SCARLETT
I stared at myself in the mirror.
The dim yellow light above buzzed softly, casting a warm glow over my bare skin. I looked different. Tired. Broken. My eyes weren’t the same—they carried too much now. Pain. Regret. Fear. And maybe something else I didn’t want to name.
The tightening procedure has been done. God, it hurt. It wasn’t what I expected. I cried the whole night after. It made me feel like I had damaged myself just to protect a lie. But I told myself it was worth it. It had to be.
I had picked out the sexiest dress I could find—tight red silk, backless, with a thigh slit so high it nearly reached my hip. My hair was curled soft and loose, falling around my shoulders like waves. Lipstick bold. Perfume strong. Everything is screaming. I'm ready.
I stepped out of the
