"I live for you, Emma,"Chase said.
"But...Chase, people are staring." I said, pleading with him to save us from the public eye.
"I don't care!" He screamed, the tears sliding down his face. I had never seen Chase cry.
Emma moved in with her mom into her stepfather's house and encountered the most handsome, popular playboy in school, who also happens to be her step brother. If her classmates found out about this, her peaceful life would become a horrible mess, as everyone was tripping over the Greek god.
At school she tried to distance herself from her step brother to avoid becoming the enemy of all girls, but he locked her in his arms, gazed at her with fiery eyes and dropped to his knees, "Marry me."
As Emma navigates the tangled web of high school drama, she must decide whether to risk her peaceful life for a chance at true love.
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]]