You're Invited - Softcover

Jayatissa, Amanda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593335139 ISBN 13: 9780593335130

Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2026

Inhaltsangabe

“Absolutely addictive…it’s like Agatha Christie meets Crazy Rich Asians. Amanda Jayatissa is an author you want to watch.”—Brad Thor

What could be worse than your ex-boyfriend marrying your childhood best friend? Getting accused of her murder… From the award-winning author of My Sweet Girl comes a dangerously addictive thriller about a lavish Sri Lankan wedding celebration that not everyone will survive.

When Amaya is invited to Kaavi’s over-the-top wedding in Sri Lanka, she is surprised and a little hurt to hear from her former best friend after so many years of radio silence. But when Amaya learns that the groom is her very own ex-boyfriend, she is consumed by a single thought: She must stop the wedding from happening, no matter the cost. 

But as the week of wedding celebrations begin and rumors about Amaya’s past start to swirl, she can’t help but feel like she also has a target on her back. When Kaavi goes missing and is presumed dead, all evidence points to Amaya. 

However, nothing is as it seems as Jayatissa expertly reveals that each wedding guest has their own dark secret and agenda, and Amaya may not be the only one with a plan to keep the bride from getting her happily ever after…

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Amanda Jayatissa grew up in Sri Lanka, completed her undergrad at Mills College in California, and lived in the UK before moving back to her sunny little island. She works as a corporate trainer, owns a chain of cookie stores, and is a proud dog mum to her two spoiled huskies.

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Amaya

 

Morning of the Wedding

 

I woke up with bruised knuckles and blood under my fingernails, more rested than I have been in years. I guess this is who I am now. The kind of person who would finally get a good night's sleep after attacking someone else. The kind of woman who would fly halfway around the world to stop my ex-best friend from marrying my ex-boyfriend. If that's one too many exes for you, well, it certainly is for me. But I'm also the kind of woman who does whatever it takes, so here I am.

 

I opened the sliding door that led out onto the small balcony attached to my room at the Mount Lavinia Hotel. It overlooked the expansive private beach, which was deserted.

 

Of course it was. It was too early in the day for anyone to be out there. Maybe later on, but then again, who knows how things will pan out? The wedding would definitely be canceled now. The guests would all shuffle home, dispirited and upset. Or maybe they wouldn't. Maybe they would just be grateful for the all-expenses-paid weekend, and take advantage of the beautiful beach and open bar. They would definitely mull around, gossiping and curious about what transpired. Aunties would have their own theories, no doubt, and phones will light up with messages about what happened to the unfortunate bride, Kaavindi Fonseka. This is Colombo after all.

 

It flickered in my stomach then-the first flutter of nervousness. I knew I couldn't keep it away for long. It had been a simple plan, of course. But like all simple plans, it could be quite complicated unless you teased everything out. Laid everything bare. And like all simple plans, it had the potential to go very, very wrong.

 

I watched the waves swell and bounce and crash and forgive. The fishing boats were already well on their way out to sea, and a few birds circled the ocean in the distance. Keeping my eyes on the horizon, I took a deep breath and counted to five.

 

Then exhaled.

 

My hands were steady on my cup of tea, but a fleck of dried blood had made its way onto the clean white ceramic. I'd better take a shower. Today was a big day for me. Perhaps even more so than yesterday. So much depended on what I did next.

 

I stepped into the bathroom and made the water as hot as it would go. It felt like a betrayal, washing the last bits of yesterday off me. Knowing she was gone, as I watched the water swirl down the drain. But I went through all the motions, still nervous but also feeling, for the first time in a very long time, that I belonged to myself. That things just might be okay. That I was finally vindicated of everything that happened five years ago.

 

I shampooed my hair, conditioned it, slathered on soap that smelled like jasmine all over my body.

 

Deep breath in, Amaya. Now count to five. Let it out slowly. Just like Dr. Dunn said.

 

It was over. After so many years, I could finally let it go.

 

Steam clouded around me as I dried and then dressed myself. My small overnight bag was already packed, ready for me to make my exit. My passport was at home, with the rest of my luggage. The flight back to LA wasn't until tomorrow morning, but I could last till then.

 

I checked the time-6:36 a.m. A pattern. A lucky number. Thank goodness. I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders.

 

I'll wait until 7:00 a.m. to check out. 7:07 a.m., if I could manage it. I couldn't afford to look suspicious. After all, who checks out of a five-star hotel at the crack of dawn unless it's some sort of emergency? I didn't want to draw attention to myself now. I couldn't leave anything up to chance.

 

I busied myself by giving the room a once-over-making sure I hadn't left my charger plugged in and forgotten, or left anything hanging behind the bathroom door. There was a T-shirt in a plastic shopping bag that I kept near my purse, waiting to be thrown out on the taxi ride home. It was always better to be safe. I sat down, phone in hand, watching the numbers on the clock tick their way toward when I could leave.

 

The rap on my door came at 6:51 a.m., ricocheting through my quiet room, lodging itself deep in my heart.

 

Who would knock on my door now?

 

It didn't make any sense.

 

I hesitated a moment.

 

The second rap sounded more urgent.

 

"Miss Bloom, this is Alistair Ferdinand, the hotel manager. Sorry to disturb you. Could we have a moment, please?"

 

The manager?

 

Well, at least it wasn't the police. They'd come later. I hoped to be gone by then.

 

I took another deep breath and cracked open the door.

 

"Yes?" I tried to keep the tremble out of my voice. I knew it even before he said anything. I could feel it in my bones-the writhing. The inherent sense that things were about to go very, very wrong.

 

"Miss Bloom, my apologies for this, but we have to search your room."

 

"Search my room?"

 

But he was pushed aside by someone as she barreled her way inside.

 

"Where is she?" Her voice was shrill.

 

"Tehani? What are you doing here? What's going on?" My voice was a whimper. An embarrassing contrast against hers.

 

"Oh fuck off, like you don't know."

 

"I-I don't understand." I swallowed. This wasn't what was supposed to happen.

 

"I'm sorry, ma'am." The manager stepped in. "We have been instructed to search all rooms immediately. It appears that one of our guests has gone missing."

 

"What? Who?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

 

"I'm not at liberty to say right now, madam. We just need to check your room."

 

It felt like all the breath had been knocked out of me. This was really happening.

 

The manager was accompanied by two security guards. Let them look. She certainly wasn't in here. It took just less than a minute of them going through my room to confirm.

 

I glanced at the time, just to make sure. 6:53 a.m. Nothing lucky about that. My chest tightened.

 

"As you can see, I'm alone in here. But please, let me know if I can help." I sounded far away-like my voice was disconnected from the rest of my body.

 

"You can help by telling us the truth, you bitch." Tehani's voice slapped me back to reality. She was holding up the T-shirt I'd been meaning to throw away-a basic white tee with the words Pink Sapphires emblazoned across the chest in sparkly letters.

 

My heart started pounding.

 

"This is my sister's. Why do you have it?"

 

I could barely get my words out.

 

"Kaavi, she-gave it to me. I'd-you know, I'd spilled something on myself, and she wanted me to have it."

 

"You're such a liar! I knew it! I told them you'd have something to do with this! Just wait-"

 

And with that, Tehani stormed out, T-shirt and all.

 

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

 

"Thank you, Miss Bloom. We are going to have to ask you to please stay in your room until further notice."

 

"Stay in my room?" My heart was a wild animal now. Jumping and pounding and trying to escape out of my chest. "But I was going to check out soon."

 

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but it is imperative that you do so. I'm told that the investigators will be arriving soon to handle this situation."

 

Oh my goodness, I couldn't believe this was happening.

 

This was not the plan. This was...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2026
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593335139
• ISBN 13: 9780593335130
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 401
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar