Lyra's POV"Lyra, baby girl, today’s the day," Kurtis whispered, his breath warm against my neck as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. "The big engagement party. Are you ready?"I turned to face him, feeling a surge of nervous excitement. "Ready or not, it’s happening. I just hope everything goes as planned."Kurtis chuckled, brushing a stray curl behind my ear. "It will. You’ve been stressing over every little detail for days. Now it’s time to enjoy it.""You make it sound so easy," I teased, smoothing out the front of my dress. It was a sleek, floor-length gown in deep emerald green, hugging my curves in all the right places. "But what if something goes wrong? What if""Lyra," he interrupted, gently taking my face in his hands. "Tonight is going to be perfect because we’re celebrating us. Nothing else matters."I exhaled slowly, letting his words sink in. He always knew how to calm me down. "Okay. Let’s do this."The terrace was alive with energy when we arrived. Fairy light
Lyra’s POVAs the speeches ended and the clinking of glasses filled the air, Kurtis leaned in close to my ear. His voice was low, but I could hear the heat behind it. “Baby girl, did I tell you how stunning you look tonight?”A blush crept up my neck. “You might’ve mentioned it a few times,” I teased, running my hand up his chest. “But I’m not tired of hearing it.”He chuckled, his fingers grazing my waist, sending a ripple of warmth through me. “Good, because I’m not done reminding you.” His hand slid to the small of my back, pulling me closer as his lips brushed my ear again. “I can’t wait to get you alone tonight.”A shiver ran down my spine, and I bit my lip. “Kurtis, we’re still at the party,” I whispered, glancing around to see if anyone was watching.“So?” he whispered back, his eyes glinting mischievously. “They don’t have to know what I’m thinking.”My heart raced. This man knew exactly how to get under my skin, and the worst part was, I loved it. “Behave,” I warned, playfull
Angela POVSitting across the road at a quiet café, I stirred my coffee absentmindedly, watching the people pass by but not really seeing them. The chatter around me faded into the background like it always did when my mind spiraled like this. Life wasn’t supposed to turn out like this for me. I was the one people looked at, the one who commanded attention, who always had the admiration of others. But now, here I was , sitting alone, feeling invisible. The weight of it was crushing.I stared blankly at the cars passing by, the rush of city life completely lost on me. My thoughts drifted, as they often did these days, back to Lyra. My twin. My shadow. The one who was supposed to stay in the background while I shined. That’s how it had always been. I was the leader, the one everyone noticed. And she? She followed, content to let me have the spotlight. But now, everything has flipped upside down. “Lyra shouldn’t have what’s mine.”I clenched the coffee cup tightly, my knuckles white ag
Angela's POVI paced the floor, barely able to keep my anger in check. James watched me from where he stood, leaning against the wall, looking like he thought this whole situation was amusing. I wanted to scream.“What’s wrong, Angela?” His voice was smooth, almost teasing. “Are you upset that your sister's happy?”I stopped and spun to face him, my eyes burning. “She doesn’t deserve it! That life she’s living? That should’ve been mine. Not Lyra’s. She’s stolen everything from me.”James raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed. “You broke up with Kurtis, remember? Or have you forgotten?”I clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms. “I didn’t break up with him. I sent Lyra to do it for me. And instead of walking away like I asked, she swooped in and took him for herself. My own twin, betraying me like that.”James smirked, pushing off the wall and walking over to me. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his touch light but condescending. “So now she’s the star of the
Lyra’s POVI stood in front of the mirror, unable to contain my excitement. Tonight was my bridal shower, and I had waited for this day for as long as I could remember. When I was younger, I didn’t even fully understand what happened at a bridal shower, I just loved the idea of it, loved the name. Now, here I was, about to experience my own, and everything felt perfect.“Lyra, are you ready?” Mary’s voice floated from the other room, full of excitement.“Almost!” I called back, smoothing down my dress one last time. I had gone all out for tonight. I wore a flowing white dress that hugged my curves just right, delicate lace covering the bodice and cascading down to the floor. It was soft, elegant, and exactly what I had always imagined for this special night. My friends, on the other hand, were dressed in soft pastels, Mary in lavender, Ella in pale pink, and Jenna in a soft blue. They all looked gorgeous, but I wanted my dress to stand out, to signal that tonight was my night. And it
I watched Angela storm off, her words replaying in my mind like a haunting echo. She was angry, no, furious, and I could see that this wasn’t just about Kurtis. It was something deeper, something that had been brewing between us for years. I leaned against the wall, my chest tight as I tried to gather myself. But the more I thought about her accusations, the harder it was to shake the feeling that this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. Angela had always been dramatic, but this… this felt different. Suddenly, the door to the hallway swung open, and I saw her standing there again, her arms crossed, her expression colder than before. My heart sank. I wasn’t prepared for round two. “Angela, can we please just” “No, we can’t ‘just talk,’ Lyra. We’re way past that.” She cut me off, her voice icy. “Do you even remember growing up? Do you have any idea what it was like to always be “the star”?” I blinked, unsure where this was going. “What are you talking about?” Angela stepped cl
The night was long, and despite the tension that had settled between me and Angela, my friends and I stayed up, gisting and reminiscing about the old days. We’d all gathered in my suite after the party, and the laughter in the room helped ease some of the anxiety that had settled in my chest.Ella was lounging on the couch, a glass of champagne in hand, while Mary sat cross-legged on the floor, flipping through old pictures on her phone."Remember Mr. Williams?" Ella said, giggling as she scrolled through an ancient class photo. "That man was a *disaster*."I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh God, yes. His outfits were legendary. He always wore those neon-green shoes with that terrible mustard-yellow blazer."Mary snorted, shaking her head. "He looked like he was about to audition for a circus every single day. And those pants! Remember when one of the boys put glue on his chair and he got stuck to it during the math exam?"We all erupted into laughter. “He was so mad!” I added, clutching
The morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room, but inside me, a cold knot of fear tightened in my stomach. I stood still as Ella and Mary fluttered around, adjusting the delicate lace of my gown, smoothing the train. It was my wedding day “my” day. I was supposed to feel overjoyed, excited even. Instead, my fingers trembled, and my heartbeat thundered in my ears.“Lyra, breathe.” Ella’s voice broke through the fog in my mind as she fixed the veil on my head. “You look like an absolute goddess. Kurtis won’t believe his eyes.”I forced a smile, but inside, I was unraveling. The texts… they wouldn’t stop haunting me. “Tick tock, Lyra. Time’s running out.” Those words had echoed in my mind all night. And then, the last message from just hours ago, “Beware, something hard is about to hit you.”I glanced at my phone, hoping for some sign, an explanation. But the screen was dark and silent, mocking me with its stillness. My gut twisted tighter. Who