MATURE

Life hasn’t been kind to me. One moment, I was a carefree eighteen-year-old with dreams of a bright future. The next, I was a 28 year old lady and my world went up in flames. literally. My mom died in the fire that destroyed our home, my little sister is in a coma, and my brother’s in jail for trying to keep us afloat. My dad? He left us drowning in debt and despair.

I thought I’d hit rock bottom, but then I found myself working in a place where dreams go to die, doing things I never imagined just to survive. That’s when he walked into my life, Alex Romanov. Dangerous. Mysterious. And entirely out of my league.

He’s everything I should fear, but there’s something about him that draws me in. Maybe it’s the way he looks at me like I’m more than just another broken soul. Or the way he makes me feel alive when I thought I’d forgotten how.

But Alex has secrets, dark ones that could destroy us both. And as my past collides with his world, I’m left wondering: Can I trust the man who’s slowly stealing my heart, or will his darkness swallow me whole?

This isn’t the life I wanted, but it’s the one I’ve been given.

I stared at the ceiling, my fingers clenching around the edge of the blanket. I hated how everything in my life had become this waiting game, waiting for news, waiting for control, waiting for the moment I could finally wipe that smug innocence off Bella's face.


I rolled my eyes just thinking of her. Sweet little Bella, all soft edges and tragic tears. The precious puppet Alex now kept at his side.


I used to be the one he touched like that. I used to be the one who got his attention.


My phone buzzed on the nightstand, slicing through my rage like a knife. I reached over and snatched it without hesitation. A message from my private investigator.


Chapter 248 - 250