Prologue
Iwas the girl they didn't plan for.
The mistake.
The inconvenience wrapped in pink hospital blankets and whispered regrets.
My father wanted another son-another strong, polished heir to carry on the "family name."
Instead, he got me.
And my mother?
She wanted a doll.
A flawless porcelain daughter with painted lips and ballerina poise.
She got me too-just not in the shape she expected.
From the moment I could walk, I was being molded. Tucked in, tied tight, cinched into control. No voice unless spoken to, no opinions unless asked for, no food unless it kept me at ninety-eight pounds. Beauty was currency, and perfection was survival. And I-I was bankrupt on both.
"Stand up straight, Brittany."
"Don't pout, Brittany."
"Smile for the camera, Brittany."
"God, Brittany, why can't you be more like your brother?"
That last one was their favorite.
My brother, Jasper, the golden child.
The politician's pride.
My mother's perfect son.
He was my safety and my prison all in one breath.
And then there was his best friend-Aceson Rivera.
Or as the world knew him: Ace.
He was reckless and bold and never afraid of his own voice, the complete opposite of me.
He lived in our house like he owned it, laughed with Jasper in the hallways, and never once looked at me... until he did.
On my sixteenth birthday, I wore the blue dress I wasn't supposed to. The one that hugged my hips and didn't hide my body in shame. I remember the way Ace looked at me-like he saw something new.
He kissed me that night under the stairs, right after everyone else had gone to sleep.
It was my first kiss. My first heartbreak.
"It was a mistake, Brit," he told me after. "You're Jasper's little sister. It can't happen again."
He said it so easily, like he hadn't just lit my world on fire and then walked away.
And then, just to pour salt into what was already raw and bleeding-he started dating Sierra, my cousin. My rival. My tormentor.
