Page 102 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

Made of Steel

Once upon a time, my name was Summer Brooks. I fell in love with a prince and my dreams went as far as the stars. I had my whole life figured out. I had my whole life in front of me. But my life wasn't meant to be a fairy tale. Everything I knew was taken away in a flash.

Broken.

Lost.

Abandoned.

Beaten.

Ten years of pain. Ten years of torture. I'm finally free. But I'm not Summer Brooks anymore. That girl died as soon as the devil himself put his hands on me. Now I live amongst the villains. They follow me like a plague. And I have a darkness inside of me that I can't seem to escape. I lost everything, and I don't know how to keep breathing in a city that has no stars.

But even though my appearance has changed, deep down I know that a shadow of the girl I once was still remains. I don't want to give up on my past. I just need something to hold on to. Anything. And the only one that could possibly understand is someone who knows what it's like to hide in the shadows. Someone else who knows what it's like to live behind a mask.

The only thing I know for sure is that someone in this city is watching me. And I just hope to God it isn't my past catching up to me.

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Sneak Peek

Check out this chapter from Ivy Smoak's next release: Be Careful What You Joust For

Oriana

Oriana stared at her reflection as her handmaiden, Bella, braided her long blonde hair. It felt like she had been sitting in this same seat her whole life. Always waiting. But now that the wait was almost over, there was a pit forming in her stomach. What if she wasn't ready?

"Were you thinking about something like this, m'lady?" asked Bella.

Oriana looked at the elaborate braids, twisted in almost the same way her mother wore them. Her whole life she had done exactly what was expected of her. Now, if things went as planned, she'd marry Prince Rixin. The only problem was that she wasn't sure if things would go as planned.

It had been years since she had last seen Prince Rixin. Even so, it wasn't easy to forget the fact that he hadn't seemed interested in her at all. They had just been children then, but she'd still noticed the way his eyes seemed to gravitate to Bella instead. She looked up at her handmaiden.

"Actually, I was thinking about trying something a little different." If she wanted the prince to notice her, she needed to do something bold.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Bella.

Oriana thought about it. She had hoped Bella would just come up with something. Then she remembered how Bella used to wear her long, dark hair in loose curls. Oriana had always thought it was so beautiful. "What if we try more of a crown of braids with some soft curls?"

"That would look lovely. Let me see what I can do." Bella began to undo the braids.

Oriana watched as her appearance started to transform. She knew she was overthinking things, but she couldn't seem to stop. Last time she had seen the prince, she had been going through an awkward stage. It was no wonder that Prince Rixin hadn't given her the time of day. But she wasn't the girl she used to be. And she was certain the prince wasn't the same boy. She had heard the stories about his skills with a sword and his reputation in the joust. Just thinking about Prince Rixin's eyes on her made her pulse race. She remembered his smile and how it lit up his whole face. And his laugh. She bit the inside of her cheek.

Oriana still had almost two weeks to perfect her hair before the prince would arrive for the joust, but she couldn't help but feel like it wasn't enough time. She needed to calm her nerves, and playing with her hair was the only thing that seemed to help. She had to look perfect. It was easy to remember his smile and laugh. But time changed people. What if he wasn't the same? What if he wasn't the one? She bit her lip. That wasn't really what she was worried about. She was terrified that she wasn't the one he wanted.

"Ori!"

She looked in the mirror to see Nesta, her youngest sister, skipping into the room. Oriana breathed a sigh of relief, happy for the distraction.

"I'm hungry," said Nesta.

"But we just ate supper," said Oriana.

"I know. But Papa finished eating too quickly. I didn't even get to the whole left side of my plate."

"How about we sneak down to the kitchen after Bella finishes my hair?"

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