The music was too loud and the lighting too soft, and everywhere I turned, there were masks.
Real ones gold and silver and dripping with rhinestones.
Faces I couldn’t read. Intentions hidden behind champagne glasses and polite, practiced smiles.
I hated parties like this.
But I looked like I belonged.
I wore a dress the color of spilled wine. Strapless. Tight enough to silence questions. Slit high enough up one leg to make enemies forget how sharp my mouth could be.
My hair was twisted up, loose strands falling around my collarbone like bait.
I was bait.
And I knew it.
But that was the plan.
Let them come to me. Let them see the woman they thought was broken. Let them underestimate me one more time.
I’d smile through my teeth. Sip from my glass. Feed them the illusion they neede
