Novels by Vivian Blackwood

HE HAD LEFT I stood outside the door, still boiling. I banged on it again, harder this time. “Open up, Daniel!!”My fist hit the wood over and over, the sound echoing down the hallway, sharp and ugly. My chest rose and fell too fast, breath tearing in and out of me like I’d just run for my life. My hands were trembling, rage shaking them, not fear. Not yet. Then I heard it.The ding of the elevator. I froze. Footsteps followed, measured, professional.I stopped banging, my fist hovering in the air as if it didn’t know what to do without anger to guide it. I swallowed hard, my throat burning. My heart was still slamming violently against my ribs, refusing to calm down. A hotel staff member walked toward me, his expression already cautious, already assessing. “Madam,” he said gently, but firmly, “is there a problem?”I turned slowly to face him.My face felt hot. My eyes burned. I knew I looked wild, hair disheveled, hoodie crooked, one foot bare, my chest still rising like I was about

INSIDE THE ROOM I kept going, Door after door, Knock, Pause, Silence, Knock again. “Room service.” Nothing. It didn’t feel like a full house at all. Too many quiet rooms. Too many unanswered doors. My footsteps echoed back at me, soft but accusatory, like the hallway itself was watching.I moved down the corridor slowly, repeating the same line, the same knock, the same practiced calm I didn’t feel. “Room service.” Nothing.Each door that stayed closed tightened something in my chest. With every step, the possibilities narrowed. Until there was only one door left. The last one.My heart sank so suddenly it felt like my body finally caught up with what my mind already knew. This was it. I stopped in front of the door and just stood there. The hallway lights hummed faintly above, casting a warm glow that made everything feel unreal, staged, like a scene I could still walk away from if I wanted to.I didn’t.I reached up and slowly pulled off my face cap. My fingers trembled as cool ai

IN THE HALLWAY I stayed still, pressed into the shadow near the pillar, my cap pulled lower, my heartbeat loud enough that I was sure the marble floor could hear it.Then the doors swung open. A group of girls spilled into the lobby at once, laughing, loud, glittering. They were dressed like they’d stepped straight out of a costume party. Corsets. Sequins. Feathers. One of them wore angel wings that brushed the glass doors. Another had a mask pushed up into her hair. They crowded the reception desk completely, voices overlapping, hands waving, phones flashing, blocking every clear line of sight.The receptionist disappeared behind their noise.My breath caught. This was my chance. I didn’t think. I moved. I slipped away from the glow of the reception lights and pushed through the emergency door at the far end of the hall. It gave a low, heavy click that sounded far too loud in my ears. For half a second I froze, waiting for an alarm.Nothing. The stairwell swallowed me whole. It smel

WATCHING THEM DISAPPEAR My phone rang, For a split second, I didn’t move. I just stared ahead, my eyes still locked on Daniel and her through the glass, my fingers frozen around the phone as it vibrated again in my palm. I didn’t want to answer. Not now. Not when my insides were already burning, twisted tight with rage, jealousy, and something far uglier.But I picked up.“Hello?” My voice sounded steadier than I felt.“What did you mean by the text you sent me?” Clara asked immediately. No greeting. No softness. Just suspicion wrapped in control.I inhaled deeply, slowly, my chest rising as my gaze refused to leave them. Daniel laughed at something the woman said. His hand slid down again, possessive, familiar. My jaw clenched.“Do you want in or not, Clara?” I snapped, the words spilling out sharper than I intended. Fury simmered beneath them, fed by the sight of his hand landing on her ass again, casual and confident, like it belonged there.There was a pause on the line.“It soun

BOOKING A ROOM I stayed.Long after my water turned warm. Long after my hands stopped trembling.I watched them finish eating like it was something I owed myself, to see it through, to punish myself with every second. Daniel stood first, pushing his chair back with that familiar ease, the one that always made him look taller, broader, unavoidable. He reached for her hand, and she rose with a softness that felt rehearsed, like she had practiced how to look delicate beside a man like him. That was when I noticed it.The wine. The glass I’d tried to see earlier, the one hidden behind his broad shoulders, finally caught the light as he stepped aside. Red. Expensive. Barely touched. My stomach twisted. Of course. Daniel didn’t drink wine like that unless it was a night meant to stretch, meant to linger.His hand slid to her waist.Slow. Confident. It rested there like it belonged, his thumb pressing slightly into the curve of her body as he guided her toward the door. My chest tightened pai

SHE WALKED INI swallowed hard and forced my gaze back to my glass. The water level had dropped halfway. My reflection stared back at me, distorted, unsteady. I barely recognized the woman looking up at me, eyes too alert, shoulders too tense, lips pressed together like they were holding secrets.I rested my elbow on the table and pressed my fingers briefly to my temple. Get it together, Emma. I took one more careful sip, slower now, deliberate. The panic didn’t disappear, but it dulled, retreating just enough for me to think clearly. I wasn’t fainting tonight. A woman walked in then.I noticed her immediately, too immediately, like my body reacted before my mind could stop it. She moved with the kind of confidence that demanded attention, heels clicking softly against the floor as if the room had shifted to make space for her. Her legs were long and slender, smooth, catching the warm restaurant light with every step. The dress she wore dipped into a deep V, her breasts unapologetical