Shattered Vows

“Let’s gooooo, girls!” Amelia exclaims, leaping onto the bed with the energy of a ten-year-old, her curls bouncing and laughter echoing around the room. We’re in a stunning honeymoon suite at a luxurious resort just outside Miami, and it feels like a dream come true. My heart is still pounding from the moment I stepped inside and they all shouted, “Surprise!” The thrill is electric, and I can’t help but smile as the excitement fills the air!The girls went all out for the occasion. Soft pink lighting bathed the room, scented candles surrounded it, and a mountain of champagne bottles stacked by the minibar. They’re all wearing adorable nighties, each adorned with a satin sash that reads “Bridesmaid” in cursive gold lettering. Right in the center of the bed, laid out like a heavenly gift, is the most stunning white lingerie I’ve ever seen. It features delicate lace that barely covers anything, satin ribbons, sheer mesh cups, and tiny pearl details that catch the light. Draped across it

We open the bathroom door slowly and cautiously, as if expecting a wild animal to leap out.Jenna is on her back... handcuffed.Her wrists are twisted back, and she’s kicking while trying to sit. Her thong has shifted, her hair is a mess, and the feather boa we used as a gag is now half hanging from her mouth. She looks completely unhinged and utterly furious.She lets out a string of muffled curses, her eyes darting between us like she’s calculating which one of us she’s going to maul first.Lala takes a step back. “She looks as if she’s been through a minor war.”“She did that to herself,” Dawn mutters.Bethany crouches slightly, inspecting the cuffs. “How did she end up flat on her back like that?”“She was thrashing. The strippers tried to reason with her,” Amelia says. “They even offered her prosecco. The only thing she wanted as she screamed was to have Edward’s blood.”“Well, you said she bit one of them,” I say, trying not to burst out laughing. “She tried to headbutt the oth

It’s just my mother and me now.She sits beside me, fussing gently with the lace on my dress, her hands steady but soft. She doesn’t say much. For an instant, her palm rests upon my knee, mimicking childhood habits.A short while later, she glances toward the entry.“Edward’s mother wanted to come in to see you,” she says, voice low. “We told her you needed a moment alone.”I nod without bothering to ask what excuse they gave. I honestly don’t care. Before I can say anything further, there’s a knock on the door. My mum rises to answer it, and my father steps inside. He’s dressed in that soft grey suit I picked for him months ago, when all of this still felt like a fairytale. The tie matches perfectly. He looks polished, calm. The calm that holds other people together.He says nothing at first.He walks straight to me and leans down, pressing a kiss to my temple. His hand rests lightly on my back. I just sit there with my eyes closed, breathing in the familiar scent of his aftershave.

HOURS BEFORE THE WEDDINGDawn is a certified hacker and I do not mean she knows how to guess your boyfriend’s password or unlock a locked iPhone with some sneaky trick on TikTok. I mean, she is the real deal. She excelled in computer science, graduating at the top of her class. She then worked for two years at a confidential cybersecurity firm. During a girls’ trip, she hacked into a private financial server on a dare. Quietly. Drunk. From a hotel iPad. Rumor has it she could get into the FBI files if she wanted to. She never confirms it. But the look in her eyes when people bring it up says everything.So when I asked her to hack into Edward’s phone and find anything incriminating... messages, photos, videos, voice notes, she said, no sweat. She was almost too happy to help. She told me she needed only two hours. It took her forty-minutes.That early evening, just after I stepped out of the shower, she called. I knew something was wrong from the way she inhaled before she spoke.“Fio

We are all at Bethany’s beach house, sprawled across her oversized white sectional like queens after a battle. The doors are open to the balcony, and the ocean hums somewhere in the background, steady and low. Sunlight spills into the room, catching on half-eaten chips, a mostly empty bottle of tequila, and somebody’s phone playing Reggaeton on low volume.After yesterday’s public chaos, we decided we deserved a beach day... maybe three. After all, we were all self-employed.Lala’s the first to break the silence, her voice thick with that unapologetic Miami-Colombian slang that always makes everything sound like a compliment and a threat at once.“Girl,” she says, pointing her drink at me, “you were fire, Mami. En fuego. And the way you were grinding on that Papi like you were about to have sex right there on the dance floor? I was like... Dios mío... someone turn the lights down or turn the camera on.”The girls all squeal and break into a wave of laughter.Dawn fans herself dramatic