After the engagement, the six of us—Nico, Alessia, Marco, Leo, Sofia, and I—planned a pre-wedding trip to the Caribbean.
On our first night, my best friend, Alessia, suggested we play a game: “Twenty-Four-Hour Partner Swap.”
Anyone who drew cards with a matching symbol had to act like a couple for the day. Whoever drew a blank card was stuck taking pictures and carrying the bags.
In the first round, I drew a blank.
Nico Santoro and Alessia drew the moon.
They held hands and walked to the beach to watch the sunrise. I followed behind, all three of our beach bags slung over my shoulder.
In the second round, I drew a blank again.
They drew the rose.
The rule for that card was a one-minute hug.
Everyone stood around laughing while I stood to the side, timing them.
Third round. Fourth round.
Seven times in a row, I drew a blank card.
Every single time, I was the odd one out.
Leaning against Nico’s chest, Alessia smiled at me. “It’s just a game, Virginia. You’re not actually upset, are you?”
Nico lifted a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
“Don’t mind her,” he said. “She always takes things too seriously.”
On the last night of the game, they drew the wedding dress card.
The rule was simple: stage a mock beach wedding.
Alessia put on the backup gown I’d brought for our real wedding.
Nico took my engagement ring off my finger and slid it onto hers.
The others stood nearby, chanting, “Kiss her! Kiss her!”
A second later, Nico lowered his head and kissed her.
While everyone was cheering, I walked over to the box of cards and opened it.
Every card in my designated stack was blank.
Every card in Nico’s and Alessia’s boxes was a perfect match: the moon, the rose, the wedding dress.
This wasn’t bad luck.
The whole game had been rigged from the start.
I smiled, then deleted every wedding-related link I had saved on my phone.
There had never been a place for me in this circle. So there was no reason to keep a place for them in my future.
He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 08 On the trip back, without me, the entire itinerary fell apart. No one had arranged the airport transfer. No one had confirmed the luggage allowance. Alessia left her passport at the hotel, and Marco couldn’t get a refund for the surfing lesson
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He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 07 When Nico pushed open the door to our suite, the sofa bed in the living room was empty. My suitcase was gone, too. He froze for a second, then immediately reached for the rental car keys. But Alessia wrapped her arms around
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He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 06 At one in the morning, Nico finally realized I was gone. Alessia was drunk, draped over his shoulder and refusing to let go. The others were still egging them on, telling them to finish playing out the “wedding night.” Nico’s irritation grew.
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He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 05 When I dragged my suitcase out of the resort, the sound of laughter still drifted down from the terrace. Nico probably thought I was doing what I always did—hiding somewhere, waiting for him to come find me. My phone buzzed. An iMessage
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He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 04 Standing by the bed, I felt the warmth drain from my hands. This was a group chat without me. I opened the message history. The first one was from three months ago. Alessia had sent a screenshot of the “Twenty-Four-Hour Partner Swap”
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He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 03 At lunch, Alessia got seasick, and Nico hovered by her side the entire time. My stomach hurt too badly to eat, so I asked a server if I could have a bowl of plain chicken soup instead. Leo laughed. “What, Virginia, now
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He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 02 I didn’t grow up with them. The five of them were all from Italian families and had known one another since kindergarten. I only met Nico after I started at NYU, and he was the one who brought me into their circle.
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He Gave My Ring To Her Now He Wears His Regret Chapter 01 After the engagement, the six of us—Nico, Alessia, Marco, Leo, Sofia, and I—planned a pre-wedding trip to the Caribbean. On our first night, my best friend, Alessia, suggested we play a game: “Twenty-Four-Hour Partner Swap.” Anyone who drew cards with a matching
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