Chapter 33: Vee

“You look amazing,” Pierre exclaimed.

I glanced at myself in the mirror once more and smiled. The hairdresser had cut off more than he’d indicated with his fingers, but it still looked great.

“Don’t go overboard, Pierre! Or I’ll end up looking like a mushroom.”

Pierre rolled his eyes and continued working.

I was surrounded by the team of stylists Scott had arranged for me. I had agreed to every condition they suggested regarding my image.

“Don’t worry, Raven. We’re not changing your essence—just enhancing it.”

He was right. I flirtatiously flicked my newly shorter, dark hair. I had dyed it just a few days ago, adding some blue highlights. I looked like a movie star. But inside ... I still felt like an impostor. My life had changed so radically in the past seven months.

Scott had become my agent. Work took up most of my day. Between promoting the film, the first advertising offers and brand collaborations, and the acting classes I’d signed up for, thanks to Scott’s connections—I hardly had time for myself. And for that, I was grateful. Idle hours only brought thoughts of Yaron—of us. Of what was lost. It had been more than two hundred days since I’d last heard his voice.

I stepped out onto the balcony. I liked feeling the breeze on my face and letting the city’s constant noise drown out the one in my head.

“Everything’s okay?”

April, my PA, came over, smiling sweetly. She was a sweetheart and had been with me since Scott had come into my life.

Sometimes we talked about our personal lives, but only superficially. I didn’t truly know her. I didn’t trust anyone, not the way I had trusted Yaron. I had opened up a little with Patti, but even with her, I always measured my words.

Scott was the only one I felt safe with. I still saw him as some kind of father figure and he actually acted like one.

I looked at April and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m just nervous.”

“It’s going to be a great day. You’re going to dazzle them. Trust me.”

I smiled at April, pretending to believe her. And, in a way, I did.

I was sure I’d do well, even if that sounded pretentious. I had dreamed countless times of seeing myself like this. Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, the shiny fabric of the dress seemed to sparkle. It was stunning—a black satin bodice that ended in shorts, with a black-tulle skirt flowing from the waist. The drapery reminded me of mermaids.

I had quickly gotten used to my new hair. Shorter. Sleek. Straight bangs. The natural dark color with blue highlights stood out against my olive skin. It was daring. It was bold. And I liked it. Not only because I felt good, but because of what it symbolized. They’d put makeup on me too, though all you could see were my curled lashes and the dark red of my lips.

Things were going exactly as I had dreamed, but I wasn’t happy. I would never be truly happy without Yaron by my side, holding my hand. And I hated that my happiness depended so much on someone else. He had slipped into my dreams and become a part of them. Only, these two dreams weren’t compatible.

April looked at me, her eyes sparkling.

“Come on, let’s take a picture.”

“Are you crazy?”

But despite my words, April rushed off to grab her Polaroid. She loved vintage things, which was how we connected.

When the picture dried, April placed it on my dresser and grabbed a marker. She wrote the date on the back, scribbling something along the front edge.

When she handed it to me, I smiled.

“The day Raven Black dazzled the entire world.”

“A good title for a book.”

I placed the photo in my purse, unaware it would be one I’d keep for many years. A photo marking the end of one chapter of my life, and the beginning of a very different one.

Minutes later, I was sitting in a limo, ready to dazzle the world.

I met a lot of important people on the night of the premiere. Actors, directors, musicians, late-show hosts, and even supermodels. People who, seemed to me, to be from another planet, but who were real, like me. By putting them on my level, I dared to believe that one day, I could become as unattainable as they were.