Lies may spread faster than the truth. One of the drawbacks of liars is that they never inform the victims about the hurting part when the lies land. For Lily Deazley, the hit was so strong that the impact didn't merely result in a bruise of her body, but rather a profound one of her mind and soul that she was dismantled and utterly lost. Within just one crushing afternoon, her hard-earned career became the first area where the malicious rumors were successful in killing her; however, her name was so disgracefully used as a punchline in conversations she wasn't allowed to join. Yet, her career wasn't the deepest wound. It was the look through Noah Aether's eyes which really broke her. The same Noah who had been mysterious and secretive during all those months when he was admiring her from a distance and was finally making a promise of a relationship that perhaps would be their fate in a beautiful way beyond their expectations, the one who had, inexplicably, looked at her as a betrayer. But the rumors had taken him to where the crowd followed, and he had followed them. And in his grief, he's the one who deprived her of her peace of mind. Lily gripped the handle of her suitcase and stood by the door of her house and glanced back one last time. She could feel the glass in her lungs. She was fleeing from the chaos, escaping a storm which she did not cause but which she was pushed into drowning. She had left there was her dreams, her pride, and the very boy she's loved-loving him just long enough to hurt her. Lily closed her eyes as the car pulled out of the neighborhood, watching the city lights in the distance blur and fade. Her head rested against the cold passenger-side window, and the quiet engulfed her. Now, there was no going back. The only house she had was gone, and the night was dark when the city faded away, and she finally surrendered. FROM ECHOES TO SHADOWS [BOOK #1] WRITTEN BY: Aevylin COVER BY: Aevylin