His 100th Proposal Was My Last Goodbye

Ethan Vance, my boyfriend of ten years, was asking me to register our marriage at City Hall for the 100th time.

He sent me a text, his tone unusually solemn:

"Put on your wedding dress and come to City Hall right now. I'm serious this time. I won't lie to you again."

For the past ninety-nine times, he had used fake proposals to trick me into rushing to City Hall, only to place bets with his childhood best friend, Chloe Miller, laughing at my desperate reactions.

But this time, he promised me over and over that this would be his last prank.