All Chapters of Heartlock “Millions are watching…but only one heart is real.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

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 gla

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

The villa felt different after Lie Detector Night.Too quiet.Too tense.Nobody trusted each other anymore.Contestants whispered in corners. Producers moved around nervously. Even the cameras seemed more invasive now.And Selena couldn’t stop thinking about Cassian’s answer.Yes.He had hidden something from her.Something important.“There are things about this show you don’t know yet.”The words replayed inside her head all morning.Nova dropped onto the couch beside her dramatically.“You look emotionally unstable.”Selena sighed tiredly. “Thank you, Nova.”“I try.”The lounge remained unusually silent around them. Bianca scrolled through her phone looking annoyed while Ethan argued with a producer about their behaviour.Apparently chaos still existed.Just quieter now.Nova lowered her voice slightly.“So… are you going to talk to Cassian?”Selena stared toward the balcony doors where he stood alone outside.“I don’t know.”“That’s bad.”“I know.”Because honestly?Part of her wa

Silence swallowed the entire villa.Nobody moved.Nobody even breathed properly.The giant screen behind the pool continued playing the video while contestants stared in complete shock.Cassian and Vanessa.Kissing.Not an old clip.Not something from years ago.Three days before HeartLock.Selena felt her chest tighten painfully.Beside her, Nova whispered the only thing everyone else was thinking.“Oh my God.”Bianca looked seconds away from fainting from excitement.“This season is insane,” she whispered dramatically.Cassian’s expression darkened instantly.“Turn it off,” he said sharply.But producers didn’t move.Of course they didn’t.This was television gold.Vanessa stared at the screen too, though unlike everyone else—she didn’t look surprised.Interesting.Very interesting.Finally the video ended.The villa remained painfully quiet afterward.Then slowly—all eyes turned toward Selena.Which somehow made everything worse.Orion stepped forward carefully, pretending he was