Steven laughed loudly, regaling his buddies with tales of his week-long resort fling with his mistress…

The guys sat around, catching up on life—families, jobs, where they’d ended up. They reminisced about their wild college days. Though only a few years had passed, adulthood had turned those carefree teens into grown men.

Sarah didn’t insert herself into their conversations, but they invited her to join them at the table. She wasn’t a stranger—she was Mike’s sister, and she’d put out an impressive spread. In the dim evening light, her self-consciousness and slightly swollen lip went unnoticed. One guest, the perpetual goofball and charmer Steven, kept flirting with Sarah.

He’d pile food on her plate or offer to pour her another glass of wine. The others didn’t bat an eye at Steven’s attention. He was a notorious ladies’ man, always chasing skirts.

He was also the only bachelor in the group. Mike watched his sister, clearly smitten with Steven’s charm, and didn’t know what to do. He knew Steven too well.

On one hand, this was the first guy to ever show Sarah attention. On the other, Steven’s reputation as a player was the stuff of local legend, rivaling the wildest tales of Casanova. When Sarah stepped into the kitchen to grab more coleslaw, Mike followed.

“Sarah, listen, don’t get too caught up with Steven. You remember his stories from the girls’ dorms, right? A leopard doesn’t change its spots. He’ll love you and leave you.” “I know, Mikey,” she replied calmly.

“You think I forgot your stories about his escapades? But I’ve never even had this. Let me have it, even if it’s just for a little while. I know it won’t last.”

Her tone made it clear she’d made up her mind and was ready for the inevitable heartbreak. But Steven surprised everyone. Maybe out of respect for Mike, or maybe for some other reason, he didn’t try to sweet-talk Sarah into a quick fling. The next day, he kept up the gentlemanly act, still not making any bold moves.

A couple of days later, he showed up with a bouquet of wildflowers, some still with roots from a nearby garden bed. He asked Sarah to the movies. They went to an art exhibit, took a walk in the park after work.

Steven played it cool, never rushing things. After a month, he decided he’d laid enough groundwork. He proposed.

It shocked everyone, especially Sarah. No one expected Steven to settle down, let alone with her. He usually went for model-like women, not a plain girl with unruly curls framing a round face. Sarah knew she wasn’t his type and sensed no real passion in his eyes.

She chalked it up to sudden shyness or nerves. Mike was stunned too. He drove back to town to confront his friend.

Flirting with his sister was one thing—they could break up and move on. But marriage? That was serious. You don’t just walk away from that. Mike was certain Steven would ditch her eventually.

But Steven was adamant. “I’m marrying her, end of story.” He said he was ready to settle down, that he’d been searching for a homemaker like Sarah his whole life.

That’s why he’d been running around with other women, he claimed. Mike wasn’t fully convinced, but the wedding went ahead. Sarah glowed in a simple white dress and veil, her curls untamed.

Mike, in his toast, half-jokingly threatened to break Steven’s legs if he hurt her, then blessed the couple. Sarah was shy about kissing in public when the guests shouted for it. Steven didn’t push, just pecking her cheek.

Everyone laughed and teased, making Sarah blush harder. She stepped outside for some air, overhearing guests marvel that even “someone like her” found a husband. It stung at first.

But then she thought, I won. All those prettier girls were left behind, and Steven chose her. She was better than them all. Proud and happy, Sarah returned to her groom.

Their wedding night was a letdown. Steven just slept. The next night, same thing…