Emily
I splashed cold water on my face.
Once.
Twice.
The droplets slid down my skin and into the collar of my dress, but I didn’t care. I gripped the edges of the sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
I was cracking.
It was subtle. Almost invisible.
But I could see it.
The faint tension around my eyes.
The tightness in my jaw.
The way my smile, when I forced it, didn’t quite reach as effortlessly as it used to.
It had been easier before Adrian.
Before he walked into my carefully controlled world and rearranged everything.
Back then, I knew exactly who I was supposed to be.
The perfect daughter.
Polite. Obedient. Untouched by scandal.
The girl without blemish.
If people wanted composure, I gave them composure.
If they wanted modesty, I gave them modesty.
If they
