135 What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in color
And do the things I want

You think you got the best of me
Think you had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I’d come running back
Baby you don’t know me, ’cause you’re dead wrong

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn’t mean I’m over ’cause you’re gone

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone

You heard that I was starting over with someone new
But told you I was moving on over you

You didn’t think that I’d come back
I’d come back swinging
You try to break me but you see what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn’t mean I’m over ’cause you’re gone

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I’m not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I’m finally thinking ’bout me
You know in the end the day to left was just my beginning
In the end

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn’t mean I’m over ’cause you’re gone

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone

When I’m alone

Maya Fey
Glamour Closet LA
April 21, 2026

“Ouch!”

“I’m so sorry, Miss Fey!” Féfé, the wafer-thin shop seamstress of Glamour Closet LA apologized for the third time in the last four minutes. “Just give me one more moment and allow me to secure these last few buttons…”

The village leader bit back an angry curse. After being repeatedly poked and jabbed with the razor-sharp pins required for her to fold up the zillionth wedding gown she had tried on in the boutique in the hour and a half, she was sure that if she drank water at this point, she’d spring a leak! Even after the impromptu hemming, her torture with this latest number she was being forced to try on still wasn’t over! The woman currently standing behind her had been saying “just one more moment” for at least the last half-hour or so, as her quick fingers attempted to affix the seemingly endless row of intricate buttons down the back of the bridal dress Maya was currently wearing.

How has my life come to this?! The Kurain Master inwardly screamed, catching Pearl’s sympathetic, but weary face in the mirror while she inwardly counted to 10 to curb her growing temper. Seriously, what in the name of Lady Ga-Ga’s diamond-encrusted bustier, are me and my Pearly, both starved and equally jet-lagged from our Australian flight, even doing in this so-called exclusive bridal boutique?! We should be passed out in the comfort of our beds already, as we’ve gone nearly 24 hours without any sleep or real food! We were both too riled up and nervous about Nick to either eat or sleep during the flight and just wanted to sink into blissful slumber! It’s unfathomable that we were forced to endure being practically kidnapped via limo, and then dragged against our wills all around Los Angeles to snooty, overpriced eateries to sample unpalatable wedding menus for half the day…and now are being subjected to this!

Surely, there had to be a compassionate God up there somewhere, who’d hopefully decided both girls suffered enough that day! Pearl was practically falling asleep while still standing up as she leaned back against the wall of the dressing room, and Maya prayed silently to whatever forces might be listening that this fourth and final time would be the charm, as the sleep-deprived, overwrought psychic was now at her wit’s end.

After an entire coerced afternoon of tasting overpriced, baby-food-sized portions of snooty-named, alien Haute-Couture cuisine neither Fey could pronounce nor recognize for the wedding venue, the extemporized Groomzilla, Diabolical Dragon Lady turned Wedding Planner and Best Man from Hell had determined the Feys still hadn’t endured enough surprise (punishment) since abruptly accosting them at the airport.

Hence, the dress-shopping torture, which had begun right after the not-so-fine dining had ended!

Even though it was supposed to be Maya’s wedding, the bride herself hadn’t gotten any more say about her ceremonial attire than she’d had regarding anything else amidst this havoc! She was grossly outnumbered 3 to 1 (despite being Maid of Honor, it’d been made painfully clear that Pearl’s vote didn’t count any more than that of her cousin), with the perfidious Longines and Armstrong completely siding with their nemesis.

Ergo, in an astoundingly horrific twist of fate proving there was no God, it appeared said Dragon Lady was not only the impromptu wedding planner but the final wedding dress decider! The old harpy had relentlessly dragged the exhausted Maya to half a dozen exclusive boutiques for the entire latter half of the day. At this point, the diviner was sure she’d tried on at least 100 gowns, each more exclusory and costly than the next. Nevertheless, the persnickety elder had remained unsatisfied with each of them, while callously ignoring the future Mrs. Beaugosse’s pleading objections that she was essentially dead on her feet!

The fiendish Mildew had also “taken the liberty of clearing the Kurain leader’s schedule” that day, so the spirit medium couldn’t even use her Master’s duties as an excuse to get out of this hellacious
situation!

It had taken all of Maya’s self-control to refrain from taking the liberty of hauling off and decking the Dragon Lady right in her smug, wizened kisser!

The afternoon had now turned into evening.  None of the selections at Le Marriage Couture, La Soie Bridal, or L’ezu had satisfied the overbearing and demanding Mildew’s critical mandate of saying yes to the dress; a most infuriating, absurd factor, sense since the decrepit harridan wouldn’t even be the one donning the gown!

It was dinner hour by the time they’d reached their final stop; the current appointment-only, Beverly Hills atelier, where the petered-out Master was about to try on dress number 937!

Glamour Closet LA was the boutique where one of Longines’ dear designer friends worked and was the most sought-after wedding gown shop in all of Los Angeles. Not that the village leader gave a rat’s ass about the privilege of being there.  By now, she was yearning for nothing more than a burger and her pillow, and was willing to settle for a burlap sack as a gown at this point!

When Mildred had first called to find out when they could come to browse, the shopkeeper who’d
answered had, in the haughtiest tone on earth, informed the unsolicited wedding planner that “Porfirio doesn’t ever see clients until at least seven months out from the wedding. He’s concerned brides might change their mind, and he doesn’t have the time to remake dresses.”

“The wedding is in two months!” The Kurain elder had exclaimed. “And we were told to advise you people that the client is –”

“Also, madam, we are by appointment only,” the woman had informed her loftily, cutting the beldame off mid-sentence. “Porfirio is the most desirous designer for weddings in town – and he’s got a four-month waiting list.”

“But this is for the fiancée of Monsieur Longines Beaugosse!”

Evidently, those had been the magic words, as there then miraculously happened to be an opening at 6:00 PM that evening. Moreover, they’d be waited on by Porfirio, the designer himself, and why hadn’t they just come out and stated they were associated with “darling Longines” in the first place?!

And that’s how I, Maya Fey, of suffocated appetite, and now bated/bonded breath, have presently ended up here, with not only the insufferable Mildred Latrine to contend with but also anorexic-looking shop assistants, with their noses so high in the air, you can’t even see their eyes! This particularly snooty one working on me right now could probably balance a ball on her nose and then clap her flippers in exchange for a fish reward, to the delight of the viewing audience at SeaWorld!

It was like a dream in that place. Raw silk corsets and mountains of soft Italian tulle hugged size-00 mannequins. Dreamy French lace headpieces matched perfectly with the whimsical hand-stitched petticoats. Deco hairpins and emerald-cut drop earrings set off delicately embroidered sweetheart necklines. Gowns with everything from sheer illusion detailing and fitted bustiers to sleek mermaid silhouettes in silk Mikado, Chantilly lace, and organza.

And then the sour-faced blonde, aka She of Hollow Cheekbones, Féfé, had handed Maya a pair of white gloves and told her not to touch a thing until she had them on.

Despite being subjected to this sort of beyond discourteous and insulting behavior, this truly was the most coveted place around for aspirant brides to get an expertly-fitted, élite, custom creation from heralded European designer, and Longines’ dear old friend, the darling of the Avante Garde fashion world, Porfirio, née Basil Pepper, from Verdunia.

After countless times of correcting Maya’s mispronunciation of his name, the over-tanned, platinum faux-hawked clothing magnate had exasperatedly instructed her to, like his other dear chums, simply call him Pepper. His irritation had been hard to miss, and the psychic had been mildly mortified for seeming so gauche.

Yeesh! Well, excuuuse me, Princess! It’s hardly my fault your name has almost the same pronunciation as a certain cream-filled French choux pastry ball! In my woozy fatigued state, your name truly did sound like profiterole to me! Of course, this is possibly also because I’m beyond famished from barely being allowed to eat at the menu tastings! Freaking Mildew, the Wedding Planner from the Fiery Pits of Abaddon lectured me about watching my waistline, and my sudden Groomzilla dared back up the ridiculous notion since he, too, is on some ludicrous wedding diet!

“Ouch!” The bride squealed again as the seamstress gave another tug in the fabric, digging into her ribcage. Another profuse apology ensued, followed by the timid suggestion that she held her breath.

Hold my breath? Sure, no problem! I already can’t freakin’ breathe in this damn thing anyway! Maybe I can get lucky and pass out from self-suffocation, thus putting myself out of this misery! Then I can also finally be able to cease apologizing to the judgmental assistants for having curves because, as they’ve snidely pointed out several times already, my alleged hips are interfering with the line of this current $80,000 dress!

This last contemptuous, piercing barb was uttered by Stabitha Christie shop assistant bearing even sharper pins! It was fine for Féfé to judge; despite her own willowy figure, Maya resembled a candidate for Sea World in comparison to the Twiggy blonde waif.

Of course, the Master noted sullenly, anyone would have looked like a manatee next to someone with the flat-chested build of an emaciated 13-year-old boy, topped by the kind of cheekbones the increasingly disgruntled Maya could only achieve by sucking in her cheeks as far as they would go! Doing so resulted in giving her comically puckered goldfish lips, which only resulted in Pearl audibly snickering, and the Dragon Lady glowering disapprovingly and chastising the village leader for such “unseemly, childish antics” that were “beneath a bride-to-be of such dignified stature.”

Had all the breath not presently been stolen from her lungs with the cinching, built-in corset of the binding dress, Maya would have readily retorted that fortunately for Mildew, it was also “beneath her” to toss the impromptu Miss Manners of Bridal Etiquette From Hell off the Dusky Bridge and into the raging Eagle River – but only because the treacherous churning waters had historically twice proven already to bear survivors!

She was swathed in layers of silk, wired undergarments, and petticoats that were to give her wedding gown its distinct lines. This frou-frou current number was complete with a 25-foot cathedral train, which was threatening to swallow her tiny frame whole! She could feel droplets of sweat forming from the weight of the heavy fabric beneath the hot store lights.

The designer was now hovering at her side, softly emitting troubled murmurs at the prospect of her daring to be perspiring like some sort of unspeakable heathen!

“Alright, Féfé … chop-chop! The buttons. The buttons!” He ordered, clapping his hands in a brisk staccato. “Quickly, please! We haven’t got all day! The future bride is about to wilt already!”

As the harried seamstress continued in her hasty fastening of the elaborate rows of buttons in the back, Maya met Porfirio’s gaze in the mirror. He flashed her a synthetic smile.

She expertly returned it, using her now finely crafted acting skills to suppress her reflexive shudder when she saw the gleaming gold space between his front teeth, which was supposedly
considered vogueish.

I’m still trying to digest the fact that I’m taking fashion advice from this ridiculous faux pas of a man, whose garish style sense makes even the normally outré Longines look conservative by comparison! The outfit he has on is positively clownish! Am I seriously taking advice from a guy who’s sporting more makeup than I ever have worn in my entire life, while bedecked in white culottes with a black hand-print on the crotch, and a fitted, hot pink, long-sleeved, mesh shirt with cutout shoulders?! This man is going to lecture me on the height of wedding fashion?

“This one’s perfect, Porfirio!” Mildred enthused delightedly, not even flinching as she peered at the price tag, which was easily in the high 5-digit range, and the most high-priced gown Maya had tried on that day. “I think we have a winner!”

It is surreal how the fate of my wedding attire is being decided by a geriatric spinster who dresses like Morticia Addams and resembles Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove! Too bad I couldn’t get her to “pull the lever!” on this entire operation!

“The young lady does look rather ravishing in my latest creation, doesn’t she?” Porfirio bragged shamelessly. “I can even almost ignore those hips of hers and envision that she might be able to do it justice!” He hugged himself with glee. “It also comes in your choice of white smoke, magnolia, Isabelline, ghost-white, baby powder, anti-flash white, and glitter white.”

“Magnolia,” Mildred decided cheerily. “The groom’s late mother was a Southern Bell from Louisiana, and the magnolia is the state flower, so it will be a nice homage to pay to her.”

Mother of Watson and Crick gallivanting with Rosalind Franklin on a spiral staircase! Porfirio’s been able to spin Mildew’s head into truly believing he knows what he’s doing and that this monstrosity is the perfect gown to represent the alleged prestigious Master of Kurain village on her wedding day!  Unbe-freaking-lievable!

Mildred had already reached for the designer’s mobile and was happily yapping to the billionaire about the alleged revelation that was this gown.

“We’ve found the perfect dress, Longines!” The battleaxe exclaimed enthusiastically. “Fit for a princess, this opulent wedding gown boasts a smooth sweetheart bodice, a flattering fitted bodice, and shoulder straps adorned with hand-sewn Diamante beading. The dress features silky Pearl Mikado elegantly stitched, leading to a dreamy skirt of layered tulle and voluminous organza. A detachable beaded belt highlights the waist, and the back zips up under sparkling crystal buttons. The gown is adorned with beaded lace appliques, a horsehair-trimmed hem, and a chapel-length train. Rest assured, it’s an investment worth every penny!”

Is she seriously talking about the same dress I’m wearing? Is she seeing something that I cannot?! Or am I just too drained and indifferent about this whole thing at this point, and therefore completely blind to its supposed charm?

Maya’s sleep-deprived eyes roved over the failed contraption that somehow passed as a “dress” in polite society. To her sullen gaze, the enforced garish ball gown wished to be a wedding gown, but could only ever aspire to be a rejected prom dress. Featuring a tubular bodice, a low waist, a floor-length gathered skirt, and sleeves reminiscent of a shirt with flared lace, the front showcased a low U-shaped neckline. The attire concluded with a delicate chiffon veil adorned with embroidered edges. A cascade of ruffles
descended the skirt, creating the perplexing illusion that the wearer was more akin to a drapery than a living being. Ostentatious and eccentric, the minty cream hue (dubbed “the new white alternative” by Porfirio) marred the overly lustrous silk in a “honeydew” shade, resembling the illegitimate offspring of Kermit’s affair with Mint Ice Cream, sans chocolate chips. Miss Piggy would assuredly have been fittingly green with envy!

Yet, the necromancer conceded, rather shrewdly, that the dress admirably fulfilled its purpose. It provided her a seamless means to infiltrate the clandestine clown convention under the cover of midnight. It was only at that moment, adorned in her ghastly gown, that she would exact her revenge on the Circus King.

She sighed silently as she resigned herself to her fate.

The wedding industry is alluring and lavish, captivating everyone but me. Its frothy and seductive beauty indulges the belief that each intricate detail will enhance your special day, creating a flawless memory. That is until you find yourself donning Minnie Mouse gloves, grappling to comprehend how an additional zero surreptitiously made its way onto the price tag of the extravagant gown you were about to try on.

Then the truth hit her, like an overpriced, rented crystal chandelier:

Maya, somehow against your will and better judgment, you’ve been sucked in, and you’re becoming as pretentious as the worst parts of the industry itself! And why is this the case? Because the Dragon Lady somehow managed to manipulate things so that she’s got you over a barrel and thus rendered you with nil choice in anything, because, if you’d ever had the choice, you’d have chucked Mildew’s bony butt into a barrel, and heaved it right over Niagara Falls!

Mildred Latrine and Longines Beaugosse
Beaugosse Incorporated Headquarters
April 14, 2026, 2:22 PM

“Today’s your lucky day boss man!” Armstrong announced as he and Mildred burst into the office of the unsuspecting CEO, who was busy hammering away at this computer as his assistant and the village elder sprung upon him. “Have we got big news for you!”

“Better make it quick.” The blond man didn’t even look up from his screen. “I have a conference call with Singapore in 15 minutes.”

“Longines, you’re a smart and savvy businessman!” Mildew trilled, ignoring the time warning. “How would you feel if I told you despite not having one red cent to my  name, I’m about to ascertain your pockets remain as lined as ever – if not even more so after this wedding?”

“How so? I’m certainly not relying on monetary gifts from the guests to augment my wallet,” Longines responded distractedly. “All guests have already been instructed in place of gifts to donate to any of the lists of my and Maya’s favorite charities that were enclosed with the wedding invites.”

“No matter!” Mildew’s confident smirk only deepened. “Despite this fact and the fact that my village is one of zero independent wealth, this is about to be something that works vastly in your favor!”

“Zero wealth?” Longines raised a quizzical golden eyebrow. “As far as I know, Maya is a very wealthy young woman and I’d assumed that Kurain was the source of said prosperity?”

“Surely thou jest!” Mildred let out an odious cackle, which sounded more like a death rattle. “Kurain has no profit nor money of its own whatsoever! The reason Mystic Maya is worth a small fortune is because of the posthumous royalties from the books and wise investments made by acclaimed children’s book illustrator and author, the late Misty Fey. Her mother was world-renowned for her works under the pseudonym Elise Deauxnim. Mystic Maya’s wealth is entirely her own. The village entirely runs out of the generosity of her own heart and pocketbook.”

“This is all new information to me.” Longines seemed even more puzzled. “I assumed the village made its money with channelings though?”

“It scarcely covers the property tax of the surrounding land itself and barely allows us to break even! We are entirely at the mercy of the Master herself to keep us afloat and rely heavily on promotion and word-of-mouth!”

“I wasn’t aware that Kurain had a shortage or was in want of anything whatsoever?”

“Mystic Maya is most generous and she keeps us afloat, but for the longest time, we were struggling! All that negative publicity years ago from the DL-6 incident nearly destroyed us all! Donations have since dried up since then, just like water in the desert.” Mildred coughed pointedly. “Except for your most generous father, of course.”

“Of course!” The billionaire’s brows knitted together in confusion, undoubtedly wondering where his fiancée’s adversary was going with this. “Father was famous for his worldwide philanthropy.”

“Our village has further blossomed and has been thriving since you’ve come into our lives, Longines! You’ve been nothing short of a blessing with the exposure we have gotten by being entwined with the
illustrious Beaugosse name!” Mildred clasped her crinkled hands on her chest and assumed her most grateful expression. “Therefore, I’ve decided the time has come for me to attempt to return the favor! We are so eternally grateful!”

“Er … you’re welcome?”

“While I could never in a dozen lifetimes ever expect to be able to repay this goodwill with monetary means, I do have the capability to offer you a solution on how to save you a fortune, which this wedding will undoubtedly cost you!” Her crafty grin widened. “As I’m sure you are aware, charitable donations can always be used for a tax break under almost any circumstances. It’s like a gift from The Tax Man to the wealthy and elite!”

Longines’ perplexed expression had now shifted from the old woman to his assistant, who was beaming from ear to ear as if he understood exactly with this conversation was heading.

Well, that makes one of us! Thought the bewildered billionaire. If Jean trusts her, perhaps I’ve misjudged her and she’s not as bad as Maya’s said she is?!

“Jeanie here has come upon the realization that you have been cutting corners trying to keep this wedding modest as per your blushing bride’s wishes, but while that’s very noble is also very shortsighted!” Mildred declared. “A man of your means and stature deserves a wedding of recognition that’s fit for royalty!”

“I always did dream of slightly more splashy festivities than what my fiancée ultimately decided on,” Longines hedged cautiously. “But it honestly wasn’t that big deal to compromise for something smaller if it’s what made Maya happy…”

“Maya adores you and would want you to be happy too, Longines! Besides, that girl has no clue as to what your true desires have been all this time!” Armstrong insisted effusively. “Millie here swore so! Moreover, my homegirl here has made me realize that your fiancée is ever the savvy businesswoman and would in due course appreciate the grand scheme of how a more grandeur affair could mean for both of you!”

“Longines, not only are Jean and I determined for you to have the wedding of your dreams, but it is ultimately the dream of your dear best man here to help give it to you, as he feels it’s what you deserve … Can’t you see the realm of possibility that lies with this all? And no need to hold back!”

Mildred’s beady dark eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.

“Even if you decide to have the most extravagant, resplendent wedding that money can buy, it needn’t cost you a fortune, because I have found a way for you to be able to write off the majority of the wedding costs and save yourself a ton of money!”

Longines’ ears perked up at this, despite his prior misgivings about the old woman. Above all, he was a man of business, and paid more in taxes on an annual basis, than the Gross Domestic Product of most Third World nations!

“I have it all figured out! Any services you pay for out of your own accounts will be grossly taxed, but did you know in America, you can write off a big chunk of your wedding expenses such as catering and décor?” Mildred beamed exultantly. “And you can write off pretty much everything pertaining to the nuptials … if you had the expenses paid via charitable means? Such as if the wedding bills were all paid by a nonprofit corporation … like Kurain Village? Whatever the wedding costs would be, all you must do is pay the funds to Kurain as a donation, and hence, you get to skip the taxes!”

“In a nutshell, Millie here lets you know how much everything costs, then you write her a check to cover it, hence making the money turn into a charitable donation, and then she, in turn, would pay the vendors and supplier with the checks from her not-for-profit organization which is Kurain Village!” Armstrong finished triumphantly. “The only thing you would need to pay for would be the dress and the rings…”

“The platinum rings have already been purchased,” Longines said slowly, his eyes beginning to brighten with interest. Although he was a very generous charitable donor and humanitarian, like most tycoons, the only thing he loved more than making money, of course, was saving it!

“I found myself initially predisposed to being skeptical about this meeting, Mystic Mildred. However, I am now quite warming to this entire notion!”

“The best part is you can even write off the dress!” Armstrong crowed excitedly. “Isn’t that a pip?!”

“How so?” Longines was bewildered. “Maya made it clear she already had a wedding dress.”

“Forget her old dress! It won’t hold a candle in comparison with the to-die-for wedding gown she’s going to get, done by some fabulous, name-brand dressmaker!” The flamboyant Chef clapped his hands delightedly. “What girl wouldn’t want a brand-new dress of her dreams to make her feel like a princess on her big day? And not just any dress! A luxe designer model, which, in the act of wearing it, would make her feel like royalty in the process, and shine major publicity, not only to the designer himself but to Beaugosse Incorporated and the village itself!”

“It would be a win-win situation for all!” Mildred added eagerly. “She won’t be able to resist!”

“But how would splashing the funds on an expensive new wedding dress let me write it off?” Longines was struggling to comprehend this mountain of information. “It all sounds good thus far, but I’m lost about that aspect?”

“The dress represents the height of philanthropy!” The village elder decreed. “At least it will – once we auction Mystic Maya’s bridal attire after the wedding and donate the proceeds to charity!”

“Can you imagine the publicity and the news that would be stirred as the headlines got wind of what the famous Master of Kurain, bride to Longines Beaugosse wore at her nuptials in Kurain Village? Like
Christian Dior? Or Vera Wang?” Armstrong’s cheeks were pink with pleasure. “People would pay an absolute king’s ransom to get their hands on it! Therefore, all the proceeds would go to the charity of your choice, making the money from the dress the ultimate tax write-off! I bet it would fetch more in the auction than you even paid for it!”

“Surely there must be some charities that are held dearest to your heart, Longines?” Mildred asked slyly. “Perhaps you could even donate it in your beloved future bride’s name? If you’re stumped for ideas, believe me, I know just how to pitch this, so the good Master will be guaranteed to go along with the game plan!”

“Are you sure, Millie?” Armstrong asked anxiously. “That’s quite the bold statement to make!”

“Yes, we don’t want to upset my future bride!” Longines looked worried. “We just want her to come around to see our side of things…”

“Trust me, gentlemen.” A sinister smile crept over Mildred’s crêpe paper cheeks. “I plan on making Mystic Maya an offer she can’t refuse!”

Because she won’t have any other choice!

Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)