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Unsolicited Advice

Author: Golden Butterfly
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-17 14:55:02
ARIA

The walk back to the guest house is a blur of hurt and anger… of tears threatening to fall but held back by sheer force of will.

I refuse to give anyone who might be watching the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

Inside the guest house, I strip off the wet swimsuit and stand under the shower's hot spray, finally allowing the tears to come as the water washes away the chlorine and the shame.

Later, dressed in jeans and a sweater that haven't passed Genevieve's approval but are the most comfortable items I've managed to smuggle into my suitcase and I sit on the small porch of the guest house, staring out at the mountain vista without really seeing it.

The beauty of the landscape seems to mock my misery.

A movement at the edge of my vision catches my attention. An elderly man in work clothes makes his way along a path that skirts the edge of the property.

He moves with the unhurried gait of someone who knows every inch of the grounds, pausing occasionally to inspect a plant or adjust an
Golden Butterfly

Sorry I missed yesterday's update. I'm feeling really burnt out and trying hard not to let you all down. Big shoutout to K.C., J., A., J.P., C.C.U, and S. for the awesome new gem contributions! :)

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Comments (2)
goodnovel comment avatar
KierraC
Hopefully this means Aria has gained a couple of allies. I wonder what kind of leverage she’ll find to help her along her journey…
goodnovel comment avatar
zeezie
hope Harold is safe to rely on
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  • The Substitute Bride's Revenge    ~ARIA~ FRAGMENTS OF TRUTH (1)

    ARIAMy mind is a haze, a swirling fog of heat and need that I can't escape.Strong arms are wrapped around me in a grip both protective and desperate, as if the person is afraid I'll slip away.Warm lips are relentless, trailing wet, burning kisses along the curve of my neck, down my shoulder, and across my collarbone. Each touch sends a jolt through me, igniting a fire that I can't control.The body above me feels both familiar and unfamiliar. But what I do know is that I'm beneath a man.My body responds before my mind can catch up, arching into him, craving more of his warmth, more of him.I can feel the tension in his frame, the way his chest heaves against my back with every ragged breath.Low groans rumble from his throat, vibrating on my skin, and they sound almost pained, as though he's fighting something within himself.My heart aches at the sound, but my thoughts are too scattered to dwell on it. All I know is this overwhelming pull, this hunger that's consuming me.I press

  • The Substitute Bride's Revenge    THE ESCAPE

    ~MULTI-POV~"Zephyr?" Eva's voice is barely a whisper.The being with black wings turns, and those amber eyes, so achingly familiar, so impossible, meet hers across the devastation."Hello, Evalorae."Just then, "Aperire viam inter mundos!" Isolde's voice rings out, eerie and ominous.The air before her begins to shimmer as though reality itself buckles and folds in on itself.The witches surrounding her raise their palms toward the growing portal, feeding it power. Their eyes have rolled back, showing only whites as they channel everything they have into maintaining the spell."A soul binding spell. One that requires an exchange of souls to cross through." Eva mutters through gritted teeth. "It's no surprise that someone reeking of such disgusting darkness would resort to using such despicable means against their enemy."The sudden spell shields Kumar from being torn apart by Aetherion, creating an unbreakable barrier that forces both sides to separate.Kumar is quick to shift back, g

  • The Substitute Bride's Revenge    UNITED (1)

    ~MULTI-POV~The witches don't just scatter, they're thrown like ragdolls, their screams of agony piercing the air as their own power turns against them.Blood pours from their eyes, their ears, their mouths. Some collapse instantly, their bodies unable to withstand the magical feedback. Others writhe on the ground, their minds shattered by the sudden severing of their connection.The spell doesn't just break. It implodes, taking pieces of their souls with it.Sharon herself is hurled backward with tremendous force and her body slamming into the rubble with a sickening crack.The silence that follows is deafening. Then a thundering roar pierces the night.Onyx's eyes snap open to see a massive dragon appear seemingly from nowhere, its scales the color of midnight. Like looking into the void between stars. Its wings span wide and eyes burn silver.The dragon lands between Onyx and Kumar in a protective stance, aiding the weakened Onyx.The sudden appearance shocks everyone. However, Kuma

  • The Substitute Bride's Revenge    CARNAGE (3)

    ~MULTI-POV~Back at the estateDale’s dragon, Onyx's wings spread wide, the membrane stretching and catching the wind. His tail lashes violently as claws dig into the earth, gouging deep furrows in the once-pristine grounds.Then he lunges forward, jaws snapping, claws reaching as fire erupts from his throat in continuous streams that bathe everything in flames.Kumar, his father’s dragon meets him head-on and their bodies collide with the force of an earthquake that levels what's left of the grand hall.Dust and embers billow up in massive clouds.People scatter in all directions. Those who can't move fast enough are crushed beneath falling debris, buried under tons of rubble. Horses scream, breaking free from their stalls and galloping in panic, some with their manes on fire.Servants pour out of the buildings, running, screaming, trying to escape the inferno.Kumar lunges, his crimson jaws closing around Onyx's neck. Teeth pierce scales until blood flows hot and thick, causing Onyx

  • The Substitute Bride's Revenge    CARNAGE (2)

    ~MULTI-POV~Veronica's men open fire and silver-core rounds tear through the air, aimed at hearts, at heads, at center mass. But the women move with speed, dodging and weaving until bullets hit nothing but empty air.Mei's fist connects with one man's jaw, lifting him completely off his feet. He flies backward, slams into the wall hard enough to crack stone, and slides down unconscious with blood pooling beneath his head.Sarah takes two more. Her hands become claws, tearing through flesh until blood sprays and screams echo through the detention level.Sofia moves like smoke, like shadow, one moment there, the next behind an enemy with hands on his head before a quick twist snaps vertebrae and he drops.The remaining men retreat toward the stairs, firing desperately, their silver-core rounds useless against women too fast, too strong, too angry.Seconds later, the detention level is clear with bodies of Veronica's men, blood pooling on the floor and the smell of death thickens the rec

  • The Substitute Bride's Revenge    CARNAGE (1)

    ~MULTI-POV~The two dragons face each other.Massive. Ancient. Terrible.The King's dragon form is older. Scales shimmer in the moonlight, wings that span a hundred feet, claws that have torn through armies. Through rebellions. Through anyone foolish enough to challenge the crown.But Dale doesn't care about experience. Doesn't care about the centuries of power radiating from his father's form.He stares at his father with a hatred so deep it rivals the heat of his flames. So profound it makes the destruction of the palace seem like a gentle warmth.If there's anyone he desperately wishes to kill, it's this man. This monster wearing a father's title.His entire life has been one of immense pain. Loneliness. Feeling like he didn't belong anywhere except in a coma or locked in a dark dungeon. Chains cutting into his wrists. Darkness pressing in from all sides. The weight of the binding spell crushing his soul. Months. Years. Time losing meaning in that underground hell.The only person w

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