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.

The breeze was soft and sweet on my skin, brushing past like a memory. The sun was beginning to set, casting golden light across the courtyard.


I had wheeled Mia to a quiet corner under the tree where we could sit and watch the day turn into night. She was wrapped in a light blanket the nurse had given her, her face glowing with a kind of peace I hadn't seen in so long. We both had melting ice cream cups in our hands, and she kept humming softly, almost like she was singing to the air.


I looked at her, my chest tightening. I still couldn't believe she was awake. That she was here. That she was talking and smiling and teasing me again. It felt like a dream I hadn't dared to dream.


"Bella," Mia said suddenly, turning to me with that same old mischievous glint in her eyes. I knew that tone. I braced myself.


Chapter 204 - 206