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“Let me be your real wife for just one month, Daven.” It was a simple request—one that sounded like the last plea of a heartbroken woman. But to Althea Grayson, it was her pride. The price she asked for the love she had given, yet never once received in return. She had known from the start: their marriage was never about love. Daven Callister had married her out of duty, pressured by his grandmother. There were no tender embraces, no loving glances—only cold silence and an empty house that never felt like home. Still, Althea held on. She tried to be a good wife, clinging to the hope that one day, Daven’s heart might soften. But her hope was shattered by betrayal—Daven wanted to marry someone else. The woman he truly loved. With or without Althea’s consent. And his entire family stood behind his decision. Heartbroken and disillusioned, Althea made one final request: one month of being loved like a real wife. One month... before she walked away forever. Daven thought it was a desperate move—pathetic, even. But that single month changed everything. The way Althea smiled, the way she loved so fully. Even the way she left—left something behind that lingered in Daven’s heart. And now, Daven was lost. When the love he had never once recognized finally revealed itself... was it already too late? Or should he fight against everything—just for one more chance?

“You know what,” she started, “I’ve had enough of this farce. Alpha Jasper of Bloodlust is the strongest, richest and most powerful Alpha of the Eastern Region. He wants me and fucks me way better than you ever did. He wants me as his Luna and I am leaving this hell hole today.” She stands and squares her shoulders at me. With a spiteful glare, “I, Giselle Breyer, Luna of Winter Moon, reject Jaxon Docker, Alpha of Winter Moon, as my fated mate and Alpha!” I feel the impact of her words hit me. Drax is howling in pain, again. I grab my chest and stare at her. I square my shoulders and look her dead in the eyes, “I, Jaxon Docker, Alpha of Winter Moon, accept your rejection. ****************************************************************** Five years later, Jaxon still remembers the rejection of his fated mate. He has no desire to have another mate, fated, chosen or otherwise, Until he meets his second chance mate, Sable Embers. She is a warrior from an enemy pack and is nearly killed by Jaxon during battle. Jaxon needs to learn how to open his heart again and Sable has to learn to trust her mate and learn the truth on her own.

An apocalypse driven by natural disasters. Survival of the fittest. Typhoons, floods, deadly cold, scorching heat, earthquakes, tsunamis, insect plagues, acid rain… After struggling through three years of the apocalypse, Nicole Floyd met a brutal death. Miraculously, she woke up and found herself three days before it all began. Nicole seized the advantage to reclaim her storage space, flipping the switch on full-on stockpiling mode. She shopped until she ran out of money, and her storage was packed tight. She also looked for the dog that had saved her life once before. She sharpened her knives, stacked her supplies, and took care of unfinished business. She paid back every debt, whether owed in blood or in kindness. And then, disaster struck. Her right hand gripping a knife and her left stroking the dog, Nicole pressed on through the ruins of a world without order or morals.

Eight months pregnant, Natasha walked into the hospital alone. She saw her husband standing beside another woman, signing papers for her, looking at her with a tenderness Natasha had never received. When the woman asked who Natasha was, Chase didn't even hesitate: “I don't know her.” That was the moment Natasha finally gave up. She had been Chase's most brilliant employee—the woman who could challenge him in a boardroom and win. Then one reckless night changed everything. She got pregnant, married him, and gave up her career for their family. To Chase, however, their marriage was a mistake. Their unborn child was leverage. And his mistress was the woman he truly wanted. Fine. If he wanted a divorce, she'd give him one. But Natasha wasn't going to leave as the abandoned wife everyone pitied. When Natasha walks into a major business gala on another man's arm, Chase finally realizes the quiet, obedient wife he thought he knew is gone. The woman standing before him is the brilliant strategist he once couldn't live without. And this time, Chase may have to fight to become part of her life again.

“If you can’t provide an heir, you’re a Luna in name only. I need more than a worthless, barren omega cosplaying as a Luna!” My Alpha husband Jason’s words cut deeper than any silver blade. For three years, I have kept the truth from him. He thinks he married a weak omega. But the truth? I am the Alpha King’s daughter. I wait eagerly for his return from a victorious war, ready to reveal who I truly am. Only to find him walking back with his mistress, Viki, who has already carrying his pup. “You have two options,” Jason snarls, eyes cold. “Lose your status as Luna and go back to being a useless omega. Or stay for Viki and help raise my heir.” Pushed to my breaking point, I accept his rejection and return to my father’s kingdom. I think my heart is dead but fate has led me to a dangerous second-chance mate. Worse, Jason can’t let me go that easily.

"You have this beauty that captivates men, don’t you? There were plenty of naked women in this room, but the second you walked in, the men lost control. They wanted a piece of you. They wanted to own you." His fingers trail down my jaw, tilting my chin up. "Not knowing you already belong to me." I swallow hard, my breath caught in my throat. He moves away, settling into a chair with ease. He unbuttons his coat, leans back, spreads his legs apart like a king, which I guess he is... And then, his voice turns lethal. "From now on, Ariella Costa, you are mine to use. Mine to play with. Mine to do with as I please." The words hit me like a heart attack. "Your body belongs to me. Your mind belongs to me. Your soul belongs to me." He smirks, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "I own you."
My husband was sleeping with my best friend behind my back for six months. Six months of roses. Six months of 'you are my everything' while he was making her moan his name. I trusted him with my whole heart. He handed it to her like a cheap gift. So when Dominic Ford showed up with rage in his eyes and proof in his hands, something in me snapped. And in that broken, dangerous place, a sinful idea was born. "An affair," I told him, meeting his gaze. "Real. Raw. Dirty. No strings. No limits. We give them exactly what they deserve." He studied me for a long, slow moment. Then he pulled me close as he whispered. "When do we start?" Dominic Ford touched me like he was trying to ruin me for every other man. He succeeded. He took me apart, piece by piece, night after night, until I was shaking and screaming and begging for more... and when morning came I was crawling back for everything he gave me the night before. This was supposed to hurt them. It was never supposed to feel this good. It was never supposed to feel like home. Now our cheating spouses are on their knees, right where we wanted them. But Dominic is looking at me like the plan just changed. And God help me, I don't want to walk away either. We agreed. No strings. No feelings. Just revenge. That was the deal. We lied. --- WARNING: This story contains explicit scenes and two broken people who find each other in the most sinful way possible.
On the fifth anniversary of Rebecca Perry's marriage to Vance Bradford, his first love returned to the country. That night, she caught him in the bathroom, murmuring Catherine's name as he pleasured himself. That was why, for five years, he had never touched her. "Catherine is back; she's all alone. I'm just helping her as a friend." "I understand." "I promised her I'd accompany her to the island for her birthday. I'm just fulfilling it." "Okay." "This banquet requires a capable companion, and Catherine is more suitable than you." "Okay, go ahead." When she stopped getting angry, stopped shedding tears, and stopped making a fuss, he grew puzzled. "Rebecca, why aren't you angry?" Of course, she wasn't angry anymore—because she was preparing to leave. Weary of this stagnant marriage, she had secretly learned a foreign language, taken the proficiency exam, and applied to study abroad. The day her visa was approved, she presented him with the divorce agreement. Vance froze. "No joke. How are you gonna survive without me?" Rebecca turned away, bought a plane ticket, and flew to the European continent, vanishing without a trace. The next time he saw news of her was in a viral video. Dressed in a flowing red gown, she danced against a foreign sky, igniting the internet with her performance. He gritted his teeth. "Rebecca, no matter where you hide, I will find you and bring you back!"
This is Currently an Omnibus! Featuring: Book 1: The Unwanted Luna - Kennedy and Ryker's Story Book 2: The Warrior's Mate - Finn and Greta's Story Book 3: Taming the Alpha's Heir - Ben and Elara's Story Book 1: Kennedy is a human thrown into the unbelievable world of the supernatural when her parents die in a freak car accident and her mother’s best friend steps in to become her guardian. Her mother’s best friend, Beth, is the Luna of the Silver Crescent Pack. Kennedy has known Beth and her husband James and their son Jeremiah her whole life, but thought pack life would be something she would only hear about. The Alpha and Luna keep no secrets about the dangers of their world for a human like Kennedy. Jeremiah takes an interest in keeping Kennedy safe and helps her through the trauma of moving on from the accident. Kennedy is taught pack ways and for the most part is loved by all the pack members, learning the values of the pack bond, the ways of the warriors and respect for the hierarchy of the wolf culture. She becomes a very proficient warrior even with only human strength and senses. Follow Kennedy on her journey of mates, love, friendship and fighting a mate bond she doesn’t want holding her back from her own goals and dreams. __ Ryker is a young, well-known, and feared Alpha of Dark Moon pack. He cares for his pack members through tough love and an iron fist. He's seen what happens when Alphas take their mate. It makes them weak and lose focus. Many have been corrupted by terrible mates. He would rather stay alone than be controlled.

[ DARK ROMANCE 21+ ] "W-What are y-you doing here..." Her soft voice lets out in quiet shock. He enjoys that dulcet melody of her feminine voice, as he closed the door behind him, bolting it without looking away from her. Fearfully, her gaze trails behind him at the door before connecting with his again. She grows rapidly angered. "Get out of my room!!! How dare you?! Get out!!!" He suppresses the urge to chuckle at what he perceived as her adorable fury. Instead, he manages to grasp it with a deviant smirk. “Not unless I get what I want..doll face." "I'll scream!" She bellows, her hands clutching at the duvet around her. He strides forward and grabs the smartphone sitting atop the dresser in front of her bed. He easily slips it over the top of a high shelf, far from her petite reach. Then he turns to her and replies smoothly with a hint of derisiveness. "Scream all you like, princess...I've given the entire staff a day off.." She stares at him with the briefest of puzzled looks, and he finds her incredibly adorable in her contemplation. He felt his arousal increase and the next words fell huskily out of his mouth. "It's only you and I..ALONE.." Her innocent tourmaline eyes lock with his fervent sapphire ones. "W-What d-do you want ?" Her frightened voice barely above a whisper. His eyes rove over her figure in a degradingly suggestive manner. He provides a crude answer. "Why, of course to fūck you senseless, kitten." her face drains of color as she stares at him in repleted horror. He was unfazed by her stiffened posture and frightened expression. All he could do by his eyes was drink in her natural beauty like a man who'd gone days without water.

Their naked bodies were shipping against each other. Her sapphire glossy orbs were staring at his brown eyes. "I love you, Cia. I love you to the extent that I will end and taint that life which would even think about taking you away from me," The firmness of his words were evident in his darkened eyes. "Even if it's your life," he rasped against her mouth. They both knew his love was irrational, an obsession for her. They loved each other enough, especially for her to let his love taint her existence. "I love you, Zale," And her words were enough to make him lose everything in her. She beautifully moaned his name as soon his warmth engulfed her deepest depth which made both of them close their eyes in pleasure, but they had never in their worst ever thought that their eyes would have to witness that thing which their future had stored for them. His deep brown orbs were staring at her who was clad in a beautiful white gown. Her sapphire orbs were downcast as she was standing at the altar but the irony was she was not his bride but his brother's. "Do you, Mr Blake Alcazar, take Miss Celia Reyes as your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest's voice echoed, causing him to fist his palm and her heart to turn numb. "I do," A tear slipped from her eyes, hearing that person's answer who was standing in front of her and feeling those brown eyes penetrating her soul. "Do you, Miss Celia Reyes, take Mr Blake Alcazar as your lawfully wedded husband?" Those deep brown eyes turned predacious and her answer turned them voraciously vicious. "I do," she answered. An answer which sealed two destinies, which shattered two hearts and TAINTED two souls.

What happens when attraction turns into obsession? Heart breaks, blood spills, and life ends. Arabella, a naive eighteen-year-old orphan girl takes up the job of caretaker for a paralyzed little girl, not knowing a simple decision was going to change her life upside down. Killian Serrano, 26, is the don of the Spanish Mafia. He is vicious, heartless, and downright sadistic. But his gorgeous looks make up for all his shortcomings. The man has not been denied for anything. But what happens when he gets attracted to his niece's caretaker and she doesn't reciprocate his advances. Her purity and innocence tempt him to taint her. The denial makes him want her even more. So much, that he doesn't refrain from going to extreme extents to make her his.-Mature contentTrigger warnings-Lots of EroticaDarkest shade of ObsessionAn overly obsessive male lead and an angel like female lead

She was supposed to be dead. Emily has spent years living a life that was never truly hers, unaware that somewhere beneath the lies is a past powerful enough to destroy everything she knows. Then Dante De Luca enters her life. Their relationship begins with a contract. Nothing more. No feelings. No promises. But Dante is hiding something, So is Emily. As their arrangement slowly turns into something neither of them can control, Emily begins to notice that danger follows her wherever she goes. People she trusts begin disappearing, secrets from her past start resurfacing, and the man she's falling for seems to know far more about her than he should. Then Emily discovers the truth. She is the daughter of the Moretti family—the girl everyone believed died years ago. Her return threatens to awaken a war that was never truly over. And somewhere in the shadows, someone has been waiting for her to come back. Someone who knows exactly who Emily is. Someone who has been quietly pulling the strings. And someone who will do anything to make sure she never discovers the truth. Because Emily didn't survive her past by accident. Someone wanted her alive. And now someone wants her dead.

"You thought you could run from me, Vivienne?" Draven growled, his hand pulling my hair back to force my eyes onto his. A hard shiver ran through me as he pinned my hands above my head on the silk sheets, his heavy body trapping me underneath him. "Draven... please..." "Beg me," he demanded, his lips touching my neck as his hand slid up my thigh. "Beg me to forgive you." "Please," I gasped, completely helpless under his touch. "Good girl," he whispered, his dark eyes filled with cold control. "You owe me five million dollars, Vivienne. And you're going to pay back every single cent on your knees." ……………………………………….. Vivienne thought she had successfully escaped Draven five years ago. She was wrong. Forced to return to the dangerous man she left behind, she signs away her freedom to pay off a huge five million dollar debt. Draven pays every penny but he demands her complete obedience in return. Trapped in his home and forced to become his kept woman, Vivienne must obey his every command while hiding a big secret: Her sick boy isn't four years old. He's five. And Draven might be looking at his own son.

Elena Rossi has spent ten years hating Dante Moretti. She believes he killed her father and tore her family apart. Now she cleans his penthouse under a fake name, hiding her face and who she really is. Her plan is simple: get close, find his weakness, make him pay. Around her neck she wears a silver locket she doesn't understand — inside, a faded photo of a young man she doesn't recognize. Dante Moretti runs New York with cold precision. Ten years ago he lost the only woman he ever loved, and buried his heart along with her. Then Elena walks into his penthouse. He catches her trying to steal from him. He should kill her. Instead, he keeps her close. Something about her won't leave him alone — her scent, her voice, the fire in her eyes when she fights him. His heart remembers what his mind can't. Forced together, Elena's hate starts to crack. Her body remembers his touch. Her nightmares fill with a man with sad eyes, whispering her name. When she opens the hidden compartment in her locket, she finds a note: "If you find this, it means I am gone. But my love is not. Come back to me, Elena. I am waiting." Her world shatters. Her uncle Victor erased her memory. He killed her father — and framed Dante for it. Elena and Dante join forces to bring Victor down. In the end, her memories return in full. She chooses love over revenge. Together, they build a new future, ruling both families with strength and mercy. Six months later, Elena stands in the yellow nursery, pregnant with Dante's child. He wraps his arms around her. "We were enemies. We were strangers. We fell in love twice. And we lived."

Sophie Patterson had always been the quiet shy girl. She hid herself away from everyone, sticking to her three wonder trio. Best friend to Alexa Garlik, and Troy Michaelson. She loved to spend time with them. The three protected each other and stood up for one another. That is, unless it came from Sophie's biggest pain and most ruthless bully, Logan Spencer. He was ruthless, senseless, a big flirt that made any girl fall for him with just a smile. But he longed for each day to come to school just to make Sophie's life miserable. There was something about her that he despised. Whether it was her nerdiness, or the way she was immune to his charm, he was bound to make her life a living hell.All throughout their time together escalating from primary years to middle school and even on to high school; he made sure she knew he hated her existence. Now, as they ready for their last year of high school, he had many and plenty of new ideas to tease her, and make her life more miserable then before. All summer long, he longed for the night to plot out and plan for each and every way possible to make her days long and miserable. But one summer can have many- many changes.He greets the new year with a smile, as the king of the school and captain of his football team once again. Until, he is met with a new Sophie. Though she's the same old Sophie inside, he finds himself falling for a more beautiful and delicately attired Sophie. Will his plot to make her life a living hell succeed? Or will he find himself falling in love with her as he finds himself clashing paths with her more then often?

Warning : Includes strong language .Jacob Knight is one hell of gorgeous Quarterback and he has it all , perfect face , perfect smile, perfect everything . Every girl that I knew of would have died to have a chance with him. But not me .. because I knew what laid behind his gorgeous facade .His first words " you are dead " spiralled my life out of control in highschool .And I hated him for that . Atleast I thought I did until I realised his true self . Devil as he was , even he deserved someone by his side .Bella Hamilton is the new school punch bag because I was the one who made her that. Everyone pegged her to be chubby , goodie two shoes and I did too until I kissed her as a dare and saw the rebellion that she pulled against my rein . Sometimes even Angels needs a trip to hell , after all what's so good about a perfect heaven ? Or was it even perfect ? If it was perfect ,why was it cruel to my little bible princess? loving her was dangerous but losing her was lethal .What happens when the devil knocks on your door what will you do? Maybe if you're the smartest of the lot , you will shut your door up and chant bible.But I wasn't , instead I let him inside my head , my heart and my soul.And what does a devil does the best ? He ruins .Just like he ruined me , with his imperfect , perfections.

Jade Parker is an average girl from Tennessee who is head over heels for Chris Bellamy AKA Mr honey brown eyes. Suddenly, he takes interest in her and they begin to date, but Jade finds out about a secret that shatters their relationship. In order to be happy again, she gets a rebound that takes a very drastic turn. After finally finding true love, she is faced with another problem-A stalker.

Synopsis She spent years hiding how she felt about the one guy she could never have… until college turns the untouchable hockey captain into the only person who can either destroy her or claim her. *** Sloane Harper has loved Noah Brooks in secret for as long as she can remember. He’s her older brother’s best friend, the golden captain of the university’s hockey team, and the one rule every guy on campus knows better than to break. To Noah, Sloane was always just “Harper’s little sister” — off-limits, invisible, safe. He built his entire reputation on one unbreakable rule: never touch the sister of the only person he trusts. But freshman year changes the game. Sloane walks onto campus sharper, bolder, and impossible to overlook. Every time Noah sees her in the stands, in the halls, or waiting after practice, that rule starts cracking. What used to feel like loyalty now feels like the one thing he’s no longer strong enough to fight. Because the real problem isn’t that he wants her. It’s that he’s starting to need her more than the team, more than the rule, more than his best friend’s trust.

Elara Bennett sacrificed everything for the perfect anniversary gift — the car of her boyfriend’s dreams. She never expected to find him in bed with her stepsister instead. Now her private videos are leaked, her debt has doubled, and the entire school is laughing at her. The only man who can save her is the one she hates most: Richard, the ruthless hockey captain with an NHL future on the line. His deal is simple. Pretend to be his girlfriend. What starts as a contract soon turns dangerous. His touches aren’t acting. His jealousy isn’t fake. And Elara is falling for the one man she swore she’d never want. But Richard’s powerful father has other plans. To him, Elara is nothing. A distraction. A scandal. Now Elara must choose: walk away to save Richard’s future, or fight for a love the world is determined to destroy.

~ He was supposed to make her fall. He didn’t plan on falling first. ~ Wren Castellano has spent two years perfecting the art of being invisible. She wears her late mother’s oversized cardigans, hides behind thick glasses, keeps her head and avoids the spotlight. Being unnoticed feels safer than being seen. So when we goes to college, she expects to remain invisible forever. Then the most popular boy on campus knocks on her door on the first day of college. Callum ‘Cal’ Ferreira is the golden-boy captain of the university hockey team. Everyone knows his face, his jersey number, and his reputation. When Cal knocks on Room 309, Wren assumes he has the wrong door. He doesn’t. He has come because of a hockey-team tradition and a bet. The rules are simple: Cal has until Winter Formal to get the mysterious girl from Room 309 to fall in love with him attend the dance with him publicly. If he fails, he has to give up his position as Captain for the rest of the year. What begins as a harmless locker-room date quickly becomes something neither Wren nor Cal expected. But when Wren eventually discovers that the boy she fell in love with initially approached her because of a bet, every memory they shared becomes suspect. Was any of it real? And can love survive when its beginning was a lie? Winning her was easy. Getting her to trust him again will be the real challenge.

After five years of marriage, Zac Saunders felt the need to protect his son with his mistress. Not only did he pressure me into terminating the pregnancy, but he also conspired with the board of directors to remove me from my position as vice president. He held Jemma Jacobs close, wearing a wicked grin."Samantha Lewis," he sneered, "since you won't obey...""...Jemma take your place from now on," he continued.I pushed his hand away, pulling Jemma in front of me. Ignoring her struggles, I firmly grabbed her hair and forced her to tilt her head back."Come on," I urged, "tell him, who do you belong to?"

My husband’s childhood friend was trapped in an elevator for half an hour. In his anger, he stuffed me inside a luggage bag and locked me inside. “You’re paying double for all the suffering Grace went through.” My body was forced into a curled-up state. I had a hard time breathing. I cried as I apologized, but all I got was my husband’s cold reproach. “You’re going through the entirety of this punishment. Once you’ve learned your lesson, you’ll behave.” He then locked the luggage bag in the closet. I screamed in despair and struggled to break free. My blood seeped out of the bag and soaked the floor. Five days later, he felt sorry for me and decided to end the punishment. “Let this punishment be a warning for you. This time, I’ll let you go.” Little did he know that my body was already rotting inside the luggage bag.

After being reborn, the first thing my cousin and I did was switch grooms. In our previous lives, we had gotten married on the same day. She, gentle and composed by nature, became the wife of Blake Malcolm, the aloof naval commander. On their wedding anniversary, Blake skipped the occasion to celebrate his childhood friend's birthday. My cousin had only wanted an explanation, but Blake claimed his conscience was clear. They fell into a silence that lasted fifty years. And me? With my temper—quick to fight, never one for patience—I had married an accountant from the machinery plant's compound. The accountant was soft-spoken, forever complaining about how loud I was, and how little I cared about appearances. We fought every three days, major arguments every five. Eventually, he stopped coming home. Less than a year into the marriage, we divorced. Then one day, my cousin and I opened our eyes and found ourselves young again—and it was the day we were to marry. Again.

Three years after faking my death, Adrian Shaw and our son found me. I fought to get away from them. I cried. I struggled. I told them I'd rather die than go back. Then my seven-year-old son put his hand on my mother's ventilator. Adrian stood beside him, and his voice shook when he said it. "Mia, you pick. "Either your mother suffocates in that bed, or you're Mrs. Shaw again." I was shaking so hard I could barely stand up. But I didn't have a choice. I signed the papers and married him a second time. When I walked back into that house, I became the perfect wife and the perfect mother. Whenever my adopted sister Nina was upset and needed Adrian with her, I never called him — not even the night a perforated ulcer put me on an operating table. When my son wouldn't eat anything but Nina's cooking, I went and brought her home to live with us myself. Even on my birthday, when Nina started crying and said she was jealous of me — that I had a husband like that and a son, and nobody had ever given her a decent birthday present in her life — I slid the garnet bracelet off my wrist without stopping to think and pressed it into her hand. The deep red stones glowed against Nina's pale skin. Adrian's eyes went red. He caught my wrist and said it through his teeth. "Mia, I walked five hundred miles of the Camino for that bracelet. "It was our promise to each other."

For three years, I, Julian Chase, was in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend, Claire Winston, video calling her every single night. The first time I noticed a black tie that wasn't mine lying in the background of her call, I took a screenshot and confronted her. Her brother messaged me about it. [Julian, that's my tie. I left it at her place the last time I visited.] The second time, I caught a glimpse of two used condom wrappers in the background. Her best friend showed me a hotel booking to explain it away. "This one's on me. I was just messing around with Claire as a joke and ended up upsetting you. I'm sorry." The third time. The fourth time. Every single time something out of place showed up behind her on camera, somebody stepped forward to claim it as theirs. Then came Claire's birthday. I kept it a secret from everyone and took an eight-hour train ride to surprise her in her city. When I arrived, I found a banner and colorful decorations strung up outside her building. [Congratulations to Mr. Adrian Locke and Ms. Claire Winston. Wishing the happy couple a lifetime of love!] Beside it hung a photo of a man I'd never seen before, kissing Claire with his arms wrapped around her. I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood. With shaking hands, I typed a message into our group chat. [I just got a wedding invitation and some candy in the mail from a man named Adrian Locke. Does anyone know who that is?] Dead silence. A moment later, my best friend replied. [Adrian's a friend of mine. He must have sent it to the wrong address by mistake. Julian, go ahead and eat the candy for me.] Tears hit the screen of my phone, and something in my chest turned to ice. Turns out my girlfriend wasn't the only one who'd betrayed me over these past three years.

On the night of the final showcase for the three-year designer development program, my parents weren't in the family seats reserved for me. They were sitting at the VIP table with Sophie, my foster sister. My boyfriend, Adrian Cole, was giving interviews in a silver-gray outfit that matched hers. A reporter smiled and asked, "You're both headed to New York, and tonight you're even dressed as a couple. Did the two of you plan that?" The people around them whooped. Adrian only smiled. "We've known each other for years. We have similar taste." No one knew that the dress Sophie was wearing was mine. I'd drafted the pattern and sewn the dress myself, and Adrian and I had planned our matching outfits around it. When I found her wearing it that morning, all my mother said was, "The gown her sponsor sent is ruined. You're the designer. Just wear something else." Adrian frowned at me, too. "There's a lot of press here today. Don't embarrass Sophie over a dress." So I threw on a black suit at the last minute and stood alone outside the interview area, watching an entire room assume the two of them were a couple. The bigger joke was that they all assumed I'd lost. Adrian had lined up an assistant position for me at a second-tier studio, and my parents thought I should stay in Boston and apply again next year. Only my mentor knew the truth: I was the sole winner of this year's Grand Fellowship. My contract already guaranteed me a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in grant money and an eighteen-month independent residency in San Francisco. After the showcase, she asked me, "You're really going to San Francisco?" I looked over at my family, still gathered around Sophie and talking about apartments in New York, and for the first time, I felt no guilt at all. "I am." I wasn't going to let anybody else decide my life again.