Renna Rose Lancaster is the girl people stare at like she belongs in a glass case, a life airbrushed into unattainable perfection.
But Renna knows her life is nothing but a golden prison coated in pretty lies that keep her muted and small.
Her day...
"There are plenty of ways to die, but only love can kill and keep you alive to feel it."
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I stood in front of the mirror that dominated one entire wall of my dressing suite, trying to recognise the girl staring back at me.
My skin glowed like I'd slept for ten hours and drank green juice like a saint, even though I'd been up half the night replaying Aadam's laugh in my head like a broken song.
A soft sheen kissed my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose, catching the light every time I tilted my head. Peach-pink blush warmed my cheeks like I'd just been kissed by cold air.
Or by him.
My eyes were what stole the show though.
Light brown shadow melted into deeper tones at the crease giving my eyes this hazy, come-hither depth and the whisper-thin brown liner made them look eternally mischievous.
I swept the rose-nude lipstick across my lower lip one last time, pressing them together until they bloomed full and glistening, the colour so perfectly kissable by the brute I called my boyfriend.
Stop thinking about his mouth on yours, Renna. You literally just started the night.
I turned slightly, letting my dress sway.
The chiffon bodice hugged me perfectly, the sweetheart neckline flirting without begging, and the layered skirt floated every time I shifted my weight. The pearl-beaded shoulder straps glimmered softly, every customised South Sea pearl placed like it belonged there.
I looked glamorous.
But romantic.
Like someone you fall in love with slowly and then never recover from.
I caught Elin's reflection in the mirror. She was leaning against the carved post of my bed with a knowing look like she already knew every filthy thought running through my head.
I struck a pose with one hand on my waist. "Be brutal, Elin. How do I look?"
Elin's gaze dragged over me slow and appreciative, from the flutter of my lashes down to the dangerous hem of the skirt.
"Miss Renna," she said slowly, "you don't look like someone's girlfriend tonight."
A thrill shot through me. "What do I look like then?"
She smirked. "You look like the reason men make stupid life decisions."
I burst out laughing. "Elin!"
"No, I'm serious," she said, pushing off the post and circling me. "You don't look seventeen. You look like a woman who knows exactly what she's doing to the world."
And I'm about to use every bit of it on Aadam.
I spun away from the mirror before she could see how much her words had lit me up inside. "Come on. Help me pick a bag before I lose my nerve and just text him to come over instead."
