My husband asked me to “lend” my sister for his reunion—just one night, he said.

He thought I was stupid. He thought I was so desperate to keep him happy that I’d agree to anything if he just promised me a nice dinner afterward.

And the worst part? He was probably right. He’d been training me to accept less since the day we met.

“I don’t know, Damen,” I said, and I watched his face change from charm to irritation in half a second. “It just feels weird. Why can’t you just tell them the truth?”

He pulled his hand back.
“Because I’ve been lying for ten years, Carissa. What am I supposed to say now? Hey guys, funny story—I actually married her boring older sister who works all the time. That’s humiliating.”

Boring. Older. Works all the time.