Sometimes the monster isn't under your bed... but sleeping with you in it. For April Holloway, her mother Naomi was just a memory-a beautiful, tragic blur from a childhood of luxury and fear. The official story was that she left. The family never spoke of her again. Everything changes when a mysterious package arrives. Inside is Naomi's diary, sent by a stranger named Anna. Its pages, scented with jasmine and menthol cigarettes, don't suggest a story of abandonment. 1985, The Red Velvet Restaurant. Naomi is a young waitress. She meets Damian Holloway, who is handsome, rich, and charismatic. To her, it's like a beautiful story from a fairy tale. To him, it's just the start of a game. As their world of fancy parties and expensive clothes starts to feel more and more closed off from her, Naomi starts writing more and more dark entries in her diary. Now, April must read her mother's truth. She uncovers the problems in her parents' marriage, the way her parents' relationship changed over time, and the shocking reality of her father. But the diary holds more than just past pain. VELVET SCARS is a raw and relentless journey into the heart of a domestic thriller, where the most terrifying monsters wear the mask of love.