New Year Truth or Dare: My Husband Still Loves His First Love

During the New Year celebrations, I found myself at a college reunion with my husband, Joey.

After a few rounds of drinks, someone suggested a game of Truth or Dare. Joey was the first to pick a Truth card.

What's your biggest regret in love?

He answered without hesitation, his eyes darting toward Valerie, his college sweetheart, who was sitting nearby.

"Not ending up with the person I truly loved. Instead, I settled for a backup, just making do with my wife."

The room erupted in whispers. Everyone expected me to storm out, but I simply smiled and motioned for the game to continue.

When it was my turn, the question was:

"Is there anything you've kept from your partner in your relationship?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"I have a seven-year-old son I'm raising outside our home."

A profound silence fell over the private room. Joey, who had been heavily intoxicated, instantly sobered up. He stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Our class president quickly tried to smooth things over. "Willow, you must be drunk. You can't just say things like that!"

"He's right," another classmate chimed in. "Joey was just joking. You can't get angry and make a joke like that. It's too hurtful!"

The friend beside me laughed, patting my shoulder, trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere. I raised my glass, drained it in one go, and leaned back slowly in my chair.

"I'm not joking."

"We've been married for seven years. Every time Joey gets drunk, he calls out Valerie's name. When he's intimate with me, he calls out her name. Even the little digital chick in his game is named 'Valerie, my darling.' We've been living separate lives under the same roof for so long. Is it really so unreasonable for me to have a son outside our home?"

My bombshell revelations stunned everyone. Joey and Valerie exchanged uneasy glances, their faces ashen.

But Joey, who always cared deeply about appearances, wouldn't tolerate me airing his dirty laundry. He slammed his hand on the table.

"Willow Sterling, if you're drunk, go home! Don't make a scene here!" he roared. "I merely expressed a regret in my heart. Even if you're jealous, you don't need to retaliate like this!"

Jealous?

I'd had enough of being jealous for the past seven years!

If he was still pining for Valerie, then I would help these two unfaithful lovers achieve their destiny!

I stared at Joey's captivating face, and the more I looked, the more disgusted I felt.

"Retaliate? What I said was nothing but the truth!" I shot back. "Your favoritism toward Valerie goes far beyond what I've said. Do you dare to make everything public?"

My aggressive tone ratcheted up the tension in the room again. Valerie, seeing the situation escalating, quickly came over with her drink, trying to mediate.

"Willow, we're all old friends. This reunion is just a chance to reminisce about the past. Why are you getting so angry?" she said softly. "Besides, Joey and I are ancient history. I've been living abroad for years. Joey was just trying to amuse me." She extended her glass to me. "I'll toast you as an apology. Don't let me ruin your relationship."

I swatted her hand away. "What right do you have to toast me? Let me tell you..."

"Willow Sterling, that's enough!"

Before I could finish, Joey sprang to his feet. He wiped the wine splashed on his face, his eyes burning with fury.

"You say I'm still hung up on Valerie? Yes, I admit it!" he bellowed. "But what kind of saint are you? Haven't you also cheated on me, even having a child?!"

He pointed at me, his voice sharp and accusatory. "You say I don't dare to make my history with Valerie public? Fine! Then let's turn this Truth or Dare into a full-blown confession game!" His eyes gleamed with a desperate challenge. "Whoever breaks down and leaves first, loses everything in the divorce. Do you dare?"

A faint smile touched my lips. "Gladly."

Even though I knew Joey and Valerie had been entangled for years, even though I had already decided to divorce him after the holidays, I still wanted to hear him admit those truths himself. Not for anything else, but to bring closure to the seven years I had poured into this love.

This confession game, with its high-stakes wager, I would play to the bitter end.

The game continued. Joey wasted no time, dropping a bombshell immediately.

"The night I proposed to you, Valerie and I went to a hotel."

He paused, then added, "We spent the entire night together. No protection."

The words hung in the air, heavy and solid, freezing the room. No one spoke, their gazes shifting to me, filled with pity.

"Joey, isn't that a bit much?" someone ventured. "Starting with such a big revelation, can Willow really handle it?"

Valerie tugged at Joey's sleeve, feigning concern, but her tone betrayed a hint of smugness. Joey waved them off dismissively.

"What's the big deal?" he scoffed. "Starting with a bang is just to prepare her. I don't want her heart giving out after a couple of rounds."

I offered a faint smile, my inner world surprisingly calm.

"I already knew."

"Because seven years ago, when you and she were together, I was in the room right next door."

"With another man."

The night he proposed, I had received a call from Valerie's boyfriend, Marcus. He and I had stood with our ears pressed to the wall, listening to them make love all night. Marcus had wanted to burst in and catch them in the act countless times, but I had stopped him.

Because I was desperately, completely in love with Joey. I told myself it was just a farewell tryst, that after this, they would sever all ties.

But time had proven that, for seven years, it had been nothing but my wishful thinking.

"Willow Sterling, you think that's enough to make me angry?" Joey lit a cigarette, blowing a cloud of smoke directly into my face. "Did you know that after that night, Valerie got pregnant?"

He paused, letting the words hang in the air. "And I even told her to keep the child."

At that, the room absolutely exploded. My classmates were reeling from the relentless bombshells, whispering frantically amongst themselves.

"Holy cow, this isn't a confession game, it's a bloodbath!"

"Poor Willow Sterling! Married for seven years only to find out her husband cheated with his first love and had a love child outside the marriage!"

"Pfft, what's so pitiful about it? She knew seven years ago and still stayed. Isn't that just pure masochism?"

"Exactly! She cheated and had a kid too, right? I'd say these two are two sides of the same coin. Neither of them is any good!"

I ignored their chatter, waving away the choking smoke. "I knew that too."

"Her prenatal reports were hidden in the coat she gave you. Oceanside General Hospital. She went three times."

Joey and Valerie's faces visibly darkened. He had expected that revelation to shatter me. He had anticipated shouting, tears, maybe even me flipping the table and storming out. But he hadn't expected thisI hadn't given him the satisfaction of seeing me break.

Seeing his stunned silence, I twisted the knife a little further. "But there's one question I've always wanted to ask you."

"Where is that child now?"

Joey was silent for a moment, then laughed.

"What does it matter to you? It's not your child. What right do you have to ask?"

Of course, I knew Joey wouldn't tell me. Or rather, I knew he wouldn't dare to tell me.

Back then, to care for a pregnant Valerie, he had concocted an elaborate lie about the company needing to send him away for training. Because of that, I had postponed our wedding for an entire year. And after we were married, he had kept the secret of his illegitimate child exceptionally well. If I hadn't accidentally found the prenatal reports while cleaning out his closet, I might have remained in the dark forever.

I forced back the nausea rising in my throat and let out a cold laugh. "Indeed, I have no right."

"I'm just worried you might have secretly gotten rid of the child to keep me from finding out." My voice was light, almost conversational. "After all, it's a life. If it were simply discarded..."

"Willow Sterling, are you ever going to shut up?!" Joey's face was flushed crimson, the suave gentleman facade completely gone. "Are you doing this just to embarrass me? Are you purposefully bringing up the past at a class reunion to tear me down?" He slammed his hand on the table, his voice thick with rage. "Since you're so intent on cutting ties, why don't we raise the stakes? Truth is boring. Dare? Do you dare?"

I crossed my legs, propped my chin on my hand, and looked at him with an amused smirk. "No problem. Whatever you want to do today, I'm here for it."

He didn't waste another word, simply motioning for the class president to draw a card. The president, unable to refuse, reached into the box.

A moment later, a slip of paper lay unfolded on the table:

[French kiss the person you love most for three minutes.]

Joey let out a soft chuckle, pulling Valerie into his arms, his strong, articulate fingers tracing patterns on her back. "Willow Sterling, I honestly didn't realize you knew about my affair and still tolerated me for so long." His eyes held a challenging glint. "You seem to enjoy watching Valerie and me. How about I put on a little show for you? What do you think?"

Before he could even finish speaking, the class president quickly intervened. "Joey, that's enough. This is a class reunion, for goodness sake. Have some respect for Willow."

The other classmates quickly joined in, trying to stop Joey. "He's right, Joey. Willow might have gone too far, but you can't do this in front of her. It's too humiliating!"

"Joey, listen to us. Leave some room for reconciliation. After all, you and Willow are still married. You still have to live together, right?"

Joey's expression hardened, becoming savage. "Leave room?" he sneered. "Get this straight: Willow Sterling cheated too! She even has a seven-year-old son! Neither of us is clean!" His gaze turned to me, filled with utter contempt. "Living with a woman like that? I find it repulsive."

With that, he directly kissed Valerie's lips. The defiant glint in his eyes and the passionate, open-mouthed kiss exploded before me simultaneously. I knew he was waiting for me to break.

But I remained seated, unmoving, not even bothering to flutter an eyelid. I knew Joey too well. He was always one to hold a grudge and seek revenge. I had publicly exposed his affair, making him lose face in front of so many people. There was no way he would just let it go.

Moreover, in his eyes, I was nothing more than a cheating woman. Since neither of us was "clean," he naturally felt he had nothing to lose.

Three minutes later, they reluctantly broke apart. Joey gently wiped Valerie's lipstick from the corner of his mouth, then looked down at me, a condescending smirk on his face. "So, did you break? If you can't handle it, you can always leave. But all the assets will be mine in the divorce. What's it going to be?"

I merely smiled and gestured for the game to continue.

The class president pondered for a few seconds, then reached into the box again.

[Your dare will be chosen by the first person of the opposite sex beside you.]

The first person of the opposite sex beside me was Joey.

He shot me a cunning smile and delivered my dare:

"Bring the son you're raising outside our home. I want to see him!"

I froze for a few seconds, then gently shook my head. "I can't do that. Pick another dare."

But Joey had no intention of letting me off the hook. He pressed on relentlessly.

"I'm not changing it. I want you to do this dare. What, are you chickening out?" He leaned back, his eyes mocking. "I'm warning you, if you back out and leave, you'll walk away with nothing."

I remained stubborn in my refusal. "What's between us has nothing to do with this child. I swore that I wouldn't bring him out until he's an adult."

The situation reached a stalemate.

Just then, Valerie suddenly rose, tugging at my sleeve. "Willow, don't be so petty when you're out having fun. Just bring the child out so we can meet him." She batted her eyelashes, her voice laced with false sweetness. "I promise, Joey won't hold your cheating against the child. Maybe he'll even grow to like him, and you can bring him home openly to raise him, especially since Joey lost his fertility..."

She stopped abruptly.

I turned my head, my gaze chillingly cold. "Go on, why did you stop?" I asked, my voice cutting through the silence. "Afraid everyone will know Joey is impotent, and it will embarrass him?"

Joey and Valerie's excessive intimacy, their weekly twenty-plus encounters, had long ago rendered him impotent. It was thanks to them that in seven years of marriage, we had never had a child of our own.

Seeing his deepest secret exposed once again, Joey could no longer contain his fury. "Willow Sterling, if you can't handle it, then leave! There's no need to use these things to provoke me!"

I looked at his familiar yet alien face and nodded calmly. "If you're breaking, you can choose to leave."

Joey froze for a split second, then doubled over with laughter. "Me? Break?" he roared. "I'll break over this pathetic mess? I love sleeping with Valerie, even if I'm impotent, I'd still do it!"

He paused, his eyes raking over me with disdain. "Unlike you... I wouldn't be interested even if you were naked."

Truthfully, I couldn't stand to be there a moment longer. Joey's nonchalant attitude truly made me sick to my stomach. He was the one who cheated first, but the way he spoke, it made it seem like I was the unreasonable one.

Seeing the situation spinning further out of control, Valerie quickly grabbed my arm, attempting to mollify me. "Sister Willow, it's just a small matter, no need to overreact," she said, her voice cloying. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a man as good as Joey. Give me a break; just overlook Joey's past mistakes. Men will be men, right? Don't you agree?"

I turned to her, a faint smile playing on my lips. "So, I should be magnanimous, forgive his affair, forgive him for having a child with you, forgive him for still pining for youis that it?"

She nodded, still smiling. "Exactly! What's a little indiscretion? For a happy life, you have to turn a blind eye. Just apologize to Joey, and this whole thing..."

I raised my hand and slapped her across the face, then pointed to the wedding ring on my finger. "You'd better get this straight: until I'm divorced, you are the other woman." My voice was a low, dangerous growl. "What right do you, a homewrecker, have to tell me what to do? My and Joey's private matters are none of your business."

The private room fell into a terrifying silence. Everyone was stunned by my sudden outburst.

The next second, a similarly crisp slap landed on my own face.

"Apologize to Valerie," Joey said, his voice cold and hard. "You can leave if you're upset, but you can't use violence to vent your anger. If you don't apologize today, I'll hire the best lawyer to sue you for marital infidelity, and you'll still walk away with nothing."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. I had loved this man for seven years, endured seven years of his infidelity. In the end, he had never once thought of apologizing to me. Instead, his sole focus was to make me leave with nothing. I had wanted to preserve some dignity for both of us, but he and Valerie had pushed me too far.

Since he wouldn't let me end things amicably, I had no choice but to flip the table.

"You say I cheated. Do you have proof?"

He sneered, pointing to everyone in the room. "You yourself admitted you have a seven-year-old son. Everyone heard it. What, now you want to deny it? Too late!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the classmates nodded in unison. "Willow, I know you're angry, but Joey's infidelity was at most emotional. You, however, had a physical affair. The fault lies with you."

"That's right, Willow. Just apologize to Joey. Don't let a game at a reunion ruin your entire life."

I ignored them and pulled out my phone, dialing my driver.

"Bring little Ethan to my room."

Then, I looked up, meeting everyone's gaze.

"I believe you've all forgotten one thing."

"I only said I have a son. I never said he was my biological child."

A chilling smile played on my lips. "Since you all believe I'm the one at fault, then today, I'm going to reveal all the long-buried secrets!"