Emilia Martens is a down to earth, shy, no average 16-year-old. There is nothing ordinary about Emilia when she has eyes that make her stand out and a medical condition that limits her.
She craves to be just like every other teenager, but alas, it is nearly impossible when her parents treat her like a prisoner. Homeschooled ever since she can remember, the only people she has in her life are her parents, her home school teacher, a cat and her childhood friend.
But things are soon to change when her over-worrying mother and her loving father finally agree to let her attend a school. Emilia is given a chance to try and have a normal teenage life. Just like any other teenage girl, she goes through the struggles of adjusting to a new lifestyle, such as going to a private school for the first time, making more than one friend, and talking to boys who constantly stare at her like she's from a different galaxy.
During her new found freedom, she slowly learns things about herself. Things that were kept secret all her life until someone opens her eyes for the very first time. Someone neither friend or foe, but someone who changes her life forever.
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.
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