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### Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm
Jane jolted awake to her phone ringing insistently on the nightstand.
Blinking against the sunlight streaming through her window, she squinted at the screen—**Natasha**. She answered, still groggy.
"Jane! You have to check Instagram right now! It's everywhere!" Natasha's voice was frantic, buzzing with astonishment.
"What are you talking about?" Jane rubbed her eyes, confusion clouding her mind.
"Just do it! Trust me!" Natasha urged.
Sighing, Jane grabbed her phone and opened Instagram. Her heart sank as she scrolled through her feed.
There it was—**Lily** beaming with joy, her hand adorned with a sparkling engagement ring next to **Mark**, Jane's ex-boyfriend.
The caption read: *"Couldn't imagine a better way to spend my life! 💍❤️ #Engaged"*
A wave of emotions crashed over Jane—betrayal, anger, despair. She felt like the ground had fallen away beneath her. "No... no way..." she whispered, disbelief washing over her.
In a fit of rage, she yelled, "How could you do this to me?!" The words echoed in her empty room as she hurled her phone against the wall.
It shattered with a satisfying crack, pieces scattering across the floor—a reflection of her broken heart.
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#### Mark and Lily's Bliss
Meanwhile, in another part of Hayesville, Mark and Lily were wrapped up in each other under a pile of soft blankets. The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over their cozy sanctuary.
"I can't believe we're engaged!" Mark chuckled, pulling Lily closer. His fingers traced the outline of her ring as they lay together in blissful contentment.
"I know! It feels like a dream." Lily smiled, but there was an undercurrent of something else in her gaze—a flicker of doubt.
As they reminisced about last night's celebration with friends, laughter filled the room. They shared sweet kisses and playful banter, basking in their love. But as Mark mentioned Jane, a shadow crossed Lily's face.
"I really hope Jane is okay," she said softly. "I didn't mean for things to end like that between us."
Mark shrugged dismissively. "She'll get over it. We're happy now; that's what matters."
Lily bit her lip, guilt gnawing at her insides. "I just wish she could be happy for us..."
"Don't dwell on it," Mark replied gently but firmly. "You deserve this happiness."
Lily nodded but couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off—not just between her and Jane but in the air around them. A sense of foreboding lingered as if shadows were creeping closer.
They spent the rest of the morning wrapped in each other's warmth, blissfully unaware that their world was about to shatter.
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As night fell over Hayesville, an unsettling stillness enveloped the town.
The moon hung low in the sky, casting eerie shadows on familiar streets.
In a moment that would change everything, sirens wailed in the distance—a harbinger of chaos lurking just beyond their cozy bubble.
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