They say monsters hide in the dark.
But sometimes, they stand where the light is brightest — watching, waiting, loving too much.
And every story starts the same way…
They say fairytales begin with beauty, and Grace Watson was exactly that.
Long black hair, almond eyes that seemed to shine on command, lips as red as cherry blossoms in spring.
Even her name carried elegance, soft and graceful.
But Grace wasn't just beautiful; she was brilliant.
The kind of girl who always stood in the spotlight without even trying.
She came from a humble family, yet somehow, she glowed brighter than those born with silver spoons.
When she walked down the hallway, people turned.
When she smiled, hearts followed.
Maybe that's why Austin Moore — the school's golden boy, fell for her the moment she appeared.
One glance, one smile, and the story rewrote itself.
The perfect couple was born — the kind of match people liked to believe in.
No one remembered me, the other girl who'd been part of the story first.
Flora Campbell — quiet daughter of an influential family, the one always standing a step behind.
Not the prodigy brother, not the charming little sister.
Just… the in-between.
Her life had always been neatly outlined for her: perfect grades, polite smiles, an engagement waiting since childhood.
Austin Moore — family friend, childhood companion, the boy whose hand had fit hers for as long as memory allowed.
For years, everyone said they'd end up together.
It almost felt cruel to disagree.
Days blurred into seasons. Promises were made, soft and safe. The kind of love that felt like breathing — until the air changed.
Then came Grace.
And everything shifted.
Austin fell for her, just like everyone else did.
And suddenly, I became invisible.
People whispered about how perfect they looked together, as if I had never existed.
The same classmates who used to smile at me now said I should let him go — that I didn't suit him.
The words stung, but silence became easier than fighting.
Because in every story I've ever read, the fiancée who clings to her fading lover always becomes the villainess.
I stayed silent, refusing to play that part.
Smiled through humiliation, pretending not to see the way the world had already decided who deserved the happy ending.
Pretending that letting go was strength, not surrender.
---
And somewhere behind that fragile calm, unseen eyes lingered a little too long.
Unnoticed. Uninvited. Unrelenting.
While one story ended beneath the brightness of Grace Watson's smile, another began quietly in the shadows — one that would pull Flora Campbell into a kind of love no fairytale ever warned her about.