Novel & Cerita The Summer I Turned Pretty Books

Dear Reader, When I first dreamed of I Was More Than Pretty, I didn’t intend to write about revenge. I intended to write about returning. Returning to yourself. Because so many of us — myself included — have spent years bending and breaking to be loved. We’ve changed our faces, our voices, our truths. We’ve smiled through pain. We’ve stayed in rooms that drained us. We’ve called betrayal “love” because the silence of loneliness felt worse. And then one day, something shifts.

Elliot looked at me like he was annoyed and said, "Wendy, if your family hadn't fired Sheila after the birthday mess, she wouldn't be here. I gave her these presents to apologize on her behalf." I did not care about what he was saying. I was too angry and shouted, "Give me back my ring!" Elliot paused, looking guilty. Sheila, sitting next to him, started to speak up with a fearful look on her face. "Wendy, Elliot gave me so many gifts, and they were all wrapped up so fancily that I just couldn't get them open. I read somewhere that I could use a ring to help open the presents, so I tried it with the one right here."

The snow-white petals bloomed delicately against my pale fingertips, and that memory had pushed him to leave that small house in a hurry. He continued along the path, but it seemed endless. Anxiety clawed at his chest, and he pressed his hand over his heart, feeling it pound violently. Before the hypnosis ended, Ethan found himself awake. The psychiatrist held the notebook from the session. Words filled the pages. [Fall University. Going to Fall University. Take Sadie to Fall University. Fall University on Richmond Road.] “Mr. Jones, your memory seems to be jogging. I suggest you visit Fall University,” the psychiatrist said, laying the notes in front of him.

Amelia was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, laughing with Ellis about some book they’d just finished — One Day in December by Josie Silver. Micah had read it, too. He’d seen it in Amelia’s hands a few weeks back and picked up a copy himself, staying up until dawn to finish. He’d told himself it was just curiosity — wanting to know what she liked. But the truth was, he wanted to understand her world. When Hailey caught him watching Amelia laugh, her face softened first, then tensed. Later, when they were alone, she said quietly, “You look at her like she’s art.”

However, before leaving, I took the notebook with me. The next day, I hired a professional to help me open it. In that notebook, I finally uncovered the truth—and the identity of the person who had harmed me. It was Jerry. His real name was Tommy Wilkins. He also had a younger sister, Bernice Wilkins, who depended entirely on him. Bernice and Michael were practically childhood sweethearts. She had taken a job just to help cover his school fees. Michael was named campus heartthrob the moment he arrived. At the same time, he was a straight-A student. He appeared perfect in every way.

Olivia had spent the past few years at Ethan’s side, gentle and attentive. She took good care of the child and obeyed Ethan in everything. A woman like that seemed incapable of doing something so cruel. “This is ridiculous.” Ethan let out an icy snort and tossed the letter onto the desk. For some reason, the words in that letter clung to him like a thorn buried under his skin. He could not ignore them. Olivia had returned at the exact moment his company began to recover.

He kept his look consistent until she hesitantly let up on the stranglehold she had on the book and given it over to him. He reclined and flipped through the polished pages, stopping to a great extent prior to smiling innocently up at her. He looked so stunningly attractive that briefly she didn't understand that he was conversing with her. "My apologies, since I didn't exactly get what I am seeing through you right now." She murmured and his smile extended as he flipped the book toward her, tapping his long pointer on the image of a smiling dark Labrador retriever. "I had one very much like this," he informed and she scowled.

Dominic hoisted the employee by the collar while growling out menacingly, "How dare you lie to me! There wasn't any wind back then! I'll give you three minutes to cough up Ophelia's ashes right now!" Dominic had completely changed into a brand new person over the past two years. He was used to being brutal and decisive when it came to business dealings, which allowed him to develop an intimidating air over time. The employee could only slump against the wall helplessly. Still, a trace of mockery flashed across his eyes. "Sorry, Mr. Sharp. We really don't have Ms. Burton's ashes. I gave you all of her ashes back then. You were the one who dropped the urn and scattered her ashes. If you keep c

He must know for sure now that she was lying. “It has your name in it. It is yours, right?” She nodded, surveying it. It was all there. She had forgotten about it. “There were some loose pages. I gathered them all up and put them back in. I hope I got them all,” he said. “You did,” she said softly, touched, embarrassed. “I followed the trail of pages, and the funny thing is….they lead me down the alley.” She continued to look down at the book, refusing to make eye contact.

Finally. She need not pretend any longer. In William’s arms was where she wanted to be. ~The End~ Look for these books in this series: Let's Fall in Love Again (book 2) Let's Create a Wonderland (book 3) Let's be Together (book 4)