Novels by Janessa_id

The next day, I was ready. The words kept looping in my head like a prayer.I must destroy Seraphina. No one messes with me and walks away.I showered, dressed, and headed out. The morning air felt different. Sharper. Like the world knew something was about to shift.That's when I saw it. A sleek storefront halfway down the block. The sign read "Vivienne Beauty Hub" in elegant gold letters.I stopped. Stared at my reflection in the glass. If I was going to do this, I needed to look the part.I pushed the door open. The bell chimed.A woman glanced up from behind the counter, her eyes sweeping over me once. She smiled, slow and knowing."Looking for a transformation?"I met her gaze. "Something like that.” The stylist's name was Vivienne and she looked at me like I was a project.Not a person. A project."We need to change everything," she said, circling me in her studio. "The hair. The posture. The way you hold your shoulders like you're apologizing for taking up space.""I don't..."

I watched the video seventeen times before I could move.Seventeen times watching Aiden hand Seraphina that black packet. Seventeen times seeing her smile. Seventeen times watching him walk away like they'd just sealed some invisible pact.My apartment felt too small. The walls pressed in. Every breath hurts.Mara sat across from me, silent. What could she say? We'd both seen it. The evidence was right there, glowing on my laptop screen like an accusation."I need to show him," I finally said."Elara...""He needs to see this. He needs to explain.""What if he can't?" Mara's voice was gentle. "What if there's no explanation that makes this okay?"I didn't answer. I was already grabbing my keys....Aiden lived in a penthouse in Tribeca. Glass and steel and minimalist furniture that cost more than most people's cars. I'd spent countless nights there, curled up on his obscenely expensive couch, planning our future.Now I stood in the lobby, shaking, while the doorman called up."Ms. Si

I left.Straight home. Didn't tell anyone. Not even him. The door closed behind me and I went straight to my bed, bypassing the kitchen, the light switch, everything. My body sank into the mattress.But my eyes...they stayed open.Staring at the ceiling. Waiting for sleep that wouldn't come.How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Seraphina's smile. That whisper. “You were never the only one I planned for.”By sunrise, my phone had exploded.Literally. The battery died from the constant notifications. I plugged it in and watched it come back to life like a monster resurrecting. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Messages flooding in faster than I could breathe.The first headline hit me like a brick.“Tech Mogul Aiden Cross Ditches Fiancée For Heiress At Own Engagement Party.”Below it, a photo. Aiden carrying Seraphina. Her head on his shoulder. His face twisted with concern. And me... tiny in the background, blurred, forgettable.I scrolled.#EngagementFail trending worldwide.Various source

The video had eight million views by the time my taxi hit Fifth Avenue.Eight million people watching my fiancé carry another woman out of our engagement party. Eight million witnesses to the exact moment my life split in half.My phone wouldn't stop buzzing. It felt like holding a live wire.“OMG is this real???”“I KNEW something was going on between them…”“That poor girl in the background... is that the fiancée???”“Seraphina and Aiden have ALWAYS had chemistry. Everyone knows it.”“Gold digger got what she deserved lol”I wanted to throw the phone out the window. Watch it shatter on the pavement like Seraphina's champagne glass. Instead, I gripped it harder, my knuckles white against the screen's glow."Lady, you okay back there?" The taxi driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror."Mount Sinai," I said. My voice sounded like gravel. "Fast."He hit the gas.The city blurred past... neon signs and street lamps and people laughing on corners who had no idea the world could end in

The chandeliers were applause; Aiden was the storm, and my life folded like napkin linen under his hands.I stood beneath the crystal cascade, every facet throwing light across my custom champagne gown like a thousand tiny cameras. The ring on my finger caught fire with each movement... a three carat promise that weighed more than I'd ever imagined. Around me, silk brushed against tuxedo wool. Laughter bubbled through the air like the Dom Pérignon being poured into coupes that cost more than my first car."You look like you might faint," my best friend Mara whispered, squeezing my elbow. Her perfume... jasmine and something expensive... wrapped around us both."I'm just...""Happy. Say you're happy." She grinned, but her eyes searched for mine.My mother appeared at my other side, her fingers cool as she smoothed the cuff of my sleeve. "Stand straight, darling. The photographer from Vogue is here."I straightened. Smiled. Let the moment wash over me like warm water.This was it. This