LOGIN“I didn’t do anything to you, Sophia,” Ava said, her voice rising, a flash of her own pain breaking through. “This wasn’t some plan. It was… it was unexpected. We didn’t mean for you to find out like this.”“Unexpected?” Sophia’s laugh was a harsh, broken sound. “You call kissing my brother unexpected? While I’m upstairs, setting up your birthday cake?”Her words hit Ava like a physical blow. The cake. The party. Her birthday. All of it tainted, ruined.“Sophia, please listen,” Ava pleaded, her voice cracking. “We… we didn’t know how to tell you. We were scared.”“Scared?” Sophia’s eyes blazed. “Scared of what? That I’d be happy for you? That I’d understand? Or scared that I’d be disgusted that my best friend and my brother were sneaking around behind my back?”The word ‘disgusted’ hung in the air, a poisonous cloud. Ava felt her face flush, tears blurring her vision.“Sophia, you’re being unfair,” Luke said, stepping closer, his voice calm but firm. “They’re clearly upset.
The image filled the display: Ava and Mason, locked in a kiss, the soft glow of her bedroom lamp illuminating their intertwined forms. It was clear, undeniable. Her heart plummeted. Below the picture, stark white text burned into her vision:“So our good girl Ava isn’t really who she is. Does this mean she’s having a secret affair with Mason, her best friend’s brother, or is it just the influence of the alcohol from this party?”The words twisted in her gut, venomous and cruel. “Best friend’s brother.”The anonymous sender knew. Knew everything.“No,” Ava whispered, the sound barely audible above the ringing in her ears. Her fingers trembled, reaching for Mason’s phone, but then recoiled. The image seared itself into her mind.A girl near them, her face pale, stared at Ava. “Ava is this real?”Ava didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her throat felt tight, constricted. The party, once a vibrant tapestry, had unraveled into a tangled mess of whispers and stares.“Mason ” she breathed, h
His eyes searched hers, a silent battle raging within him. The desire to protect her, to confront the threat, warred with the desperate plea in her gaze. Slowly, painstakingly, the anger in his shoulders began to ease, replaced by a heavy resignation.“Together,” Mason finally conceded, his voice a strained whisper. He took her hands in his, squeezing them tightly. “But Ava, this isn’t going away. This changes everything.”Ava nodded, a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill. She knew. In that single, blinding flash, their world had shifted, irrevocably. The stolen kiss, meant to be a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, had become a ticking time bomb. The secret, the thrilling, dangerous secret, was now exposed, a vulnerability waiting to be exploited.“I know,” Ava breathed, her voice choked with emotion. She looked at him, really looked at him, the man who had just stolen her heart and now shared her deepest fear. “But we’ll face it. Whatever it is. We have to.”The distant t
The sharp, unnatural burst of light, accompanied by a faint, almost inaudible click, ripped through the intimate bubble they had created. Ava’s eyes snapped open, wide with shock, her body recoiling instinctively. She pulled away from Mason, a cold dread seizing her.Her gaze darted towards the window, where the flash had originated. A dark, fleeting shadow, small and quick, darted away from the sill, disappearing into the night. It was too fast, too indistinct to properly identify, but the message was clear. Someone had been there. Someone had seen them. Someone had captured them.Panic, cold and sharp, clawed its way up Ava’s throat. Her breath hitched, ragged and shallow. Her fingers flew to her lips, still tingling from Mason’s kiss, as if to wipe away the evidence.“What was that?” Mason’s voice was strained, his eyes narrowed, scanning the window, then the door, a protective instinct already rising within him. He stood up, his body tensing, radiating an immediate concern.
The party swelled, a vibrant tapestry of laughter, music, and conversation. Sophia, ever the hostess, navigated the crowd with practiced ease, refilling drinks, directing traffic to the overflowing dessert table. Taylor, leaning against a doorframe, observed the scene with a detached amusement, her eyes occasionally sweeping over the faces, a subtle watchfulness in their depths.Later, as the night deepened and the party’s energy began to mellow, Ava found herself drawn to Mason, their conversations a quiet eddy in the boisterous stream. They spoke of small things ,a shared memory from childhood, a funny anecdote from class, a future dream. Each word, each shared glance, felt like a secret, a delicate thread weaving them closer.“I think,” Mason said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone, “we could use a moment of peace. And maybe a quieter spot for this.” He gestured to the small, silver box still clutched in Ava’s hand.Ava’s pulse quickened. “My room is probably the o
She walked over to her desk, pulling out a pristine notebook and a sleek silver pen. Her fingers, usually adorned with glittering rings, now clenched tight around the pen. She began to write, her script sharp and precise, each stroke a deliberate act of vengeance.Her mind raced, weaving a complex web of schemes. Ava and her friends. They thought they were so clever. So united. But every chain had a weak link. Every friendship had a fracture. She would find them. She would exploit them.“Sophia,” she murmured, a name like a curse. “Always so eager to please. So easily led.” A plan began to form, a sly manipulation that would turn Ava’s own circle against her.And Mason. Her gaze hardened. He thought he was so clever, so righteous. He had dared to humiliate her. He had dared to choose Ava. That was an unforgivable offense He would pay. Oh, he would pay dearly.The pen scratched across the paper, filling the pages with intricate details, timelines, weaknesses. Cassy wasn’t just







