Chapter 1

During a game of King's Cup, my best friend, Vanessa, drew the Joker.

She flashed a sweet smile. "I choose the King of Spades to be my boyfriend for the next three months!"

"Wait, is this a reward or a punishment?" someone laughed. "Except for Liam and Chloe, everyone here is single!"

Vanessa glanced at Liam, her eyes brimming with confidence. "Where’s the fun if we don’t push the boundaries?"

Everyone looked down at their cards. Nobody spoke up.

"Who’s got the King of Spades? Don’t be shy!"

Vanessa asked, but her gaze was locked dead on Liam.

A second later, Liam raised his card—the King of Spades.

The room erupted into wild cheers and whistles.

Vanessa strutted over to him, tilting her chin up provocatively. "Well, Liam? Are you man enough to be my boyfriend for three months?"

"That’s really not..." I started, my voice tight.

Liam didn’t even hesitate.

"Sure! Why the hell not?"

I stared at him in utter disbelief. "Liam, we’re getting married in three months!"

"Exactly. Three months. It won’t get in the way of our wedding."

Liam frowned at me, as if my objection was ruining everyone's good time.

"Come on, Chloe, it’s just a game. Don’t be such a buzzkill," Vanessa chimed in, slipping her hand effortlessly into Liam’s. "Don’t worry, babe. I’ll keep a close eye on your fiancé for you. I promise to hand him back in one piece three months from now!"

The crowd jumped in, laughing along:

"Relax, Chloe! It’s just ninety days. Liam is head over heels for you; he’s not going anywhere!"

"Yeah, he’ll be standing right at the altar, guaranteed!"

I looked at their intertwined fingers. Slowly, I nodded.

"Fine."

If you two want to play your dirty little game... go ahead.

The second I agreed, the room exploded with cheers. "What a cool girl!" "Liam, you hit the jackpot!"

Immediately, the crowd began egging on the "new couple" to act the part.

"Love shot! Take a love shot!"

Someone shoved two full glasses into their hands.

Vanessa held hers up, flashing Liam a coy grin. "Well, boyfriend? Bottoms up."

Liam gave a low chuckle, hooked his arm through hers without a moment's hesitation, and drank the whole glass down.

The room went completely berserk.

"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

"One more! One more!"

The entire time, I sat in the corner of the leather sofa like a ghost, watching them finish their drinks. Even after the glasses were empty, their arms remained wrapped around each other.

A heavy, suffocating knot tightened in my chest.

I had prayed he would say no.

Even a half-hearted, polite refusal would have meant something.

He didn't even flinch.

Only after wiping his mouth did Liam finally look over at me.

My face was stone-cold. His eyebrows immediately knitted together.

"Chloe, outside. Now."

He dragged me into the hallway.

"What is that look on your face?"

Liam's tone was sharp with irritation. "You agreed to it, so stop throwing a fit. Everyone’s in there watching. You’re making this completely embarrassing for me."

I stared at him, my voice dangerously steady.

"And when you two were wrapping your arms around each other, did you give a damn about how embarrassing it was for me?"

Liam scowled. "It’s a party game! Are you seriously making a scene over this? It’s just alcohol from our own glasses, it’s not like we swapped spit! Besides, you said yes. Stop ruining the vibe."

The door swung open, and Vanessa leaned against the doorframe, watching us with an amused smirk.

"Chloe, relax. It's just harmless fun. I’m your best friend—you really think I’d screw you over?"

She strolled up and naturally hooked her arm through Liam’s. "Come on, Liam. Everyone’s waiting for us."