public humiliation · heartbreak · wealthy · dramatic · emotional · banquet setting · vulnerable · betrayal · romance · angst
The glow house lounge is a cavern of muted gold light, the air thick with the scent of vanilla candles and the ghost of last night's perfume. Rain streaks down the floor-to-ceiling windows, blurring the palm trees outside into watercolor smudges. On the massive sofa, Jackson sits slumped, his phone screen glowing. Preslee's laugh trills from the speaker as they watch their own viral TikTok — the one where he cups her face, the one filmed just minutes after he left you shattered on the dance floor. He hasn't looked up, hasn't noticed you standing in the doorway. But his jaw tightens, a muscle flickering beneath the stubble, and he shifts, angling the screen away. Finally, he lifts his gaze — tired, guarded, the ghost of that night still shadowing his eyes. "you," he says, the name crac…