All Chapters of Heartlock “Millions are watching…but only one heart is real.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

The first thing Selena Vale noticed about the studio was the cold.Not the air-conditioning blasting from hidden vents above the massive soundstage, but the kind of cold that settled deep inside your chest when you realized your life was about to change forever.Bright lights flashed across the polished black floor while cameras rolled between nervous contestants. Producers rushed around wearing headsets, shouting instructions like they were preparing for battle instead of a dating show.Above the stage, giant silver letters glowed:THE SOULMATE EXPERIMENTONE HEART. ONE MATCH. NO ESCAPE.Selena swallowed hard.What am I doing here?“Selena!”She turned as Ivy Monroe hurried toward her in gold heels, looking both excited and terrified.“Oh my God,” Ivy whispered dramatically, “this place is insane.”Selena laughed nervously. “You’re only realizing that now?”“Girl, there are literally more cameras than humans.”Despite the joke, Selena’s stomach twisted tighter.Everything felt too gl

Selena barely slept.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw flashing cameras, silver locks, and Cassian Blake’s unreadable gray eyes staring directly at her.Worse?Orion’s final announcement kept replaying in her mind.One contestant already knew another contestant before the show began.The producers had done it intentionally.They wanted paranoia.Distrust.Chaos.And judging by the whispers echoing through the villa at two in the morning—it was working perfectly.Selena sat up with a sigh and walked toward the balcony outside her room. Moonlight reflected across the ocean below while waves crashed against the cliffs.Everything here looked beautiful.Too beautiful.Like paradise hiding something dangerous underneath.A soft knock sounded at her bedroom door.“Who is it?”“Nova. Open up before I pass away dramatically in this hallway.”Selena laughed tiredly and opened the door.Nova immediately rushed inside wearing silk pajamas and carrying snacks.“I cannot survive another sec

Silence swallowed the entire lounge.Nobody moved.Nobody breathed.Vanessa’s hand rested against Cassian’s face intimately.Too intimately.Selena felt like all the air had been ripped from her lungs.Around the room, contestants exchanged shocked looks instantly.“Oh my God,” Nova whispered beside her.Bianca looked seconds away from exploding with excitement.Orion stood calmly at the center of the room, clearly enjoying the tension spreading through the villa.Meanwhile—Cassian looked completely still.Too still.Like someone bracing for impact.Selena forced herself to look away from the screen and toward him.“Cassian…” she said quietly.His gray eyes finally met hers.And somehow that hurt worse.Because guilt existed there.Real guilt.Not panic.Not confusion.Guilt.Bianca recovered first.“Wait,” she said loudly, looking around dramatically, “is Vanessa Reed your ex?”Several contestants immediately reacted.“No way.”“The actress?”“You dated Vanessa Reed?”Cassian’s jaw