✧ prequel to The Search for Lily Myers → read that one first! ✧ 7:04 p.m. Wednesday, September 2nd. No one knows it, but at this moment, three things are certain: Lily Myers is about to disappear, Liam Duke is about to have his heart broken, and Henry Caruso is about to meet the love of his life. But Liam wasn't always the confident boyfriend, Lily wasn't always the troubled girlfriend, and Henry definitely wasn't always the loving cousin. So how did they get there? It's kind of a long story. »»-----　♡　-----«« ✧ Started: October 26th, 2020 ✧ Finished: April 29th, 2021 »»-----　♡　-----«« ✦ A/N: Hi friends! Even though this story is a prequel, it is intended to be read as a follow-up to The Search for Lily Myers, so make sure you go read that first! There are major spoilers in this book for that story, so I definitely don't recommend reading this one first. Nothing in this book should be 18+, but I will try to put a trigger warning at the start of the chapter if I think it might be helpful to do so.

Cages aren't made of iron or steel; they're made up of the lies and half-truths we build our realities upon. Sixteen-year-old Caterina Donati's life appears ridiculously perfect on the outside. She's rich, beautiful, and top of her class and continues to maintain this facade until an old classmate's return to Ashton Wellesley Academy turns her world upside down. With ink, piercings, and attitude to match, Zachary Mazur is no longer the boy everyone used to bully in seventh grade. They become rivals from day one. Chaos ensues as egos clash and sparks fly. Cate soon discovers there's much more to Zac than meets the eye, and the two of them embark on a quest for truth and justice. The dark and wrenching journey brings Cate and Zac closer than ever even while it unravels everything the young lovers know about themselves and the smiling sharks around them. "Gilded Cage" is the first book in my "Gilded" series. Be sure to check out the sequel, "Gilded Hearts," after reading this one.