Se connecter❈❈Mila Pov❈❈"One more shot," I said, pointing at the bartender like I was making a life-changing decision."You've had like five shots," Ronan said, laughing."And I'm feeling great," I said. "So clearly I need more."Ronan was watching me like I was entertainment. Which, to be fair, drunk me probably was. I wasn't the type to get sloppy drunk — I was the type to get confident drunk. To think I was the hottest, smartest, funniest person in the room."Okay but like," I said, turning to face him on my barstool. "You gotta admit I was right about the Thai place last week.""You were right," he conceded. "But that doesn't mean you need to drink yourself into oblivion to celebrate.""I'm not trying to celebrate," I said. "I'm trying to forget that I just spent three months crying over people who moved on in like two seconds."He didn't say anything. He just ordered me water and made me drink it.But then like an hour later, I was back to shots. And then we were dancing. And then I was gri
❈❈Riley Pov❈❈I was just about to throw up. My stomach was doing flips and I'd already changed my outfit three times because nothing felt right. The book was out. Like, actually out in the world. People were reading my words. My trauma. My love story. Everything."You're spiraling," Jayson said from the doorway of our bedroom.We'd moved into the Brooklyn apartment two weeks ago. It was perfect. High ceilings. Big windows. A kitchen where we could both cook without getting in each other's way. It was ours."I'm not spiraling," I said, even though I was absolutely spiraling. "I'm just... What if people hate it? What if they think I'm exploiting the video for sales? What if—""Riley," Jayson cut me off. He came over and grabbed my face with both hands. "Stop. You wrote a beautiful book. People are gonna love it. And if they don't, that's their loss.""But what if—""No," he said firmly. "No more what-ifs. You're going to go to that event tonight, you're gonna sign books, you're gonna be
❈❈Mila Pov❈❈"One more shot," I said, pointing at the bartender like I was making a life-changing decision."You've had like five shots," Ronan said, laughing."And I'm feeling great," I said. "So clearly I need more."Ronan was watching me like I was entertainment. Which, to be fair, drunk me probably was. I wasn't the type to get sloppy drunk — I was the type to get confident drunk. To think I was the hottest, smartest, funniest person in the room."Okay but like," I said, turning to face him on my barstool. "You gotta admit I was right about the Thai place last week.""You were right," he conceded. "But that doesn't mean you need to drink yourself into oblivion to celebrate.""I'm not trying to celebrate," I said. "I'm trying to forget that I just spent three months crying over people who moved on in like two seconds."He didn't say anything. He just ordered me water and made me drink it.But then like an hour later, I was back to shots. And then we were dancing. And then I was gri
“So,” Lysandra said, looking at the circle around Sabrina and then at the herbs scattered across the ground, “what exactly were you doing out here?”Sabrina stared at her, desperately trying to think of an answer that would not make the situation worse. Her mind went completely blank. She could have lied, but there was no point pretending she had been doing homework when there was a bowl of spiritual powder beside her, strange markings drawn around her feet and a collection of beads that no ordinary academy student would carry around at one in the morning. She slowly reached for the nearest bead and closed her fingers around it.“Studying.”Lysandra raised an eyebrow.“Studying what?”“The weather.”“The weather?”“Yes.”Sabrina nodded as if the answer made perfect sense. “It's a very complicated subject.”For a moment, Lysandra simply stared at her. Then she laughed, and Sabrina immediately regretted opening her mouth.“You are terrible at lying.”“I know.”“That was not a compliment
My mother called me on Wednesday."Mila, I've set you up on a date," she said before I could even say hello."Excuse me?" I said. "You did what?""I've set you up on a date," she repeated. "With Ronan. He's the minister's son. He's successful, handsome, and interested in meeting you.""Mom, for the love of Christ," I said. "You can't just set me up without asking me first. That's insane.""You need to move forward," she said. "You need to put yourself out there again. This is me trying to help.""By ambushing me?" I asked."By introducing you to a nice young man," she said. "Saturday at seven. The Italian place downtown."I wanted to say no, hang up the phone and tell her to mind her business. But some part of me that was tired of being alone, wanted to prove I could move on. So I said yes.Saturday came around way too fast.I spent like an hour getting ready, which was ridiculous because it wasn't like I was trying to impress this guy. My mother had literally just sprung him on me.
Normally, I would have been on my way to the assembly hall but lysandra request has got me thinking if today was going to be good or not. The only way to know was to ask my oracle. The one no one in this academy knew. So Yea, I skipped the assembly The assembly bell rang while Agatha was still getting dressed. I told her to go without me. I wasn't feeling well. She hesitated. Agatha could read lies, but she left anyway. Immediately after she left, I cast the veil. which was very important. Anybody could come in at any time especially the dormitory mistress, checking if all students are actually at the assembly hall. I pulled the cloth from the bottom of my trunk. Old. Hand-woven by my grandmother. The fate-bead sewn into its edges had their own weight. Their own voice. I arranged them on the cloth. My fingers moved the way my parents had shown me; slow, intentional, respectful. The veil held steady around me as I began the incantations. Not in english. The words my mother had ta
The mansion gardens had been transformed without becoming unrecognizable.Simple white flowers hung from strings between trees. Chairs arranged in two sections facing a stone arch. No stage, no grand performance space. Just a place where two people could stand and say things they actually meant.Se
Selena didn't sleep. She lay in the dark listening to the mansion settle—pipes shifting, the distant hum of the AC, the weight of what happened on the terrace pressing down on her like something physical. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt it: the heat of his mouth on hers. The way he'd tilted
The Grand Kingsland Hotel ballroom glittered like a den of wolves wearing diamonds. Crystal chandeliers cast golden light over hundreds of the city’s elite — businessmen, politicians, socialites — all circling each other with fake smiles and real knives. Selena stayed close to Matthew’s side, pai
Selena had been in the mansion for two days when Victoria showed up. She was in the library, going through design books—mostly to keep her mind occupied—when Margaret came in with an apologetic expression. "Miss Victoria is here to see Mr. Kingland," Margaret said carefully. Selena looked up from







