Novels by My Masterpiece

Aria’s POVThe recorder felt heavier than it looked.Brianna placed it between us like a loaded weapon, her fingers lingering for half a second before she pulled her hand away. The room seemed to shrink around it. The faint hum of the air conditioner, the distant city noise below, even my own breathing suddenly felt too loud.Julian did not touch it.He watched it the way a man watches fire—aware of its power, wary of how easily it could consume everything around it.“If we use this,” he said slowly, “we do not get a second chance.”Brianna nodded. Her face was pale, but her eyes were steady. “I know.”My chest tightened. “What exactly is on it?”She swallowed. “Ethan talking. Planning. Threatening. Naming people. Timelines. How to control the court. How to turn you into leverage.” Her gaze flicked to my stomach before returning to my face. “He talks about your pregnancy.”My hand moved instinctively over my belly.Julian’s jaw tightened, but his voice stayed calm. “Then this is not s

Aria’s POVThe hotel room was quiet, too quiet, as if the walls were listening. Brianna sat across from me on the couch, her hands trembling slightly as she held her cup of water. She looked smaller than she had in the courtroom, softer, almost fragile. The light caught her face, and for the first time, I noticed fear etched into every line.“Aria,” she whispered, her voice unsteady. “I need to tell you something… everything.”My breath tightened. “Take your time.”Her fingers tightened around the cup. “You do not understand. I was not just taken today. I have been trapped for years—long before you ever knew Ethan.”I felt the words sink into me like slow, sinking stones. She kept her eyes fixed on her knees, as if she was gathering courage from the pattern of the carpet.“Brianna,” I said gently, “what happened?”She lifted her head. Her eyes glistened, and then the memories spilled out.---FLASHBACK — Brianna, Months Before the DivorceIt started in the Langston mansion. Ethan on t

Aria’s POVThe day had begun with triumph—a courtroom exposed lies, Vanessa’s forged evidence discredited, Brianna’s sudden revelation turning the tide in our favor. I should have felt relief, a quiet pride. Instead, a chill had settled in my chest, a warning I could not shake.It arrived as a phone call, shrill and urgent. Emily’s voice trembled through the line.“Aria… Brianna…” she swallowed, catching her breath. “She is… gone. She has been taken.”The words struck like ice. I froze in place, my stomach twisting, my mind screaming, but no sound escaped my lips. Julian’s hand was on mine instantly, his grip firm, steadying, though his own face betrayed nothing. He had perfected the calm mask, and now it felt brittle under the weight of the news.“What do you mean gone?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Where? How?”Emily took a trembling breath. “She was leaving the courthouse. Her car… someone forced her inside. They were fast—no witnesses, no trace. Security is still combing

Aria's POVThe courtroom smelled of polished wood, tense anticipation, and something faintly metallic that made my stomach twist. I stood at the back, clutching my notes, feeling the weight of every camera lens pointed toward me, every whisper of reporters scribbling at the benches. Julian’s hand found mine, strong and steady, grounding me as if our connection could shield me from the storm about to hit.I could feel Ethan’s presence before I even saw him. The smug tilt of his head, the cool confidence that had once broken me into invisible pieces, now churned something in my chest that was equal parts fear and defiance. He had been rehearsing this day for weeks, I knew it. Every smirk, every glare, every carefully calculated movement. He believed he could destroy me, or worse, twist reality until even Julian began to doubt me.The judge called the court to order. The sound of the gavel echoed through the room like a warning bell, and a hush fell over the spectators. Julian squeezed m

Aria’s POVThe courthouse summons sat on the dresser like a live grenade.I had moved it three times already—first to the nightstand, then to a drawer, now here—each time hoping distance would make it vanish. It never did.Outside, the city looked deceptively calm. Taxis crawled past Central Park; sunlight glinted on windows; people carried coffee and ambitions as if no one’s world was burning.Emily found me staring at the paper. She didn’t knock anymore.“You haven’t eaten,” she said.“I can’t.”“You have to,” she replied gently, setting a tray down beside me. “Low blood sugar isn’t a strategy.”I smiled weakly. “You should’ve been a therapist.”“I am,” she said, pulling up a chair. “Just unpaid.”We sat in silence while she poured tea. When she finally spoke again, her voice was soft. “The hearing’s in three days. We need to get you ready—for the lawyers, the press, for him.”At the mention of him, my throat closed.Emily leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “Aria, you’ve survived

Aria’s POVMorning light had never felt so cruel. It cut through the curtains like shards of glass, spilling across the floor where last night’s newspapers lay in ruins.Julian hadn’t come to bed. His side was cold, untouched. I found him hours later in the study, sitting in the dark, the glow of the TV painting his face in harsh blues.He didn’t need to say a word. The headline on-screen said it all:“EXCLUSIVE: Ethan Langston Claims Fatherhood Live on National Television.”The footage played again—Ethan seated in a sleek studio, perfectly groomed, his expression solemn. “It’s time I tell the truth,” he’d said, hand pressed to his chest like a martyr. “I made mistakes, but the child Aria carries is mine. And I will love that baby regardless of what Julian Huxley’s money or lawyers say.”My stomach turned.Julian muted the screen, his voice low and rough. “He just declared war.”I sank into the chair opposite him, hands trembling. “The world believes him, doesn’t it?”He didn’t answer