Seat-Snatching 11

Chapter 11 

Vivian] 

Back home, I lay the invitation on my coffee table and stare at it for an hour.[] 

I think about the girl on the train who gave up her seat and lost everything.] 

I think about the woman who clawed her way back and built a life from ash.[] 

I think about Edward’s face in that closet, and Harlee’s smug smile every day at work.[] 

I think about Alessandro’s offer–how easy it would be to let him erase Edward from existence. How tempting. 

But that’s not who I am. Not who I want to be.] 

Then I think about what Elena said: “Your body is yours, and pleasure is yours.*[] 

Maybe she’s right. Maybe one night of being someone else–of feeling something other than this crushing weight–is exactly what I need.[] 

I pick up my phone and text Elena: *I’ll go.*[] 

Her response is immediate: *That’s my brave girl. Be safe. Be free. Remember who you are.‘ 

The next evening, I stand in front of my closet, the white mask in my hand. What does one wear to a sex club?|| 

My eyes land on the white dress hanging in the back–my wedding dress. The one I was supposed to wear when I married Edward. I never returned it. Never could bring myself to look at it.] 

w.] 

Until now. 

A wild idea takes hold. Why not? Why not reclaim it? Turn it into something new, something mine?] 

I pull it on, the silk sliding over my skin like water. The deep V in the back exposes my tattoo-*bent but not broken*. I arrange my hair in an updo, secure the veil and tiara, and slip on the mask. 

In the mirror, I look like a bride. But not the kind who waits at the altar for a man who’ll betray her. 

The kind who walks through fire and comes out the other side.[] 

I grab the bottle of tequila I’ve been saving and head for the door. 

Tonight, I’m not Vivian, Valentino’s Princess.] 

I’m not the giri Carter tried to destroy.]] 

I’m not the woman Edward betrayed.]] 

Tonight, I’m just Princess Bride.[] 

And I’m going to remember what it feels like to be alive.]] 

0 

The alley is darker than I expected. [] 

I knock on the metal door!] 

A prep window slides open, and I give the password Elena wrote down for me. The door creeps open, revealing warm light and red carpet.[] 

Inside, a tall man in a fox with an British accent greets me. “Welcome to Decadence. I’m Brogan. May I see your invitation?“[] 

1 hand it over, my friends steadier than I expected() 

“Au, yes. A special guest of Mc Valentino Welcome, miss. Tonight’s theme is fairy tales. I see you’ve dressed accordingly–how lovely. Your mask?“] 

I touch the white crystals have it f 

Perfen. Let me give you a brief orientation…“] 

10.3% 

Chapter 11 

He explains the rules–consent, the different floors, the private rooms. I barely hear him over the pounding of my heart.[] 

When he’s finished, he opens the double doors. Music pulses through the walls. I clutch my tequila bottle tighter and step through.[] 

The club is more elegant than I imagined–chandeliers, velvet couches, an oval pool in the center. People in masks and costumes mill about. Some are dancing. Some are doing… other things.[] 

I make my way toward the bar, trying to look confident, when someone slams into me from the side.[] 

Strong hands catch me before I fall.[] 

“Whoa there. You okay, sweetheart?“] 

I look up into green eyes framed by an elaborate mask covered in feathers–so many feathers it’s almost comical…]