His Mistress Stole Our Stars

Synopsis

I should have been sleeping. It was nearly midnight, and I had an early class tomorrow, but there I was—scrolling mindlessly through Instagram, my face bathed in the blue light of my phone screen. The familiar rhythm of swipe, double-tap, swipe had become almost meditative, lulling me into that strange state between wakefulness and sleep. Until I saw Madison Blake's story. My thumb froze mid-swipe. Madison rarely posted anything personal—her feed was a carefully curated collection of debate team victories and aesthetic coffee shops. But this was different. This was a paragraph of text, white letters on a black background, the kind of post people make when they're feeling emotional. "When someone gives you their time in secret but gives someone else their promises in public, remember