Secret Love

The movie had reached its c****x. Onscreen, the lead couple intertwined their fingers and swore they would love each other forever. The theater glowed dimly beneath the soft light from the screen, while couples all around us leaned close, kissing without restraint. The pair sitting directly in front of me was no exception. They held each other tightly, kissing slowly and deeply, completely lost in one another. Every sound of their breathing struck my nerves like a hammer. I felt as though someone had dumped ice water over me in the middle of winter. My entire body turned cold. Because the two people kissing in front of me were my wife, Ivy Dalton, and her brother, Finn Dalton. Today was our first wedding anniversary. It also happened to be Valentine's Day. I had been preparing this surprise for Ivy for over a month, wanting to give her a night she would never forget. I rearranged my entire work schedule. I bought the diamond necklace she had admired for months. I ordered her favorite Juliet roses and lisianthus. I even reserved a candlelit dinner at the most exclusive restaurant in the city. This movie had been part of the plan too. I bought the tickets ahead of time, then deliberately lied the day before and told her work had suddenly come up. I asked her to invite a friend instead. She got angry immediately. She hung up on me and blocked my number. But Ivy had always been spoiled. Even after we got married, I still treated her like a princess. Her little temper tantrums had always felt harmless to me, almost cute in a way. I assumed she would invite one of her girlfriends. I even contacted a few of them beforehand to make sure they kept tonight's surprise a secret. Only a few minutes before the movie started did I learn that she had come with Finn instead. At the time, I didn't think much of it. The two of them had always been unusually close. I never imagined that tonight would destroy everything. I had rehearsed every detail of this anniversary in my head countless times, terrified something might go wrong. But in the end, the entire thing collapsed before it had even truly begun. After what felt like forever, they finally pulled apart from that long kiss. Then I heard Ivy speak softly. "Do you remember what today is?" she asked. "It's the anniversary of the first time I confessed to you." A brief silence followed. Then her voice lowered even further. "Finn, I was brave enough to choose you first." Her fingers tightened around him. "Are you brave enough for me? Take one step toward me, and I'll walk the rest of the way myself."