After 99 times of love pranks, I pretended to die but he went crazy
I played the role of Ethan Parker’s girlfriend
for three years, only to discover I’d fallen for
him.
Right when I was about to tell him I was pregnant, I overheard Brittany, this girl who’d always given me a hard time, talking to him.
“Ethan, thanks for faking amnesia to help me
get back at Olivia,” she said.
“One hundred pranks, and I’ll go out with
you.”
My world shattered.
<
I was just a pawn in his game to win over
Brittany, his unrequited love.
I died in a staged plane crash.
Ethan frantically searched the wreckage,
finding only a ring inscribed with: “Prank 100:
I bet you love me.”
They said he cried until he collapsed, waking
up in the hospital consumed by rage against
everyone involved in the pranks.
Meanwhile, I burned my fake death certificate
in the French Alps, a small smile playing on
my lips.
He faked amnesia to play with my heart; I
faked my death to teach him a lesson.
<
Brittany’s voice, dripping with saccharine,
floated through the wall. “Ethan, prank 96,
success!”
Ethan’s voice held an unfamiliar edge.
“Having fun, Brittany?”
“Getting back at Olivia for stealing your
scholarship and that game design award.
Duh,” one of Ethan’s buddies chimed in.
“Just four more, Brittany, and Ethan’s all
yours!” another one shouted.
My blood ran cold.
“Ethan’s a genius. Who would’ve thought of
faking amnesia to mess with Olivia?”
く
“That time we made her search for her
bracelet in the pouring rain…priceless! And
then he gave it to Brittany!”
My mom’s jade bracelet, the one she gave me
on her deathbed. The one Ethan “lost” when
he moved. I searched for seven hours in the
downpour, ending up with a 104–degree
fever.
“And remember her thesis defense? Ethan
told her he got jumped at a bar.”
They roared with laughter. “She ran to the
bar, found nothing, and ended up begging her professor not to fail her! We got it all on
video.”
I bit my lip hard.
<
I’d missed my thesis defense, a project I’d
poured six months into, all for nothing. I
ended up having to postpone graduation.
Brittany giggled. “And that time he folded her
game design, the one she’d slaved over for
three nights straight, into a paper airplane.
She was like a stray dog, picking up the
pieces all night.”
“So, what’s the plan for this one?” Ethan
asked.
“Tell her he’s in the hospital, tell her to rush
over, then we all go party and leave her
hanging!”
My phone buzzed. Ethan: “City Hospital, ER.
Come quickly.”
<
I slipped away before they heard me.
Two minutes later, he retracted the message.
A pang of guilt, perhaps?
I played along, pretending I never saw it.
I already knew.
I’d accidentally found a hidden folder on his
phone labeled “Game Progress,” filled with 96
videos.
One for each prank.
The password? Brittany’s birthday, 12/24.
The day he claimed he first met me.
Г
The day I waited for him in the snow for three
hours on Christmas Eve while he was at
Brittany’s birthday party, putting a crown on
her head.
He’d wrapped a scarf around my neck that
night, so tender, so caring.
A wave of nausea washed over me. I opened
his meticulously kept chat log with Brittany.
“Told her I was working late. Took you to
Disneyland. She waited until 3 am.”
“Told her her competition time was two hours
later. She ran out in her pajamas. Hilarious!”
The last entry? The night of our class reunion. Brittany “accidentally” spilled scalding coffee
on me. Ethan shielded me instantly.
く
on me. Ethan shielded me instantly.
But the chat log read: “Disgusted even to
touch her. Used three bottles of sanitizer.”
I called my dad. Told him I wanted to join him
in Paris.
He’d moved there five years ago, after Mom
died. He wanted me to come, to study
abroad. I refused, stayed for Ethan.
I’d thought I could melt his icy heart. I forgot
that melted ice leaves only bone–chilling cold.
“My sweet girl,” Dad said, his voice filled with
relief. “You finally figured it out.”
“Yeah,” I choked out, tears welling.
く
“Dad,” I said, “when I leave, I need you to
stage a plane crash.”
He didn’t understand, but he agreed.
A plane crash. My final gift to Ethan Parker.
I deleted every photo of us. Packing, I found a leather–bound journal that slipped from
Ethan’s safe. Embossed on the cover was the
phoenix logo from my game, Ashes of the Realm – the initial design I’d spent 36
sleepless nights perfecting.
Ethan had printed it, filled the book with my
design drafts, meticulously collected, wishing
me success.
Page seven. A photo of me, glasses perched
on my nose, coding. A sticky note beside it:
“She called the developers ‘frazzled cats‘
today. Her revised plan is ten times better.
Such an adorable genius.”
He’d been there, those nights I pulled all-
nighters. Massaging my shoulders, cooking
me ramen. He’d run out at 3 am for cake
because I’d mentioned craving it. He’d
remembered my period, always having hot
ginger tea and heating pads ready.
This “love prank“? He was falling for it, too.
The last page held a crumpled plane ticket
stub from last Valentine’s Day. His
handwriting filled the margins: “If I had to
choose again, I’d still pretend to lose this
ticket, trick her into staying up all night with
me to revise the proposal. Brittany wanted
this. Prank 72.”
く
ticket, trick her into staying up all night with
me to revise the proposal. Brittany wanted
this. Prank 72.”
Rain lashed against the windowpane. All that
love, built on a lie. He might have cared, but
he cared more for Brittany. I was just a tool.
I scheduled an abortion.
That night, Ethan came home, the scent of
winter clinging to him. I pretended to sleep.
He paused. I hadn’t reacted to the prank. He
must’ve lost face in front of Brittany and his
friends. Why wasn’t he pushing it?
The mattress dipped. Strong arms wrapped
around me.
୮
He nuzzled his face against my neck, his
breath warm against my skin. “We’re having a baby, Livvy Moon.”
Livvy Moon. His nickname for me. Like the
moon, shining only for him. Close to my real
name, Olivia. But I knew he called me
“pretentious” behind my back. Livvy Moon
was a joke. Another way to make a fool of
- me. To watch me fall, to watch my carefully
constructed world crumble into lovesick
mush.
I stayed silent. He didn’t know about the
abortion.
He pulled out my pregnancy test, three little
hearts drawn on it in pen. My pen. The
Montblanc I’d bought him with my first
pavebook The one be carried.
بيمصص
r
I didn’t respond. He hugged me tighter,
whispering sweet nothings. My heart
remained frozen.
“I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”
He went quiet, obedient. “Tomorrow, we’re
going to Brittany’s birthday party,” he
murmured before drifting off.
I lay awake all night.
He built a game of amnesia; I gave him three
years of my heart.
I’d stage a death, and he’d spend the rest of
his life regretting it.
At the party, Ethan’s friends surrounded me,
<
shoving the biggest slice of cake in my face.
“Ethan says he loves watching you eat
sweets.”
Ethan looked away, feigning disinterest.
The cake tasted bitter. My stomach churned.
Brittany pushed the cake closer. “Olivia, don’t
be rude. It’s my birthday! Unless…you’re
nauseated by me?”
A sharp pain ripped through my abdomen.
They laughed, reveling in my discomfort.
I stumbled to the bathroom, violently ill. Their laughter echoed through the door. Another
successful prank.
“Still have that stomach bug?” Ethan offered me a glass of water with mint leaves, an old remedy he’d taught me when we first met.
I couldn’t answer. The pain intensified, needles stabbing at my insides.
I looked down. Blood. So much blood.
“Take me to the hospital,” I whispered, clutching his arm.
Brittany blocked the door, giggling. “It’s just
spotting. Totally normal. Don’t overreact,
Ethan.”
“Get out of the way!” Ethan roared.
The first time he’d ever challenged her.
J
I woke up to Brittany’s whiny voice outside
the room. “Too much of the…you know…
stuff? Wasn’t it just supposed to be
embarrassing?”
One of the guys laughed. “Getting rid of that
little bastard’s a bonus. Ethan should be
thanking us.”
“Yeah. Three years is enough. What if she’d
kept it? How would he ditch her then?”
Ethan’s voice, low and strained. “Pranks are
pranks. You don’t mess with her health.”
Brittany’s voice, shocked, then angry. “Who was it that said he’d help me ‘teach that nerd
a lesson‘? Who wanted to humiliate her as my
birthday gift? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for
A long silence. Then, “Never. You know I love
you.”
Laughter erupted again.
Prank 98: Complete. They were already
plotting number 99.
I touched my now–flat stomach. The dull ache lingered. We were just part of their sick game, a birthday present for Brittany.
I cancelled the abortion. There was no need.
The baby’s father had already made the
decision.
I was about to call my dad when Ethan
walked in. I feigned sleep.
く
His voice, thick with guilt, brushed against my
ear. “Olivia, I’m so sorry…
The reason went unspoken.
When I was discharged, Ethan said his friends
and Brittany wanted to apologize. They
invited me to hike up Cheaha Mountain. There
was a temple at the top, a place to pray for
our lost child.
I knew it was probably another prank. But the
thought of the baby…
This would be my goodbye.
They fawned over Brittany, ignoring me.
At the prayer tree, Ethan bought a wooden
く
together.
Brittany smiled sweetly. “You’re such a good
mom, Olivia.”
I ignored her fake sympathy.
The tree was crowded. I had to lean over the
railing to hang the plaque. Someone shoved
me hard from behind.
“Aaah!”
