Liviana was a dreamer. She was the person who always thought the best-case scenario before the worst. The type to see the silver lining in a storm cloud and the half of the glass that was full, ignoring the part that was empty. At least, that is who she tried to be. Who she convinced herself, and everyone else around, that she was. When in reality, she was just a girl who believed in hope. And even then, sometimes she lost that. And one of those times was when they pulled up to the tattoo parlor. "You change your mind yet?" At the sound of her husband's voice, Liviana lets out a small huff. She leans back in her seat, hand lingering at her seatbelt's buckle as she stares at the sign. Tattoos and piercing. Maybe she had changed her mind. "Is it too late?" She asks. "To, what? Change your mind?" Blaze asks, watching as her green eyes stare ahead, her leg bouncing with nerves. She nods. "Perhaps I could just get a piercing instead?" "Perhaps." The man shrugs. "It would be les
"So, what do we think?" "I think that it's good that I chose a spot where it can be hidden." Liviana mutters, letting her shirt fall and fixing her jeans, turning to face Violet and Leona who linger behind her and the mirror. "It's beautiful, though. And I love it." "Well, if you love it, then somebody else's opinion should not matter." Leona says, giving her a pointed look as she comments that Liviana shouldn't care what her parents thought. "Yeah." Violet agrees. "It's your body, Livi. You can do with it what you please and your parents don't get a say in any of it." "It's your body, your life, and your happiness on the line." Leona says, placing a hand on her shoulder and spinning her back to face the mirror. Violet lifts the corner of her shirt for her to see the blue butterfly once more. "Don't let your parents dictate it, okay? You have to do what's right for you." "And if getting a beautiful picture of art tattooed onto your skin is what feels right for you," Violet adds,
Smoothing down the dark emerald silk, Liviana takes a deep breath, admiring the way it hugs her figure through the reflection of her mirror."You look great." Violet compliments from behind, flashing her a smile through the glass.Liviana spins around to return the gesture and compliment, complimenting the lavender dress her blonde friend wears. "You look amazing, Violet. Purple really suits you." She says, and Violet smiles."Thank you." Violet smiles."Alright," Leona starts, rounding through the door with her heels clicking loudly, her blue velvet dress dragging on the floor behind her. "How are we doing in here? Are we ready?"Violet only raises a brow at Liviana in question, waiting for her to take the lead, and when she nods, Violet does, too. "Yes, I think we are." Violet says, turning around to face Leona who nods, staring at her phone and informing them that they had twenty minutes to get to the venue."I thought you said it doesn't start until seven?" Liviana asks, and Leona
“Liviana?” The knocking persists and the woman in question sighs.Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Liviana tilts her chin up and plasters a smile on her face. “Coming!” She calls before turning to open the door, greeting the woman on the other side and praying she couldn’t see past her wide smile.. “Hi, Elara!”The mother-in-law couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Do not take that fake enthusiastic tone with me, Liviana.” She warns, strutting past her into the girl’s bedroom. “And don’t think that overcompensating smile is going to fool me into thinking that you’re alright, when I know that you’re anything but.”Liviana sighs, letting the door fall closed once more than she turns to face the older woman. There’s an inner battle of debate on whether to feign ignorance of having no idea what she was talking about, continuing her act of being perfectly fine, or to give Elara a peek behind the curtains to find her true vulnerable self that was riddled with anxiety, intimidated by ju
A smile that wavers is a smile of false of promise.The wise words of Drusilla Santora. Her version of never let them see you weak, though a much more shallow take, Liviana had to admit.Her mother's version of the uplifting saying, was one almost as superficial as the person who says never let them see you without your face - another one of her mothers most popular phrases, and unluckily for Liviana, it fit in perfectly with her mothers favorite lecture."Drop the grim expression, Liviana. You can't let them see you as anything less than promising. And what have I always told you about a wavering smile?""That it shows false promise." Liviana would mumble as she bows her head, avoiding her mother's eyes as she gets belittled in yet another of her parents' routine rants."Exactly." Her mother would agree. "And nobody likes a fake."Liviana wasn't sure why this conversation was replaying in her mind tonight. She knew it by heart- of course she did. It was a common "conversation" in her
The Castelli family was a masterpiece. A piece of art held at the highest standards, while everyone stood around admiring them. In every detail, they were the ideal. Every stitch, every shot, every stroke of their brush was all done with such craft that it was nothing less than a picture of perfection.Their reputation was one of the best, with not a single scratch to ruin their image. It was pristine, and it was something they all made sure of.Elara Castelli was the queen. A ruler who wore her heart on her sleeve- a sleeve that contained a dagger. With a strong mind and loving heart, Elara had a perfect balance between kindness and cruelty. She was an angel whose wings were made of hellfire. They sparked, and she would watch as they fall, turning those around into ash. And if you were lucky, if you were kind, she would do you the honors of helping you rise from the ashes and become better. She was gracious, understanding, caring, and a killer. And as much respect as she was given, s
The room is filled with a silence that raises tensions; the family sitting around with bowed heads as they sat before the angry woman, waiting for her to speak- or more so, yell.And that’s exactly what she did.“Do you have any idea of what you’ve done?!” Elara shouts, wagging a finger in her daughter’s face as she lectures. “Do you?!”“I know exactly what I’ve done.” Amara says with a shrug.“Is that so?” Elara scoffs. “Because I really don’t believe that you do-““I was doing my job.” The daughter declares, a smug smile on her face as she turns to look at the ‘happy couple’ that’s been the hot topic ever since they announced their engagement. And from what she was seeing, in the uncomfortable way Liviana sits and the glare Blaze gives, after tonight, they weren’t going to be happy or a couple for much longer. “And as far as I can tell, I’ve done a pretty good one.”“Oh, I’m sorry? Your job?” Elara scoffs, spinning around to share a look with her husband, who can see the dangerous l
Blood is thicker than water.It was a very popular saying, conveying the message that those who you share blood with are your family. And to most, that was the truth. DNA is what links you to love- a familial love you can only find in one place. And that's those you're related to. Parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents. That's your one and only family.It's the black and white way of thinking, the thought being that the ones you're born with are the only ones who will love you all the way to death. The ones you share the same blood with are the ones who brought you into the world and the ones who will be there for you when you leave it. They're the only ones you can count on, to love you, to comfort you, to see you through thick and thin.To those who share that thinking, they believe that family is only blood. You can have friends, spouses, strangers you look up to from a far. You can know them your entire life, you can love them with your entire being, and you ca