The Darkness Behind Her Smile (COMPLETE)
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Some scars are invisible-hidden behind a smile.
Lily Carter is the new girl at Hartley High, a quiet survivor with a perfect smile that hides everything she's desperate to forget. Haunted by a past that won't stay buried and trapped in a home that feels more like a prison, she's mastered the art of being unnoticed. Until Jace Rivera sees her.
He's the school's untouchable bad boy with sharp eyes, a sharper tongue, and a reputation for trouble. But beneath the danger is something else-something just as broken. He doesn't just notice Lily-he sees her. And he won't look away.
As their worlds collide, Lily finds herself pulled into a relationship she never expected-intense, magnetic, and terrifying in its intimacy. But the closer Jace gets, the harder it is for her to keep hiding the truth. About her past. About her pain. About what it means to finally be seen.
Dark, romantic, and deeply emotional, The Darkness Behind Her Eyes is a story of trauma, trust, and the kind of love that doesn't ask for permission.
In a world full of masks, he's the only one who dares to look beneath hers.
#4 out of 2.12k stories for DAMAGED - 5/18/25
#3 out of 1.45k stories for ARTISTIC - 5/18/25
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He's the guy everyone warns you about- with fists full of trouble, ink on his skin, and a stare that dares you to look away. She's the girl no one notices- quiet, sharp, always two steps ahead and one word from setting everything on fire. When Ivy Lane calls out Carter Hayes in front of the entire class, it should've ended with silence. Instead, it ends with detention. Together. One empty classroom. Two stubborn hearts. And a thousand seconds where the tension cuts deeper than any insult. He calls her princess. She calls him predictable. But the longer they're stuck in the same room, the more obvious it becomes- Hate might be the safest thing they feel.
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