After a painful breakup, I thought I’d finally found someone special in Brennen. He was thoughtful, remembered little details about me, and made me feel safe. After almost eleven months together, I was even considering moving in with him.<\/p>\n
Then, during a dinner with his friends, I noticed Adrien repeatedly staring at my ankle.<\/p>\n
When I confronted him, he pointed to my small red butterfly tattoo and turned toward Brennen.<\/p>\n
“Brennen, I thought she knew.”<\/p>\n
Brennen slammed his hand against the table and demanded that Adrien stop talking.<\/p>\n
But Adrien finally revealed the truth: before Brennen ever contacted me on a dating app, he had shown my profile to his friends and made a bet with Caleb that he could make me fall in love with him within six months.<\/p>\n
The prize? $500.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, every romantic moment felt different. The flowers, the thoughtful messages, and even the day I told him I loved him might have started as part of a cruel game.<\/p>\n
Brennen insisted that his feelings had become real, but he had kept the truth from me even as we discussed moving in together. Worse, after I left, he tried convincing his friends to lie about the bet.<\/p>\n
I returned his apartment key and ended the relationship.<\/p>\n
For weeks, I struggled to understand how someone I trusted could turn my feelings into entertainment. Eventually, I reconnected with my best friend Nina and began rebuilding my confidence.<\/p>\n
Then I looked at my red butterfly tattoo again.<\/p>\n
I had gotten it after my previous breakup to remind myself that I deserved a fresh start.<\/p>\n
Brennen had used it to make a bet about me \u2014 but the tattoo was still mine, and so was my life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After a painful breakup, I thought I’d finally found someone special in Brennen. He was thoughtful, remembered little details about me, and made me feel safe. After almost eleven months together, I was even considering moving in with him. Then, during a dinner with his friends, I noticed Adrien repeatedly staring at my ankle. When…<\/p>\n