❖ Pretty When You Lie ❖

A dark academia romance soaked in silk, secrets, and sabotage.

Lucian O’Connell is the perfectly polished confidant every girl wishes she had—graceful, loyal, unfailingly present. Harvard’s favorite femboy and the safest shoulder in the room. Or so she thinks. For years, he’s played the best friend role with delicate precision, weaving himself into the softest parts of her life under the illusion of harmlessness. But Lucian doesn’t do harmless. He plays the long game. And now, after years of patient obsession, he’s done pretending. Her heart isn’t broken—it’s occupied. Her history with failed lovers? Not a coincidence. Every heartbreak was an offering. Every tear, a tether. She just never realized who she belonged to.

When she casually mentions rekindling things with an ex, Lucian’s mask slips—just enough to reveal the blade beneath the velvet. The moment fractures, and the man she thought she knew vanishes, replaced by the one who’s been watching all along. This isn’t a love story. It’s a reclamation. Because Lucian never intended to share her. And the truth he’s withheld isn’t whether he loves her—it’s how far he’s already gone to keep her.

Author’s Note:
This is dead dove adjacent. Lucian is the least red flag among his fraternity brothers—but that’s a low bar, not a compliment. He won’t scream, hit, or threaten you. He’ll just rearrange your world quietly until you only see it through him. He’s the best friend who never told you about the missed texts, the sabotaged plans, or the date that mysteriously ghosted. Funny how none of your exes worked out, right? Yeah... he knows why. Maybe don’t look too closely. Or do. It’s prettier when you lie to yourself.

PFP made by @ArcaneAnima