Chapter 1

I had a movie date with my girlfriend. When I got to the theater, I saw her giggling and flirting with two foreign guys.

“Hey, beautiful. We’re street photographers. Would you like to participate in our kiss challenge?” one of them asked.

Hearing those words made my blood boil. I was about to rush over and stop this ridiculous game.

But then I saw my girlfriend blush and nod. She actually leaned in, her lips reaching for theirs.

“I’d love to!” she whispered.

1.

“Get your filthy hands off her!”

Seeing my girlfriend, Tatum, actively leaning in to kiss this stranger shattered my mind. I didn't hesitate. I rushed forward and landed a solid punch right on the guy's head.

The blonde man, who had been grinning a second ago, collapsed onto the floor.

His partner, a red-haired guy holding a phone, didn't look panicked at all. Instead, he pointed the camera directly at me.

His voice was dripping with mockery. “Sir, we’re just doing a simple street challenge.”

“This beautiful lady already agreed to our request,” he continued. “Please respect her wishes.”

Respect? I’ll give you respect!

I suppressed the urge to kill them. I grabbed Tatum’s arm and pulled her behind me. “This is my girlfriend. Get the hell out of here!”

The blonde guy I had knocked down slowly stood up. He wiped a smudge of blood from his lip and put on a pathetic, innocent act.

“Sir, are you really that insecure? It was just a kiss. I wasn't doing anything inappropriate.”

“You can't even handle that? You seem like a very small-minded man. Have you even considered how your girlfriend feels about your behavior?”

His partner burst out laughing, keeping the lens inches from my face. He wanted to capture every ounce of my rage for his followers.

My hands were shaking. I raised my fist again, but Tatum grabbed my arm, stopping me.

“Gideon, have you had enough?” she snapped.

“These guys just wanted to film a video with me. It’s a viral street challenge. Don't you know anything?”

“You’re such a provincial loser...” She looked at me with pure disgust before turning to apologize to the two men.

It felt like a block of ice had settled in my chest. She was my fiancée. We were supposed to walk down the aisle in a month.

And yet, she was telling me that kissing a stranger was no big deal?

“Tatum, do you even realize what you’re doing?” I took a deep breath, looking at her with a heavy heart. “Let’s just go. I don't want you getting caught up in this.”

The two guys laughed even louder. The blonde one stepped forward, draping a hairy arm over Tatum’s shoulder.

“Miss, it seems your boyfriend has some real anger issues,” he whispered.