"F**k!" I cried, wiping all of the pregnancy tests off of the counter and onto the floor.
Alicia pulled me into a hug. "Shh...it's ok, babe. Everything will be fine. I promise."
I shrugged her off and yanked my shirt over my head, revealing my back to her. I saw her horrified face in the mirror as she stared at the welts and cuts Dex put on me with his belt.
"What...how...uh...did...." she wasn't forming complete sentences.
"Yes. Dex did this to me last night when he came home."
"Oh, my God. Grace....I'm so sorry," Alicia said, tearfully.
"This is why I can't have a baby with Dex. One of us won't live through it," I sobbed.
••••••••••••••••••••
Grace Devine gets pregnant and the daddy (her on-again, off-again ill-tempered boyfriend, Dex), she wants nothing to do with anymore. Distraught, Grace goes out to party with her best friend, Alicia and contemplate her life. That's when she meets Xander Pierce and they hit it off pretty well, leading to a one night stand.
As fate would have it, Xander comes from a wealthy family and is the heir to a multi-million dollar hotel chain. Feeling as if she has no other choice, Grace convinces Xander the baby is his in order to secure a stable future for her unborn child.
Will Xander and Dex find out the truth about Grace's baby? What happens if they do?
~At the beginning of every chapter is a picture of the character whose point of view it is coming from.~
****This story contains mature sexual content, abuse (physical, mental, sexual, emotional), violence and touches on sensitive material that may be unsuitable for some audiences.****
Cover made by the very talented: CourtneyPeterman0 💜
🏆 First Place in The Ruby Awards
Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option.
*****
Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her...
Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault.
[[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]