Selena never asked for a perfect life. Just a peaceful one. She’d spent her whole life tiptoeing around the landmines her sister Jessica left in her wake—shattered relationships, broken hearts, drama spun like silk and poison. Jessica always had an excuse and clung to the story of her "one true love"—Trey—the man who broke her heart, the man she claimed made her incapable of love or loyalty.

But everyone knew better. Jessica didn’t crave love. She craved destruction.

The final straw came at their cousin’s wedding, where Jessica, barefoot and wine-drunk, cornered the groom in the hallway, breathing lies and perfume onto his collar. Thankfully, the groom shut her down and confessed everything to his bride before Jessica could spin her web.

Selena promised herself then: Never let Jessica near anyone she loved.

So when she met Jake—a smart, grounded, kind man with a quiet sense of humor—she kept him far from her family. They dated in private. No family dinners. No accidental run-ins. Just them.

When Jake proposed, she whispered "yes" with a full heart and made plans for a small, simple wedding. But one slip of the tongue during brunch with a cousin let the secret slip. And like clockwork, Jessica lit up, sugar-sweet, her eyes gleaming as she said, “Oh I can’t wait to meet him finally. I’m so happy for you, Lena.”

Selena's stomach sank.

A week later, Jake chuckled nervously as he showed Selena screenshots of a new anonymous Instagram account trying to flirt with him. “Your sister is not subtle,” he said with a smirk. They laughed together, confident in their love. Selena felt safe, for the first time in years.

Until that text came.

“You need to come to Jess’s place. Right now. Jake’s car is outside. I’m not joking.” It was from Ava, Selena’s closest friend, someone who never stirred drama without cause.

Selena’s hands shook as she drove. She didn’t even knock. Jessica always gave her a spare key for “emergencies,” and this felt like one.

The moment the door opened, Selena’s world slowed.

Jake was on the couch. His hand tangled in Jessica’s hair. Her head in his lap, you could only envision the stuff happening, tears started flowing on her cheeks—but her lips curled in something too close to satisfaction. Her robe was loosely tied, the implication loud and cruel.

Jake looked up, eyes wide. “Selena—wait—”

But Selena was already gone. Her heart was a collapsed building inside her chest. She couldn’t breathe.

In the car, with trembling fingers, she texted two people.

You: “Jake and Jessica. I saw them.” Trey: “You always said she broke you. Want to help me return the favor?”

Trey replied within a minute: Trey: “Name the time.”