So, I step out, ready to execute the plan, but as soon as I see her—BAM—my mind is blown. Emma looked absolutely breathtaking. Her white dress? Perfect. Her hair, her nails, her heels—everything was flawless. I was stunned. My little plan? Out the window.

She walked over to me, saying, “Oh my God, baby, you look so lovely,” as she hugged me.

“Lovely? You said lovely? Baby, look at YOU,” I said, completely puzzled. I couldn’t even complete step two of my plan—walking to her—but hey, I could still nail step three. I kissed her and opened the door for her, like a gentleman.

We headed to Eden Valley, and the whole ride, we couldn’t stop talking about how good we both looked. The limo was stocked with wine and snacks, and the vibe was on point. As we got closer to Courtney’s party, Emma started asking questions.

“You know, I heard this was an all-white party with a touch of red, but how come you’re in a red tux?” she asked.

“Well, I was all set in my white suit, but then this tuxedo just showed up at my doorstep,” I said casually.

She raised an eyebrow, “Wait, wait, wait. Don’t tell me the tux came with this limo?”

“Yup,” I replied. “Can you believe it?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh no, don’t tell me…” But before she could finish, we pulled up to Courtney’s party.

As soon as we arrived, there was already a crowd outside. They started screaming and cheering, “Happy birthday!” Red ribbons and party smoke filled the air. But then, as the smoke cleared and they saw it was just Emma in the white dress and not Courtney, everyone got confused. The singing stopped. It was like someone hit the pause button on the party.

Steven, my friend and bandmate, came running over, looking super confused. “Bro, I thought you were showing up with Courtney in the limo. What’s going on?”

“Honestly, man, I have no idea,” I replied.

People were still staring at me in my red tux, expecting Courtney. But no, Courtney wasn’t with me. And here’s the kicker—Courtney shows up in a taxi. Yes, a taxi. With Michael. And no one even noticed at first because they were all too focused on me and Emma.

But when I finally laid eyes on Courtney… wow. She was breathtaking in her long, elegant red dress. For a second, I couldn’t stop staring. As more people noticed her, they gave a weak, confused “Happy birthday,” nowhere near the excitement I got when I arrived. Her friends ran up to hug her, and Michael made his way over to me.

“Bro, Courtney is beyond pissed at you right now. Like, what the hell, man? You took her limo,” Michael said.

“Took her limo? The limo came to me!” I protested, still confused.

Michael shook his head, “You were supposed to be her date, but you changed things, and now she’s fuming.”

I glanced over at Emma, and for some reason, she was smiling. This whole situation was spiraling, and I was stuck right in the middle of it. The party went on, but all my friends drifted over to Courtney’s side, while I stayed with Emma’s friends—who, by the way, I didn’t know at all. And yet, I couldn’t stop looking at Courtney. She had everyone’s attention, and Emma? Well, she started noticing where my gaze was fixed.

Then, it was time for the couple’s dance. Emma had been excited about this all night, especially since she’d noticed Courtney and I glancing at each other. She got up, saying, “Hey baby, I’m just going to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. When I come back, we’re going to own the dance floor.”

But just as Emma left, the spotlight hit me and Courtney. The announcer called for a special dance from “the important couple in red—Ethan and Courtney.” Oh man, talk about bad timing.

Michael rushed over. “Bro, Courtney planned this whole party, and you’ve ruined almost all of it. At least do the dance with her. She’s your best friend.”

“But Emma—” I started.

“Really? You’re going to do Courtney like this? Everyone’s watching,” Michael said.

He was right. I felt guilty. Everyone was looking at us, so I stood up, and the crowd cheered as Courtney smiled and started walking toward me. But just as we were about to meet for the dance, disaster struck.

Out of nowhere, Emma came running back and grabbed my hand, stepping right onto Courtney’s dress. Riiip. The entire tail of Courtney’s beautiful dress tore off, and she fell to the ground in front of everyone.

The whole party froze.

Courtney’s on the floor, tears streaming down her face, and I can’t lie—seeing her like that did something to me. Her beautiful red dress is torn, and people are rushing to help her up. But Courtney? She’s not having it.

“Leave me alone,” she says, voice shaky but still her normal self. They don’t listen. They keep trying to help.

“I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!” she yells, pushing them away as she stands up on her own. She’s crying, looking at me, and I can feel her pain from across the room. Then she speaks again, but this time it feels like a punch straight to the gut.

“What? You hate me now, sweetheart? Is that it? Just because you have a girlfriend, you don’t care about me anymore? Huh?” Her voice breaks, but she keeps going. “You don’t care enough to even show up with me, after everything? After all the planning I did for this party, you do me like this?”

And I’m just standing there. My heart’s aching, like really hurting. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Now, I feel like I’m about to crack. I can’t take much more of this.

Courtney’s tears keep falling, and she’s still talking, still tearing into me. “I wanted to be with you, sweetheart. I thought we were going together. But now you’ve brought her instead, and I had to find out like this? After everything we’ve been through?”

Her friends are buying into the whole scene, shouting at me, calling me horrible, telling me I’m the worst person. And honestly? This isn’t the place for me anymore. The demon inside me is getting pissed, but I’m holding it back, barely.

Emma, my girlfriend, steps in now. “Hey! Don’t shout at my boyfriend like that just because you’ve been friends forever! That doesn’t mean you own him.”

Courtney snaps back, “Shut up! Just shut up. I don’t even want you here.”

Emma’s not backing down, though. “You don’t own him, Courtney!” she shouts, and her friends are rallying behind her, like this is some kind of war.

Mind you, Emma’s brothers are here too, looming in the background, watching everything unfold. And Courtney? She’s looking at me, her voice trembling with anger. “Why, Ethan? Why did you even bring her here without telling me?”

I’m trying to stay calm, trying to keep the demon under control, but the frustration is boiling over. Courtney keeps pushing, and I’m on the edge.

Finally, I can’t hold back anymore. I snap. “Shut up, Courtney! You really want to know why I started dating Emma, huh? Do you?” I’m shaking, barely keeping it together.

“Yes! That’s what I want to know!” she yells.

I take a deep breath. “Because I love you, okay?!”

The whole room freezes. It’s like time stopped.

“When you started dating Michael, it destroyed me. He came to me, all proud, and it hurt.” I can barely get the words out. “I waited for you to tell me yourself, but you never did. Do you know how hard it was for me, watching you with him, knowing I couldn’t have you? And I couldn’t even talk about it because Michael was my friend! And now you’re yelling at me like I didn’t care? You did the same thing! You wanted the truth? Well, here it is! Are you happy now?”

Courtney’s standing there, speechless. The room’s gone completely silent. Michael? He looks like he’s seen a ghost. And then, out of nowhere—Emma turns me around and slaps me.

Damn.

The demon inside me starts roaring, but I’m still trying to hold it down. Emma slaps me again, her voice shaking with rage. “Why are you even with me then, huh? Why?!”

And when she goes for a third slap, I catch her hand, my voice barely holding steady. “I don’t know, okay?! I don’t even love you.”

The entire room gasps. Emma’s brothers don’t just gasp, though—they leap right into action. All four of them. They rush me, and before I know it, I’m being dragged into the bathroom.

They throw me against the wall, fists flying, stomping on me, crushing me. And all the while, the demon’s screaming in my head: LET ME OUT!

I’m trying to hold on, but I’m losing it. They keep hitting me, harder and harder, until I feel like I’m about to break apart. And that’s when it happens. I can’t hold back any longer.

I snapped.

One of Emma’s brothers goes flying out of the bathroom, blood spraying as he smashes into the wall. Another one? His skull cracks against the tiles. People outside are screaming, hearing the crashes, but they have no idea what’s going on inside. The growling, the blood—they think there’s some kind of monster.

Well, they’re not wrong.

Another brother comes flying out, and before he hits the ground, I’m on him, throwing him against the wall again. My muscles have grown, tearing my suit to shreds. Everyone outside is panicking now, people running in every direction, but I’m still not done. I’m still fighting.

I’m clawing at my own face, scratching myself very deep with my own claws, trying to take control back, but the demon’s got me. I’m twitching, rolling out of the bathroom, with my suit torn and blood everywhere. The scratches on my face are deep, but I can’t stop. I’m out of control. And just when I think it can’t get worse, I hear sirens.

Police, ambulances, paramedics—they’re all here. The cops rush in, guns drawn, trying to figure out what’s going on. They see the bodies, see the blood, and then they see me.

They think I’ve been attacked, that I’m in shock. They have no idea I’m the one who did this. They try to pin me down, but I’m too strong. Eight cops, and I’m tossing them around like they’re nothing.

I’m still tweaking, still trying to fight the demon inside. I’ve got scars all over, my suit’s hanging in tatters, and they’re all looking at me like I’m some kind of freak. The paramedics try to inject me with a sedative, and the cops manage to handcuff me, shoving me into the back of the van. But it’s not enough.

The cuffs snap like they’re made of plastic. I kick the van door open, tearing my way out. They throw more cops at me, pinning me down again. The sedatives start to kick in, but I’m still strong. They strap me to a bed, tie me down, and shove me into the ambulance, but I’m not done fighting.

I break the straps. Flip the bed. The whole ambulance shakes as I thrash around. More injections, more cops holding me down. They pin my arms, my legs, and finally, finally, I can’t move. But I’m still twitching.

When they test my blood for drugs, the results come back clean. No drugs, no alcohol—nothing. The only explanation? They think I’ve gone insane.

That’s how I end up in the mental asylum. From a perfect day, to being trapped here, locked up like an animal. And let me tell you, this is just the beginning.

This is where the real drama starts.