Painting Stars
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Twelve years ago, Delaney Calloway vanished without a trace during a family reunion in England. The best detectives in the world failed to find her. Now, sixteen-year-old Stella, her little sister, refuses to believe Delaney is gone.
Bullied and broken, Stella drops out of school and travels alone to England, determined to uncover the truth. But what she finds is darker than she ever imagined-a tangled web of secrets, lies, and danger.
With a hacker, a troubled detective's son, and a mysterious podcaster by her side, Stella discovers that some stars burn brighter when they're lost in the dark.
But not every truth wants to be found.
Will Stella find her sister? Or will she become the next missing star?
All Rights Reserved
#65
coldcase
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𝐆𝐈𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎, a young girl who's never known stability. Raised by a reckless, unstable mother, she spent her childhood caught between drug runs and police raids, ruining her right for a normal childhood. One night when her mother goes missing, Giulia's whole life changes... again. Will being under the guardianship of her new older brothers give her a chance at normalcy in her life or will they cause even more mess than before? Healing isn't easy and trust doesn't come free. ☆ ☆ ☆ As I lied there in the hospital bed with a pounding headache, practically suffocating me while barely conscious, I heard that familiar, raspy, deep, sleep deprived voice that I've recently come to find comfort in. "Nessuno oserà toccarti di nuovo senza perdere le mani, amore," they whispered. (No one will dare touch you again without losing their hands, love.) I felt two hands hold my face with a soft kiss on my forehead. Their rough and large hands a contrast to their gentleness. The comforter over me shuffled as the familiar person brought them up to my chin and tucked me in. "Riposati ora sei al sicuro, bambina," they murmured, stroking my hair. Before I knew it, simply the presence of them reassured me as I felt myself drift off again into a deep sleep. (Rest now, you're safe, baby). ☆ ☆ ☆ 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 (noun): a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream.
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