the sweetest con [d.m]

note from nyx

i know everyone's gonna be mad at this ending LOL

i've had this written since i started the book but im still not happy w it myself so pls be nice to me

also thank you for waiting so long for this epilogue. even though i had the outline already written, it was SO hard to find time to make it an actual epilogue so if it seems a little rushed, i apologise. it's definitely not my best work — but i didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer and in any case, it's supposed to be an open ending

however, this note isn't to discuss the substandard epilogue. you can draw your own conclusions: did mavi go back eventually? did draco realise she wasn't coming back and decide to just continue life with thea? does he divorce her to be with mavi? does he resign eventually and beg for mavi's forgiveness? im curious to see what you guys hypothesise, knowing both mavi and draco's personalities so drop your theories here!

from now on, i want to tell you a couple things that i think are important. trigger warning for r*pe.

as i said in the beginning of this book, mavi is based largely off me and my experiences (minus the ill father and the smoking hot auror she lives with ofc). easton is a piece of shit but unfortunately, many men like him get excused as normal men.

as "sex is an integral part of a relationship so you have to have sex with me or I'll leave".

as "i didn't hold you down and rip your clothes off, it isn't rape, stop making it sound like rape."

as "if you wanted to, you could've left. i didn't use violence to keep you there."

as "if you didn't want it, why did you let me? why didn't you scream at me or walk out?"

as "we talked about it before and you said yes. if you say no in the moment that it's happening, im gonna be confused."

as "why'd you send me pictures then?"

as "why'd you sext me then?"

as "yeah, you didn't say yes but you didn't say no either. how was i supposed to know?"

as "you just stood there. i thought you wanted it. why didn't you stop me?"

as "you said yes eventually. sure, i needed to convince you but you still said yes. it was your decision. you could've continued to say no."

and a million more excuses they'll use to try and justify the fact that they disregarded your consent. it is not difficult to tell when someone is into it. it is even easier to tell when someone does not want to do it — but regardless, asking is always the best way.

let me tell you something: for all these pathetic excuses above and for all the other ones that i haven't listed but i know many people have heard — it is rape. it is sexual assault. i wish i could've seen it earlier too — but like mavi, i was justifying it to myself. do not do that to yourself. do not think you hold even one percent of the blame for not running out, for not yelling at him, for not hitting him, for not shoving him off. the freeze response is a real thing.

it is not your fault. do not shoulder that blame. it will kill you.

on another note, take this advice from a people-pleaser: do not people-please. you will please everyone else — but you will be under so much pressure, it'll paralyse you. be brave enough to assert yourself. be brave enough to say what you think. you do not have to shrink yourself to fit in someone else's box. the right people will love you in your own.

i say all this because through this book, you've watched mavi people-please, you've watched her put up with abusive relationships, you've watched her bite her tongue to keep her own wants and needs within herself. and i don't want you to think that's a healthy mindset. it's nice to want to make people happy — so make people happy, but not at your own expense.

the way you guys treated mavi with such kindness in this book really made me feel so much better about things that have happened to me. im so glad i haven't seen even one comment saying she's partly to blame for what happened to her. thank you for that.

this is a very long, serious note — but it's because mavi is as realistically close to me as i could make her. elara is who i aim to be, mavi is who i really am — and in my next book, i plan to write a character who is me at my worst.

i don't know how active i can be on here from now on. im having a very tough semester and there's alot on my plate regarding my future career. i also haven't been able to get my instagram account back yet and i'm beginning to doubt they'll ever give it back to me.

i will still pop on here every now and then — but i can't start a new book until my semester ends in june. and i have plans for the summer which may keep me too busy to write.

but!!! this is not the last of me. i will definitely be writing a new book because i physically cannot stop and i hope you guys stick around until then. if not, then thank you for staying this long and i hope tsc didn't disappoint.

drink ur water, don't text your ex and get 8 hours of sleep every night!

kisses,

forever and always,

nyx <3