1. MY BOYFRIEND'S ENGAGEMENT TO MY STEPSISTER

ARIA'S POV

Some people get to see their world fall apart slowly. They have time to get ready for the crash. I didn't get that chance.

My life didn’t fall apart slowly. It collapsed in one night.

The night my boyfriend announced his engagement to my stepsister.

And somehow…

I was the only one who didn’t see it coming.

☆~☆ FOUR YEARS AGO ☆~☆

The ballroom was suffocating. The air felt thick with the heavy scent of expensive perfume and champagne. All around me, crystal glasses clinked in a deafening rhythm.

People were moving from group to group, smiling tightly while their eyes were subtly judging everyone. I could hear them whispering to each other comparing who had the expensive clothes, whose handbag cost more than a car, who looked out of place.

These people are fucking deadly than parasites.

For once, I was just glad I wasn't wearing my usual oversized sweats and a baggy t-shirt.

I looked down at my dress running my hands over the deep purple fabric. It was a strapless gown that I had spent the past two months designing and sewing myself with the help of my friend, Daisy.

The rich, royal shade made my skin look warm, and the tight bodice hugged my B-cups perfectly, lifting them just enough to look elegant without spilling out of the fabric.

Purple is always my color. I mean who doesn't like purple.

It's bold, rich, and full of hope. It was also the color of royalty and tonight, I wanted to feel like one.

I used to wear purple every day. I had every shade of purple in my closet from bags to dresses to shoes any accessory in purple.

I'd chosen it specifically for the big announcement I knew was coming. Jamie hadn't told me directly. I knew he wanted to surprise me.

I had spent the last two months pretending not to notice his secret plans. It was so fucking harrd pretending not to see what he was doing. Just thinking about the diamond ring receipt I had accidentally found in his drawer made me feel warm and giddy.

My eyes scanned the crowd, searching for him, and easily found my man right at the center of the room.

My Jamie.

The boy who used to hold my small hands in the dirt behind my childhood home, whispering, “I’m gonna marry you when we grow up, Ri. Just wait.”

Now, he was surrounded by dozens of wealthy investors and executives. That was what happened when your modeling and acting career exploded overnight. He deserved every bit of it, though.

Jamie worked harder than anyone I knew, especially since he was carrying the weight of his entire family on his shoulders. He’d been trying to pull them back into the high society status they lost after his father's gambling addiction bankrupted them.

My Jamie had always been the responsible, swearing he would never follow in his father's footsteps. Even though I didn't always approve of some of the friends he kept.

One particular face flashed across my mind. I hadn't spotted him in the crowd yet, but I knew he was around somewhere.

He was probably tucked away in a corner of the hall, charming a group of socialites and flirting as usual.

I shook my head to clear the thought. I needed to focus on the present.

Jamie looked amazing. The bright stage lights caught the golden strands of his blonde hair, making him look almost dreamlike. His broad shoulders filled out his black tailored suit perfectly and the way he carried himself with an effortless, magnetic grace made my swooning totally called for.

My smile faltered slightly as my eyes drifted to his tie. It wasn't the silk purple one I had bought him for tonight.

He was wearing red. A sharp, fiery crimson.

My gaze shifted to the woman standing right next to him.

Lora?

She was wearing a backless silk gown in the same shade of crimson. The dress clung tightly to every single curve of her body, dipping dangerously low at her exposed waist before pooling around her feet like spilled wine.

She looked beautiful and innocent as always. In front of cameras.

They stood so close their shoulders brushed, perfectly matching. I watched as they laughed and nodded, answering questions from the crowd together.

That should be you up there, a painful voice whispered in the back of my mind.

"Everyone, quiet down for a second," Jamie’s voice boomed through the microphone.

Watching him step up to the small stage, completely confident and commanding the room, made my stomach do a nervous, happy flip.

"I have an announcement to make." he continued, his smile widening.

"My success over the years weren't just mine alone. It happened because I had a strong woman standing right behind me through the hardest and toughest days. She was my light when I wanted to quit, when I was too tired, too overwhelmed by every fucking thing in my life. She is my sunshine. She is the love of my life."

My breath got stuck in my throat.

This was it. It is finally happening.

My heart was beating fast against my ribs, I was certain the person next to me could hear it. After nearly ten years of keeping us a secret to protect his rising career, the world would finally know the truth.

No more keeping my distance. No more watching other models try to flirt with what was mine.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Jamie said, his voice dropping into a deeper, more intimate tone. "Permit me to formally introduce you to my beloved fiancée..."

My lips parted, a soft smile already forming on my face. I was already walking forward toward the stage when...

"...Lora. Lora Addison."

My smile froze. So did my legs.

The words didn't just catch me off guard; they ripped the heavy red carpet straight out from under my feet.

What? My mind went boom, entirely blank.

Is this... Could this be some kind of joke?

The air left my lungs in a painful gasp. I couldn't breathe. The entire ballroom seemed to move around me, and my knees trembled so badly I nearly stumbled in my gold heels.

I forced my gaze upward, terrified of what I was about to see, my face tightening into an agonizing mask as my eyes dragged toward the stage.

Jamie was publicly engaged…

Not to me. To someone else.

To Lora. My stepsister.

The one person he knew would hurt me the most.