Chapter 1

I had just stripped down to get in the shower when the fire alarm went off.

I grabbed a towel and bolted, and the second I burst into the living room, a crowd of people stood there with their phones aimed at me, leering.

"Hahaha! There's no fire. How did you dare come running out with no clothes on?"

Audrey Finch waved something in her hand. "This is a new fire-alarm toy I just bought!"

I was so humiliated I turned to teach her a lesson, but she ducked behind Tyler Gilbert and made a face at me.

"Tyler lost the game, so he let us prank you."

"Yeah, come on, sis — don't be mad."

Tyler frowned at me too, annoyed. "It was just a joke. Was that worth swinging your hand at someone?"

"Get back inside already. You're an embarrassment."

...

1

I stood there covered in soot, my face burning with the shame of it, more than a dozen phones snapping away at me.

Worried it wasn't bright enough, they even switched on their flashes, the glare stinging my eyes until I could only shut them and stand there helpless.

Tyler's friends pointed at my body, their tone all mockery.

"Tsk tsk tsk, that figure, that body. If I were Tyler, I'd waste all the time in the world chasing her down too."

"Damn! Watching this is killing me."

"Please, you men are such dogs. A woman covered head to toe in soot and you're still worked up?"

"I think she's shameless. She didn't stop to think, just came running out to show us all that pretty body of hers."

"So she came out on her own to let every man here look at her."

"Ugh! That's disgusting!"

"See! So don't go blaming me for pranking her."

I opened my eyes to ten people ringed around me, pointing, throwing out whatever insult and jeer they pleased.

And the one who'd started it all, Audrey, kept filming, drunk on the pleasure of getting even.

Behind her, pressed close, was my husband, Tyler. The two of them practically wrapped around each other.

"Haha, Tyler, and the rest of you, you all lost!"

"Now down to business. Transfer my money back first."

Tyler reached out and smoothed a few loose strands of her hair, his eyes warm with a smile as he answered. "You, you. When it comes to pranking people, you'd rank second and no one would dare take first."

"That's on her for being so stupid. So easy to play with."

Audrey shot me a contemptuous glance, then lowered her phone and pressed the group to send the transfers.

They tapped at their phones and kept sneaking looks at my chest.

"Tsk tsk, if I'd known, I'd have cut her robe even shorter. Then we could've seen everything."

"It's your fault. Tyler wasn't stopping us at all, and you had to play the good guy and hold me back."

Every word they said reached my ears, not one syllable missed.

That was when I understood. They had used me as the bet, and the losers got to prank me, to make a spectacle of me in front of everyone.

And who else but Tyler could have cut my robe short without me ever noticing?

My heart felt like it was being cut open, the pain coming in wave after wave.

But once the pain passed, all that was left was fury, filling me up until there was nothing else.

Once the transfers hit her phone, Audrey grinned and patted their shoulders.

"Heh, thanks."

"Next time, we'll go harder."

I was so angry I walked straight over, ready to slap her.

But Tyler caught my hand in a flash and flung me aside.