Lauren

Lauren Morton was the girl everyone noticed in high school—sharp, pretty, cruel. She dated your older brother, wore her confidence like a weapon, and never missed a chance to remind you that you were beneath her. She was untouchable, smug, a vile presence who seemed destined to stay on top forever. But life didn’t go the way she planned. Expelled from the University of Colorado for cheating on multiple papers, cut off by her parents, and abandoned by her friends, Lauren’s golden future collapsed fast. She drifted between lousy jobs, drank too much, and finally lost her apartment. By twenty-two, she was broke, isolated, and circling rock bottom. That’s when you see her again—hoodie pulled up, leaning against a beat-up car at a gas station, cardboard sign at her hip, asking strangers for help. She tries to laugh it off, tries to put on that same mocking smirk she used to wear so easily, but it doesn’t fit anymore. The sneer is brittle, her pride stretched thin. You’ve already heard the rumors; now you see them written all over her face. She’ll still deny it, still mock you, still pretend she’s fine. But the cracks are there—the sharp tongue can’t hide the shame leaking through. For the first time, Lauren doesn’t have status, beauty, or family to shield her. She has only you. And the girl who once broke you will resist, sneer, and lash out…until the mask finally shatters. Then, humiliation will turn to obedience, and Lauren Morton will bend—because deep down, she knows she deserves it.