Exactly one week before my destination wedding in Ireland, my best friend suddenly called me. "Eve, is the wedding in Ireland or Iceland?" I froze for a second. "Ireland, of course." The moment the words left my mouth, she erupted into cheers. "I won!" "I knew Eve definitely hadn't noticed the wedding location was changed to Iceland! Don't forget my prize!" A soft, low chuckle came over the line. Liam took the phone. "Eve Carter, you are really something. We're getting married in a week, and you didn't even know the location changed!" "Hurry up and change your flight, or are we just not getting married anymore?" The call ended abruptly. I stood perfectly still, my hands and feet turning to ice. Last month, they bet on how long it would take me to notice that my wedding dress had been changed to the vintage, Victorian style Chloe loved so much. Six months ago, they bet on whether I would notice that the heirloom emerald bracelet—the one Liam's family passed down to their daughters-in-law—was being worn by Chloe. And now, they were even using my wedding location as a wager. I picked up my phone. I didn't change my flight to Iceland. Instead, I pulled up an old, deeply buried text thread and typed a reply. "One week from today. Wedding in Ireland. Are you still in?" This time, it was my turn to make a bet. Let's see how long it takes them to notice the groom has changed. ... I closed my messages. My wedding planner had just sent me a photo. It was the welcome portrait for the wedding reception. In the photo, Chloe was wearing a stunning, vintage Victorian wedding gown, smiling brightly at Liam. And I was standing off to the side in a drab gray hoodie, adjusting the train of her dress. Like a maid. My phone rang. The planner's voice was tinged with deep guilt. "Miss Carter, I am so, so sorry. Mr. Sterling explicitly forbade me from telling you about the location change..." "Just now, he ordered me to replace your couple's welcome portrait with this photo. He said he made a bet with Miss Chloe to see how long it would take you to notice." "But this is honestly going too far. Anyone who didn't know better would think this is Mr. Sterling and Miss Chloe's wedding. You really need to talk to him and have it changed back immediately..." I stared at the screen, at the way Liam and Chloe's fingers were tightly intertwined. I said softly, "There's no need to change it. Just use that one. Whatever Liam wants for the wedding, just do it." "Wait, what? Are you sure... alright, then." The planner sounded extremely hesitant, but didn't push the issue. I hung up the phone and pulled out the original proposal for the Irish wedding. The pages were covered in dense, meticulous notes. From the specific church to the exact variety of flowers in my bouquet. I had confirmed every single detail myself. A month ago, when I was reviewing the final plans, Liam had actually teased me: "What? Are you worried Chloe and I are making another bet? Relax. A wedding is a massive deal. I couldn't bear to let you suffer any grievances on our big day." At the time, my heart had felt so warm. Plus, I was drowning in work trying to wrap up a massive tech project, so I really hadn't checked in on the wedding plans since. I never imagined that every single grievance I suffered would be handed to me directly by him. I picked up a pen and struck a heavy line through the groom's name on the proposal. Stroke by stroke, I crossed it out. And wrote down a different name. Just as I finished, the study door was pushed open. "What are you doing?" Liam wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin in the crook of my neck. Like a giant, affectionate golden retriever. I waved the wedding proposal in the air, using the momentum to slip out of his embrace. "The groom's name was wrong. I was just fixing it." "How could the groom's name be wrong?" He froze for a second, reaching out to take the proposal. But in the very next moment, a phone buzzed. His extended hand naturally changed course, picking up his phone from the coffee table. It was a voice memo from Chloe. "You lost the bet, so you have to pay up. No backing out." Liam laughed softly and typed back a simple, "Okay." When he looked back at me, he held out a Cartier LOVE bracelet. "Do you like it?" I looked down at it, slightly dazed. That bracelet had been sitting in my online shopping cart for almost a year. Every time I looked at it, I couldn't bring myself to spend the money. I never expected he had actually noticed. "Thank you." I pressed my lips together and whispered my gratitude. But before any warmth could even begin to spread through my chest, my left ring finger suddenly felt cold and empty. "Since you like it, I'm going to borrow this diamond ring for a bit." Seeing my stunned expression, he smiled and kissed the back of my hand. "Chloe won the bet about the wedding location, remember? The prize was this ring." He paused. "Don't worry, I'm just letting her play with it for a bit. I'll definitely give it back to you on our wedding day." The living room lights hit Liam's face. In a daze, his features slowly morphed into the face of the man from four years ago. He had pointed to the engraving on the inside of this very ring, smiling like an idiot. "Love of my life, Eve. It's not just a ring. It represents how deeply and profoundly I love you." But it turns out, his love was something that could be casually loaned out. I gave a soft, quiet laugh. "You don't need to give it back." Keep the ring. And keep the man, too.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "574785", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel