Dishearten is a spicy, dark-gray romance inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and Book 2 in the Frayed Satin Series, interconnected standalones giving classic ballets dark and twisty HEAs. Preorder today! Releasing June 26, 2026.
New to the series? Start with Book 1, Unveil, a dark Swan Lake retelling where the âvillainâ steals the girl. Or jump into the first generation with Rouge, a Moulin Rouge x Romeo & Juliet remix.
PS: This is a spicy romance that explores dark themes and should only be read by 18+ mature audiences. Reader discretion is advised.
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Trigger warnings: ROUGH DRAFT + SUBJECT TO CHANGEâaka DONâT GET ATTACHED YâALL⊠harsh language, violence depicted, sexual descriptions, misogyny, sexual harassment.
Copyright © 2025 by Greer Rivers. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations for social media promotion on behalf of Greer Rivers. No part of this book may be used or uploaded to train Generative AI. AKA: Pls donât steal or copy! Itâs not nice and hurts authorsâ feelings!
Dishearten Chapter 5
Hatch
The first and last time I saw Lucy, she didnât even know it was me. I was a stranger in a mask and as far as she knows, the stranger finished our waltz in a speakeasy, kissed her forehead, and disappeared forever. Itâs for the best, though. Iâm the reason she ran away. Sheâll never forgive me, and I wouldnât blame her.
Fuck that hurts to say, but âAliceâ doesnât deserve to be shackled to me. Whether I actually want what my brother has with his fiancĂ©e or not doesnât matter. If I was selfish enough to take Lucy for myself, Iâd only get her killed. Thatâs all I ever bring to the women I care about. I wonât let it happen again.
She lifts her chin as the pole slows to a stop, and her eyes land on me.
Holy fuck.
The lights catch on her lashes, creating shadowy dark pools underneath that suck me under. Iâm fucking drowning, taking a step forwardâ
She blinks, and her plastered smile sweeps past me to some other lucky son of a bitch. Someone that might actually be able to grab her attention and hold it. Like she never saw me at all.
Except⊠thatâs exactly what happened, wasnât it? Earlier she was looking for the bouncer to rescue her. Not me. Not only am I masked, she doesnât know Iâm here to keep her safe, so she looked to the only person who could.
And he failed her. Heâs still failing her.
The heckler blows another ring of smoke at Lucy, but she studiously ignores it. Renewed rage stokes a fire through my lungs again, but I try my best to stifle the flame. I wonât do her any good if Iâm kicked out right now.
My gaze snaps back to LucyâAlice.
âAaaalright, gentlemen,â the DJâs deep voice filters over the speaker as the music changes beat. âAlice is going home after this next song, andâwait a minute. Alice, do you have something to say?â
Lucy hops off the pole and prowls from the center stage to stage right, strong, confident steps in her high heels. When she gets to the far end where the DJ is, she bends at her waist exaggeratedly, leaving her bare ass exposed again under her skirt. She cups her hand around her mouth and peers over her shoulder as she acts like sheâs telling the DJ a secret.
âWell, well, well, this is a first,â he says, chuckling in such a practiced way itâs obvious this is part of the set. âOne of you caught Aliceâs eye. Sheâs decided to give you a dance right off stage. Maybe one of you can sweeten the pot, to convince her youâre the one whoâs worth her while, instead.â
The guys at the stage go absolutely fucking feral, producing more cash and chips. Lucy blows one guy in a pig mask a kiss as she goes back to the pole but her gaze doesnât linger long enough to see him push a man in a chefâs hat to the side to get in front of him.
Frog pushes past both, leans in again, only stopped from climbing on the damn stage himself by his short stature and his total inability to lift himself up. But he can still stretch enough to nearly reach her. His hand is a hair away from snatches her ankle, making her flinch away and trip the rest of the way to the pole.
âLooks like weâve got one who might win out. Frog really wants a dance, Alice. Frog always gets what he wants, gentlemen, so youâll have to raise the stakes.â
Oh fuck that.
