this fake little laugh and shoved Garrett playfully.
"Oh, how sweet. Tessa wants to play too. Well, we'd better roll out the red carpet for her."
Cole jumped in, trying to smooth things over.
"Yeah, yeah, let's keep it fun! The rules are simple, Tessa. Low roll drinks and has to pick something from the pot to give to the high roller as a wedding gift."
He gestured to the pile of watches and jewelry glittering under the dim club lights.
"Of course, if you're not feeling generous, you can just drink and skip the gift. But where's the fun in that?"
I nodded. Got it.
Dice cups were passed around.
Piper shook hers with practiced ease, the sound sharp and confident.
Garrett barely bothered, giving his a lazy shake before slamming it down on the table.
His eyes, though? They never left me.
I looked away, avoiding that burning stare.
I picked up my cup, clumsy and awkward, clearly not knowing what I was doing.
Between beats of the music, I could hear the whispers.
"Why's Tessa even here? She's such a buzzkill."
"She's trying to mark her territory, but Garrett's not even giving her the time of day."
My face went pale.
Piper let out a soft laugh.
"Aww, Tessa, you want me to show you the right way to hold it?"
I ignored her, just mimicked what I'd seen and gave it a few shakes.
Then set it down gently.
"Let's go."
Cups opened.
Piper—five and six. Eleven.
Garrett—two fives. Ten.
Everyone else had mixed results.
Finally, my turn. I lifted the cup.
One dot. Two dots. Three total.
The table exploded in laughter.
"Three! Hahaha, dead last!"
"Tessa, that luck though..."
Cole bit back a grin and slid a glass of liquor toward me.
"Rules are rules. Drink up. And..."
His eyes flicked to my diamond studs on the table.
Garrett finally spoke, his voice cold and hard.
"If you don't know how to play, don't force it. Just drink."
Piper snuggled deeper into his arms, all smiles.
"Ohhh, smallest roll on the first round? Looks like Tessa's gonna be spoiling us tonight. These earrings are gorgeous, by the way. Don't mind if I do~"
I stared at the drink. Then at the earrings.
The pink diamond studs Garrett had bought me at an auction last year, dropping a fortune without blinking.
He'd told me he wanted to give me the best things in the world.
I let out a bitter laugh and slid the earrings to the center of the table.
Toward Piper.
"Fair's fair."
I lifted my eyes, voice flat and detached.
"Wedding gift. All yours."
Garrett's face darkened instantly.
Piper giggled and scooped up the earring, holding it up to the light like a trophy.
"Thanks, Tessa! So pretty~"
Cole clapped his hands together.
"Alright, alright, round two! Let's go!"
The game continued.
Piper rolled a nine. Not bad.
But Garrett? Twelve. Perfect roll. Unbeatable.
"Babe, you're amazing, hubby!" Piper squealed.
Everyone cheered.
Cole explained with a grin.
"Perfect roll means you can pick anything on the table. Anything you want."
Garrett didn't even glance my way. Just pulled Piper closer, all affection.
"I'll let my wife pick. What do you want, babe?"
Piper's eyes scanned the table, then landed on my wrist.
On the thin platinum bracelet I never took off.
"I like that bracelet Tessa's wearing. It's cute. I'll take that."
My hand, holding the glass, froze for just a second.
That bracelet was my grandmother's. The only thing I had left of her.
Garrett knew that.
The table went quiet. But Piper just kept pushing.
"What? Didn't we say anything on the table's fair game? Tessa, you're not gonna be a sore loser, are you? Or is it that..."
I opened my mouth to speak.
But Garrett cut me off, cold as ice.
"Table rules. You agreed to play. Tessa, hand it over."
I snapped my head up.
Chapter 3
My eyes stung. I almost broke down right there.
I'd put up with everything—every time he sided with Piper, every time he ignored me.
But this? This was humiliation.
A flicker of irritation crossed Garrett's face, but his hand stayed out, waiting.
Even Cole noticed something was off.
"It's just a bracelet, Piper. I'll buy you two more."
But Piper's face went cold.
"We agreed before we started. If you can't handle it, don't play."
Garrett let out a harsh laugh.
"Tessa, I told you to go home. You insisted on playing."
"I said, hand it over."
My hand trembled as I unclasped the bracelet.
Garrett didn't even look at it. Just tossed it to Piper.
She held it up under the light for a second, then wrinkled her nose.
"Eh. Not that cute up close."
She dropped it carelessly on the table. Someone bumped into it, knocking over a glass.
Red wine spilled all over the bracelet.
My fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms.
It felt like a boulder was crushing my chest.
Until Piper's voice cut through again, sweet and teasing.
"Come on, let's keep going. What are we waiting for?"
Round three. I rolled a seven. Middle of the pack.
Piper got nine.
Garrett? Snake eyes. Two ones. Dead last.
Piper laughed.
"Babe, your luck's trash tonight."
Garrett reached for the penalty drink, but Piper grabbed it first and drank it for him, holding his hand the whole time.
She winked.
"What can I say? We're a couple tonight."
The table erupted in cheers.
I sat there, numb.
Round after round, I hovered on the edge—losing just enough to bleed me dry.
One drink after another. My jewelry, gone. My designer bag, gone.
Even the limited-edition Chanel clutch I'd brought tonight? Handed over to Piper.
My cheeks flushed red. My vision started to blur. My hands shook when I picked up the dice cup.
To everyone else, I looked drunk. Out of control.
Another round. Cole, who was dealing, changed it up.
"Alright, comparing rolls is boring. Let's raise the stakes. If you think you can roll eight or higher, double down! And the pot needs to get serious. Small bets are lame!"
Piper jumped in immediately.
"I'm in! I'm betting my boutique on the west side!"
She owned a bunch of properties. That boutique alone was worth a fortune.
Everyone gasped. The stakes were climbing.
Garrett glanced at me, then said coolly.
"I'm in. I'm betting the RRETTESS."
The yacht. Worth millions.
Named after both of us.
All eyes turned to me.
"Tessa," Garrett finally said, his voice tight. "That's enough. Go home."
Piper immediately scoffed.
"Garrett, if she can't handle it, she shouldn't play. Maybe Tessa's just getting warmed up."
Something in me snapped.
I looked right at her.
"I'm in. I'm betting... my penthouse in Bayside."
Even Garrett froze.
That penthouse was one of the most valuable assets my parents left me.
Prime location. Worth way more than Piper's boutique.
The dice rolled again.
Piper opened hers first. Nine.
She smirked, smug as hell.
Garrett's turn. Seven.
I took a shaky breath.
Lifted my cup.
Three. Five. Eight.
I lost. By one point.
I slumped back against the couch, drained.
Piper's voice was right in my ear, low enough that only I could hear.
"How's it feel to lose? Everything you have? I'm taking it all."
I lifted my head, cheeks flushed from alcohol, but my eyes were sharp.
"Again."
