The Bride's Revenge: Truth or Die

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I slammed my military-grade combat knife right through the center of the bridal suite's round table. My billionaire husband, who had just sworn to love me forever, along with his frat boy groomsmen, slumped like dead weight onto the Persian rug.

The spiked champagne was finally kicking in.

Ten minutes ago, his childhood bestiea classic pick-me girlwas relentlessly provoking me, backing me into a corner to play a twisted, high-stakes game of Truth or Dare. She wore a provocatively low-cut bridesmaid dress, her thigh pressed hard against my husband's tailored dress pants as she rolled her eyes, mocking methe bridefor being a buzzkill who didn't even know how to party.

I gave a sweet, compliant nod.

And with a smile, I locked the deadbolt.

Now, let the games continue.

Chapter 1

The moment I agreed to play, Vienna cheered like she had just won a trophy. "See? Spencer never says no to me. Even with a wife, he'd never forget his favorite bro."

The rest of the frat boys shot quick, covert glances at my face. When they saw no visible trace of anger, they chimed in with nervous chuckles.

Spencer's chest puffed out, clearly satisfied with my docile reaction. He always bragged about how much more obedient and low-maintenance I was compared to his ex.

"Mavis, let's get the rules straight first. Don't go crying when you lose!" Vienna smirked. She grabbed an empty beer bottle and slammed it in the center of the table.

Everyone dragged their chairs into a tight circle. "I'll start. Spin the bottle on the table. Whoever the neck points to picks Truth or Dare.

Choose Truth, you spill everything. No lying allowed. Choose Dare, you do exactly what the spinner tells you to do."

I narrowed my eyes. "Literally anything?"

She nodded, her grin widening. "Obviously. If we're playing, we're making it spicy."

Her eyes gleamed with a feverish excitement. "This used to be our absolute favorite game back in college."

The air in the room instantly turned suffocatingly thick. For ten agonizing seconds, dead silence dragged on. Even Spencer, who had been riding high on his wedding day ego trip, tightened his jaw, his smug expression cracking. But someone quickly cleared their throat and urged the game to start, breaking the tension as everyone shifted in their seats.

Vienna flicked her wrist. The glass bottle spun in a dizzying blur, circling twice before slowing down and pointing dead center at Spencer.

The frat boys erupted into raucous jeers.

"Come on, Spencer! Tell us who you love the most."

"Nah, screw that. Tell us which of your girls was the best in bed."

"Don't put him on the spot like that. Just ask him who matters moreMavis or Vienna."

"Screw the questions. Pick Dare and make out with Vienna right here!"

Spencer shot a sideways glance in my direction. "We're all bros here. Just a harmless joke, right?"

My manicured nails dug so hard into the silk fabric of my wedding dress that my knuckles turned stark white. "It's fine. Have fun."

Vienna cleared her throat, leaning forward. "So, Spencer Truth or Dare?"

He hesitated, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Truth."

Vienna's lower lip jutted out into a dramatic pout. "Why won't you pick Dare? Is Mavis really that uptight? It's not like we haven't kissed before."

Spencer lunged forward and slapped his hand over her mouth. "You're trouble. Just ask the damn question!"

She opened her mouth and playfully nipped at his palm. He flinched, snatching his hand back as if he'd been burned.

The entire room watched their highly charged, intimate display, eyes darting toward me, bracing for the moment I flipped the table. But I didn't move a muscle. I just sat perfectly still beside my new husband, the picture of a compliant little wife.

"Question is" Vienna dragged out the suspense.

"Between Mavis and your ex, Hazel who do you love the most?"

The words dropped like a grenade. The rowdy room flatlined into deafening silence.

"Jesus, Vienna. Pick another question."

"Yeah, it's his wedding day. Why the hell are you bringing her up?"

"Mavis is literally sitting right here!"

"Seriously, talking about her is bad luck."

A few of the guys shifted awkwardly, trying to defuse the ticking time bomb.

Vienna shot me a wide-eyed, tragically innocent look. "Mavis, I'm just asking a random question. You're not going to get mad, right? I mean, everyone has an ex."

Mad? Who the hell wouldn't be?

Chapter 2

She was tap-dancing on my last nerve, pushing every boundary I had.

"I"

"It's just a game. Don't take it so seriously." Spencer cut me off before the words even left my mouth.

A muscle ticked in his jaw, clearly irritated, but he answered anyway. "Obviously, I love Mavis more. Hazel isn't even fit to carry her designer bags."

A collective, heavy exhale rippled through the frat boys. Only Vienna glared at me, her eyes flashing with a predatory, bloodshot frustration. I hadn't flipped the table or screamed. She was thoroughly disappointed.

The game dragged on. Spencer spun the bottle, and it glided to a halt right in front of Vienna.

"Truth," she snapped without missing a beat.

Spencer shifted his weight, hesitating slightly. "Name the happiest moment of your life."

A deep, suggestive flush crept up Vienna's neck. "Last night."

Spencer stiffened, his hand hovering frozen over the table before he hurriedly barked for the next round.

My turn. I gave the bottle a sharp flick. It landed on one of his groomsmen. He chose Truth, too.

I tilted my head, pretending to think. "Tell us the most unforgettable scandal to ever hit our campus."

The guy squinted, heavily buzzed, before smacking his forehead. "Oh, damn! Spencer's ex and her leaked nudes.

That shit broke the internet around here. Man, that body was"

"Next round!" Spencer barked, his voice cracking slightly as he scrambled to cut the guy off.

This time, the bottle landed squarely on Vienna again. She picked Truth. Again.

The drunk groomsman gave her a sleazy, knowing leer. "Spill it. What exactly happened last night that made you so damn happy?"

Vienna giggled, playfully swatting the air. "Shut up! It was just Spencer's final bachelor night, obviously."

Then, her eyes snapped to me in mock horror, as if she had suddenly remembered the bride was sitting right there. She leaned in, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

"Mavis, oh my god, do not take that the wrong way! I was just terrified Spencer might not perform, so I gave him a little test drive for you.

You can relax, he works perfectly. Trust me, if there was anything real between us, you wouldn't even be wearing that ring."

Spencer's fingers locked around my wrist like a vice. "Vienna's just young and wild, Mavis. We haven't seen her in years, and the whole crew was there last night. Don't let her get in your head."

I offered a slow, validating nod. "She really is something else. Seeing is definitely believing."

I had only ever heard whispers about the legendary bestie. Now, I was getting the full, unabridged experience.

The game spun on. After a few rounds bypassed me entirely, Vienna grew visibly impatient, physically snatching the bottle out of another guy's hand to steal his turn. When the glass neck finally pointed dead at my chest, she lit up like a predator who had just cornered her prey.

"Truth," I said, my voice deadpan.

"So, Mavis," she drawled, leaning forward aggressively. "Who was better in bed? Your ex, or Spencer?"

Every single pair of eyes locked onto me. Even Spencer leaned in, a flicker of hungry anticipation in his gaze.

I let the silence stretch out for a beat, letting the tension spike, before curling my lips into a pristine smile.

"I don't have an ex."

The frat bros erupted in howling laughter.

"Damn, Spencer! You lucky bastard. You knocked up your last piece, and now you manage to lock down a clean slate?"

The liquor emboldened Spencer, puffing up his chest as he bragged. "Hell yeah. I married Mavis because she's pure. Not like some girls who act all innocent but are basically walking red flags with a messy-ass track record."

One of the groomsmen slapped his knee. "No kidding! Hazel used to be the hottest girl on campus. Looked like a total sweetheart, but behind closed doors, she was a total freak."

"She was pretty damn clueless, too. Remember when Spencer lost a bet and had to fake-confess to her? Can't believe she actually fell for it."

"A broke, white-trash girl from a trailer parkwhat kind of standards did you expect her to have? She was willing to strip naked at a frat party just for a couple grand in tuition money. Though, to be fair, that paid a hell of a lot better than flipping burgers at her fast-food job."

"Not gonna lie, though, her academic and work game was solid. If all that scandal shit hadn't gone down, she probably would've made it big."

Vienna let out a harsh, contemptuous snort. "She was just a desperate stage-five clinger. Followed Spencer around like a lost puppy, genuinely thinking she was living in some Cinderella movie. She really needed a reality check."

"I heard her parents died when she was a kid. Her family was dead broke, and she only had some eighty-year-old grandma holding onto life. Every time I saw her, it felt like bad juju."

Spencer immediately reached out, rubbing Vienna's arm to soothe her. "Hey, she already got her karma, right? Don't let her ruin your mood."

Vienna rolled her eyes, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Whatever. She's trash. Let's just keep playing!"

I lowered my gaze, letting the heavy veil of my eyelashes conceal the lethal, icy storm brewing in my eyes. I sat perfectly still, blending into the background as my fingers traced the edge of my wedding band.

Chapter 3

The bottle spun and locked onto Vienna. She picked Dare this time.

Spencer's frat boys were thoroughly used to my docile silence by now. The restraints were off. They instantly hyped each other up, daring her to make out with the groom for ten solid secondshands under clothesright in front of me, the bride.

"Mavis, if you're uncomfortable, I can just take three penalty shots instead," Vienna said, biting her lip with a faux-apologetic look.

Spencer didn't even let me answer. He grabbed her waist, yanked her flush against his chest, and crashed his mouth down on hers. The room erupted into whistles and animalistic howling. Phones immediately popped out, camera flashes strobing as they recorded the whole sick display.

When they finally broke apart, she burrowed into his chest, playfully swatting his lapel. "You're awful! Everyone is literally watching us! You bit my lip last time, and you just did it again."

Spencer let out a low chuckle. "I'll be gentler next time."

My grip on my champagne flute tightened until the blood drained from my fingertips, but I kept my mouth shut.

While the frat boys were busy replaying the video on their screens, I stood up and pulled out the top-shelf liquor I had prepped for this exact moment.

"Damn, Mavis is a real one! Look at this top-tier shit," someone yelled. "Come on, fill 'em up! We're blacking out tonight, boys!"

"Drinking without a game is weak. Let's escalate this. Everyone has to confess one dark, buried secret."

"Anyone who chokes takes a penalty shot."

Vienna's hand shot up instantly. "Me first! I once stole Spencer's condoms and poked tiny holes in them with a needle."

The entire room froze.

"Wait Hazel's accidental pregnancy was your doing?!"

"Holy shit, Vienna, you are evil."

"Spencer was so damn confused back then. He genuinely thought Hazel had cheated on him."

Vienna batted her eyelashes, feigning total innocence. "Spencer, I just thought it'd be a funny prank. How was I supposed to know you guys would actually hit the jackpot? Plus, with how messy she was, who even knows if the kid was actually yours?"

Spencer didn't flare up. Instead, his face twisted with pure disgust. "Not your fault. She just had garbage luck."

"See? Told you Spencer wouldn't get mad," Vienna preened. "If she didn't have a guilty conscience, there's no way she would've just swallowed that bitter pill quietly."

As soon as Vienna finished, another guy eagerly jumped in.

"My turn. I stole the business school professor's Rolex watch."

Spencer's voice suddenly shot up an octave. "Wait, you stole the watch? Then why the hell didn't you say anything when Hazel took the fall for it?"

The guy rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a sleazy laugh. "I lost a ton of cash betting on games around that time, so I shoved the watch into her locker to make her the scapegoat.

She was a broke scholarship kid; obviously, everyone would suspect her first. Her reputation was already trash anyway. One more scandal wouldn't hurt."

Spencer let out a cold, mocking sneer. "No wonder she came crawling to me for a couple grand. You orchestrated the whole damn thing.

She literally sold herself to me just to cover that hole." He chuckled, raising his glass to the guy.

"Honestly, thanks, man. I was trying to get in her pants for months. One move from you, and she folded completely."

The guy laughed off the compliment. "Pure luck, bro. Total accident."

A few more frat boys eagerly spilled their own toxic secrets, treating them like badges of honor.

Soon enough, the spotlight swung to Spencer.

Chapter 4

Spencer hesitated for a long beat, his jaw tightening before he finally ripped the band-aid off.

"Actually, I was the one who reported Hazel's pregnancy to corporate."

Vienna burst out laughing. "No wonder HR investigated literally everyone but you."

"Spencer, you're a freaking genius. You played the righteous whistleblower and scrubbed your own hands clean. When Hazel pointed the finger at you, everyone just called her crazy."

"Classic Spencer. Hazel took the truth to her grave, and not a single person ever believed her."

Spencer leaned back, soaking in the praise. "She brought it on herself. Trying to extort me over a fetus? It's just a kid.

I can get anyone pregnant if I wanted to. But she actually had the nerve to demand a massive payout for her trashy family.

Obviously, I shut that down. You pay up once, they come back for seconds and thirds."

The frat bros nodded in unison. "Facts. Poor families are literally bottomless money pits. Good call not falling for her trap."

Vienna snapped her head toward me, plastering on a painfully fake look of apology. "Mavis, this is ancient history from years ago. You're not going to hold a grudge over something that happened way before your time, right?"

Spencer waved his hand, dismissive. "Mavis doesn't care. She's pure and obedient. The most innocent girl I've ever met.

More importantly, she's obsessed with me. No matter what I do, she'll always stand by my side."

The others murmured in agreement. "Mavis really is built different. Way more chill than normal girls."

"Yeah, exactly. Otherwise, we wouldn't be spilling all this tonight."

"Spencer hit the jackpot finding a wife who actually knows how to fall in line."

Vienna's smile slipped, clearly annoyed by the compliments flying my way. "Are we still playing or what? Mavis, your turn."

Every pair of eyes in the room locked onto me. They held their breath. They were practically drooling, desperate to know what kind of dark, twisted secret the perfect, obedient wife was hiding.

Under their hungry stares, the corners of my mouth curled up. I dropped the nuke.

I am clinically insane.

The room erupted. They howled with laughter.

"Mavis, that's not how the game works! Penalty shots. Take the shots."

"Right? Nobody crazy actually admits they're crazy. Come on, try harder than that."

Spencer's jaw clenched. My answer had publicly bruised his ego. "If you can't play the game right, stop making a fool of yourself."

"Mavis, if you can't hang, just sit out. Stop killing the vibe with stupid jokes. Just drink the penalty."

Vienna poured three shots of liquor and shoved them toward my chest.

I didn't reach for the glasses. I just let my cold gaze sweep over every single face in the room, committing them to memory.

"I played your little game." I kept my voice dead level. "Now, it's your turn to play mine."

Spencer's patience finally snapped. "Mavis, I get that you're jealous of my ex, but throwing a tantrum right now? Vienna is literally pouring you a drink, and you're pulling this attitude?"

Vienna scoffed, rolling her eyes in blatant disgust. "So much for being 'chill.' We barely even started and her true colors are already showing. Spencer, your taste in women is honestly tragic."

A few of the guys shifted awkwardly, the vibe instantly souring. "Spencer, we've all had a lot to drink. Probably shouldn't have brought up the ex on your wedding night. Let's just call it."

I let out a low, ice-cold laugh. "Nobody moves." I locked eyes with Spencer.

"You all love games so much. So we're playing. Whether you want to or not."

Chapter 5

"Mavis, are you seriously trying to humiliate me in front of my boys?" Spencer grabbed a shot glass, his grip white-knuckled, and shoved it toward my mouth, trying to force the penalty liquor down my throat.

"Spencer, just drop it, man."

"Yeah, it's your wedding day"

The more the guys tried to pull him back, the harder his jaw set.

I took the glass from his hand.

Without blinking an eye, I threw the amber liquid straight into his face.

He flinched, the sharp sting of alcohol catching his eyes. He stood there, frozen, wiping the dripping liquor from his jaw.

Dead silence crashed over the room.

The frat boys exchanged panicked looks and immediately scrambled for the exit.

"Spencer, it's getting late. We'll catch up another time."

"We're heading out. You two need to talk."

I pulled the military-grade combat knife from my garter and drove the heavy steel straight through the center of the solid wood table.

"I'm afraid nobody is leaving until this game is finished."

Right on cue, one of the groomsmen tried to stand, only to collapse backward onto the couch like a ragdoll. "What the hell? Why can't I feel my legs?"

"Me too. I literally can't stand."

Vienna let out a shrill gasp. "Mavis, what did you do?! What the hell did you put in the drinks?!"

Spencer gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles straining as he tried to haul himself up, but his knees buckled. His eyes were bloodshot, the veins in his neck bulging as he glared at me. "Mavis, knock it off right now. If you don't stop this, I'll divorce you, and I won't care if you're on your knees begging me to stay."

I yanked the knife free from the wood and casually twirled the heavy handle between my fingers. "It's just a game. What's wrong? Can't handle the heat?"

I let my gaze sweep over the paralyzed frat boys. "You're all his best bros, right? Surely you don't mind playing one little game with me."

I stepped closer, resting the icy flat of the blade right beneath Vienna's chin. "Right, bestie?"

Vienna shrieked, trying to swat my arm away, but her limbs were dead weight. "Spencer! Where the hell did you find this psycho?!

Help me! She's just insanely jealous of us!"

Spencer panicked, his voice cracking. "Mavis, let her go! She has a heart condition. She can't take this kind of stress!"

I tilted my head, feigning thoughtful surprise as a genuine, wide smile stretched across my face. "A heart condition? Oh, that makes it even better.

I love playing with sick people. I've never actually seen someone get scared to death before."

"Mavis, you're out of your freaking mind!" she sobbed, trying to twist her neck away from the blade.

I offered a sweet, pristine smile. "I literally just told you I was clinically insane. Try to keep up."

"Spencer, help me! She's totally lost it"

Before she could finish her sentence, I drove the combat knife straight into her thigh.

She let out a blood-curdling scream, the sound piercing the room as tears streamed down her face.

I elegantly pulled the blade out, casually wiping the bloody steel against the expensive fabric of her bridesmaid dress. The bright red blood bloomed across the white silk, spreading outwards like a blossoming rose.

"Oops. My bad," I said, my tone flat.

"She was just being a little too loud. My hand slipped. So, are we playing the game, or are we playing the game?"

I walked back to my seat, smoothing down the front of my wedding gown. Their little frat house game was over. Mine was just beginning.

The brutal display shocked the room into a paralyzing silence. Whatever booze was left in their system evaporated. Realizing I wasn't bluffing, the resistance drained from their eyes.

"My rules are simple," I said, my voice smooth and level. "You're all tight-knit bros, which means you definitely know each other's dirty little secrets.

Confessing your own sins is boring. We're going to expose each other." I leaned forward.

"Whoever drops the weakest secret loses the thing they value the most." I raised my hand, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at a random guy on the couch.

Watching their toxic brotherhood shatter into a pathetic dogfight was going to be infinitely more entertaining than any confession. The guy violently shivered, his jaw glued shut in absolute terror.

Chapter 6

I raised my hand and started the clock. "Three. Two"

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the guy yelled, his voice cracking violently.

"I know Spencer isn't the legitimate heir to some old money family! He intentionally pushed his adoptive parents' biological son off a cliff at Yellowstone National Park just so he could swallow that multi-million dollar family trust fund all by himself!"

He gritted his teeth and spat the words out like venom to save his own skin.

I feigned a look of profound realization, tapping my chin. "Wow. Turns out our high-and-mighty billionaire prince is just a desperate little orphan who had to steal his crown."

Spencer's entire brand was built on his flawless pedigree. Being stripped naked in front of his crew made his face flush a mottled dark purple. His jaw locked so tight I could hear his teeth grinding, and he lunged against his paralyzed legs, the veins in his neck bulging as if he wanted to rip the guy's throat out with his bare hands.

I twirled the combat knife, letting the heavy steel catch the light. "Let's see what other juicy little secrets are hiding in here." I casually pointed the blade at the guy with glasses sitting right next to Vienna.

He instantly broke into loud sobs, snot running down his face. "I swear I don't know anything! Please let me go! Spencer, do something!"

I stood up, my heels clicking slowly against the hardwood floor as I closed the distance. "Don't know? Or too scared to spill?" I tilted my head.

"Think real hard before you answer. My grip on this knife gets a little slippery sometimes."

I dragged the flat, icy side of the blade down his chest. "Or maybe you want to find out?"

"No! Don't! I'll talk! Vienna was insanely jealous of Hazel!

She wanted Hazel's spot in that study-abroad program, so she hired a bunch of thugs to jump her, strip her clothes off, and take those pictures! Hazel was totally forced into taking those pictures!"

Vienna's face drained of color. Panic warped her features. "Bullshit! I never did that!

She was just a total slut! It had nothing to do with me!"

"I have the receipts, Vienna! I knew you'd try to deny it, so I kept a copy!" Glasses guy fumbled with his trembling fingers, unlocking his phone.

He hit play and threw the device on the table. The video clearly showed Vienna directing a group of guys, cornering Hazel in a dark alley, and flashing cameras as they tore her clothes off.

I picked up the phone. Watching the girl in the video curl into a helpless ball in the corner, stripped and utterly humiliated, a violent tremor racked my hands.

My fingernails dug into the meat of my palm until the skin broke. The suffocating weight of what she must have feltthe crushing despair of a girl alone against monstersclosed my throat.

For a long, agonizing minute, the room was dead silent. Then, I tilted my head and let out a dry, rattling laugh.

"Good. Fantastic." The tip of my knife snapped straight toward Vienna's throat. "Your turn."

She was curled up in the corner, her face the color of ash. Blood continuously oozed from her thigh, pooling onto the floor, but she was too terrified to even press her hands against the wound.

"Hazel jumped off that building because of Spencer!" Vienna bawled, the words spilling out in a panicked rush.

"She was just going to move back to her hometown to take care of her grandma after she got expelled!

But Spencer was paranoid she would blow the whistle on him! He slipped acid into her drink to make her hallucinate and fall off the roof!"

Spencer let out a feral noise, using his upper body strength to drag himself across the floor and tackle her. "Shut your mouth, you stupid bitch!

You promised to take that to your grave! You were the one who said her breathing was a liability! That's why I did it!"

"You just wanted to screw her and dodge the child support! Don't pin your psycho crap on me!" she shrieked, clawing frantically at his face.

I stood there, watching them tear into each other like rabid street dogs. I slowly shifted my cold gaze to the remaining frat boys.

"What else? Lightning round starts now. Whoever drops the most dirt actually walks out of here alive."

The promise of survival broke them. They started clamoring over each other to spill.

"Spencer and Vienna were hooking up behind Hazel's back the whole time! Hazel even caught them in the act once!"

[ "That's not all! They literally pimped Hazel out to a corporate executive. She got hit by a car trying to run away from him!" ]

[ "Vienna stole her entire month of living expenses, too! Left her eating nothing but stale bread for thirty straight days!" ]

I tilted my head back, staring hard at the ceiling as I rapidly blinked to force the burning moisture back down my throat. So it was true. There really were demons walking around in expensive skin suits, committing atrocities that would make the devil himself flinch.

"Enough!" Vienna finally cracked, her voice a hysterical screech. "So what if I did it?!

Why the hell do you all care so much about some dead trash? Not a single one of you in this room has clean hands!"

She glared at me, her chest heaving heavily. "Mavis, you should be getting on your knees and thanking us!

If we hadn't completely exterminated your competition, you never would have had the chance to marry Spencer in the first place!"

"Thank you?" I repeated, a dead, empty smile carving into my face. "We've been playing this game all night, and not a single one of you has stopped to ask who I really am. When you close your eyes at night, do the nightmares not eat you alive?"

Still smiling, I slowly rolled up the sleeve of my pristine white gown, exposing the dark, unmistakable birthmark slashed across my forearm.

Every single pair of eyes in the room locked onto it. The absolute, paralyzing horror that instantly contorted their faces was nothing short of cinematic