Chapter1: Unraveled Threads
1138 Words
The faint glow of dawn barely filtered through the curtains, casting soft, muted light across Selena Ferera’s bedroom. Her body ached with exhaustion, muscles still tense from hours hunched over her latest sketches. Fashion design was her life—every cut of fabric, every stitch was a reflection of her vision, her passion. But right now, all she craved was sleep.
That is, until her phone rang.
The sharp trill pierced through the quiet, dragging Selena from the edges of her dream. Groaning, she blindly reached for her phone, squinting at the screen. *Oliver Madrid* flashed across it, his name a familiar sight that pulled a tired smile from her lips. She hesitated for a moment, thumb hovering over the decline button. She hadn’t spoken to him in weeks, both of them busy with their separate lives. But still… this was Oliver, her best friend. The one person who had always been there, no matter the hour.
Sighing, she accepted the call, her voice groggy. “Oliver, it’s... it’s one in the morning. What is it?”
On the other end, his voice came through in a slur, heavy with drink. “Selena, you’ve got to come out. Come to the club. I need you,” he drawled, his words almost tripping over each other.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “The club? Now? Oliver, seriously, I’ve barely slept, and I have a deadline—”
“Please,” he interrupted, sounding more desperate than playful. “I just... I just need someone right now.”
Selena paused, sitting up in bed as concern washed over her. Oliver wasn’t the type to beg. Sure, they had partied together, laughed at stupid things, shared secrets deep into the night, but there was an edge to his voice now that worried her. Even if she was drained, she couldn’t ignore him.
“Alright, fine,” she muttered, already regretting it as she swung her legs out of bed. “But you owe me.”
His answer was a slurred, relieved laugh before the line went dead. Selena stared at the phone, groaning inwardly. She should have said no. She should have told him to sleep it off and call her tomorrow. But Oliver had always been there for her—especially after her breakup and during those long nights when she felt like giving up on her dreams. She couldn’t abandon him now.
After throwing on something simple but stylish—her inner designer refused to let her leave the house looking anything less than perfect—Selena headed out, the early morning chill doing little to shake her from her tired haze.
The club was already in full swing when she arrived, the music pulsing through the air like a living heartbeat. She stepped inside, her eyes scanning the crowd until she found him—Oliver, leaning against the bar like he had been glued there for hours, a drink clutched in his hand. He looked haggard, disheveled in a way that wasn’t his usual charming mess.
Selena approached him, already rolling her eyes. “Oliver, what the hell are you doing?”
He looked up, his eyes glassy, barely focusing on her. “Selena…” he mumbled, lifting his drink in a mock toast. “To bad decisions.”
“Clearly,” she said dryly, sliding onto the stool next to him. She motioned to the bartender, who eyed Oliver warily before setting a glass of water in front of him. “How much have you had?”
He shrugged, taking another swig of his drink like it was water. “Enough to forget. Or at least try to.”
She studied him carefully. Something was off. “Forget what? Talk to me, Oliver.”
He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. “She’s getting married, Sel.”
Selena blinked, caught off guard. “Who?”
“Vivian,” he spat the name like it burned his tongue. “My ex. The love of my life. The one I was supposed to marry.” He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “She’s getting married, and not to me.”
The pieces fell into place. Selena felt a pang of sympathy, but she also knew that Vivian had been a closed chapter in Oliver’s life—or at least, she had thought so. “Oliver, I’m sorry, but you knew it was over between you two…”
He cut her off, his voice harsh and slurred. “No. No, it’s not over. I won’t let it be. I still love her, Selena. And I need your help.”
Selena’s stomach twisted. She had a feeling this night was about to get much more complicated than she’d ever anticipated.
Selena leaned forward, her fingers wrapping around her coffee cup. “What are you saying, Ollie?”
“I need you to help me stop the wedding.”
Selena’s eyes widened. “Stop the wedding? How exactly do you expect me to do that?”
Oliver hesitated for a moment before he dropped the bombshell. “I need you to pretend you’re pregnant… by her fiancé.”
Selena blinked, her brain struggling to process what she had just heard. She leaned back in her chair, incredulous. “What?!”
“I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out,” Oliver rushed to explain. “If she thinks her fiancé, Mark, has been cheating on her, especially with someone like you, it’ll throw everything off balance. It’ll give me time—time to talk to her, to make her see that she’s marrying the wrong man.”
Selena stared at him in stunned silence, completely floored by the absurdity of his plan. “You want me to lie—pretend I’m pregnant by a man I’ve never even met? Oliver, that’s insane!”
Oliver leaned forward, his eyes pleading. “Selena, you’re the only person I can trust with this. You’re beautiful, charming—Vivian would believe it. You just have to show up, drop a few hints, and let the chaos unfold. You don’t even have to say anything direct. Just… make her doubt him.”
Selena’s heart raced as she shook her head. “No, Oliver. No way. I can’t do that. You’re talking about ruining a man’s reputation and possibly destroying a marriage. That’s not me.”
“But it’s Vivian,” Oliver whispered, his voice breaking. “She’s the love of my life, Selena. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. I can’t lose her—not to him.”
Selena’s chest tightened at the raw emotion in his voice. Oliver had always been there for her, through her worst moments and hardest times. He was her best friend, her rock. She’d never
seen him so broken, so desperate. And that made it harder to say no.
- Writer
