Book III - 1

JULIA

My reflection looked utterly deceiving.

The mirror was showing me a different woman than usual, with bright pink lipstick, thick dark eyelashes, hazel contact lenses, and shoulder-length chestnut hair. She looked like she’d just come from a party—not the one who’d always worn square-framed eyeglasses and hair in a tight bun.

You changed yourself for the better, so you won’t look older than your age.

I was turning twenty-six this year, but I was still a late bloomer. I didn’t take too much time in front of the mirror, and I never cared about my appearance until I realized why men don’t date wallflowers like me. In short, I was unattractive.

And in trouble.

I was fifteen minutes late, according to my wristwatch; I came back yesterday from a two-week peaceful vacation in Southampton. I wasn’t supposed to return today, but I had grown tired of my boss’s frustrating calls and e-mails. He had called me repeatedly, saying he needed me back at once. It wasn’t easy to work as an executi