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 remembered I had no work scheduled for Saturday, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.


I opened my phone and sent her a text without overthinking it:


"Hey, I've got tomorrow free. Want to go out? Just us. I want to make it special."


I grinned at the screen like a teenage boy. "Pick you up at 2? Casual but cute. Be ready."


I spent the rest of the night planning. No shortcuts. I wanted everything to be perfect. I booked tickets to that rooftop cinema she once mentioned she'd always wanted to visit. I got a reservation at one of the most talked-about restaurants in the city. And just to be extra, I had flowers delivered to her house in the morning with a note:


 "Today is just the beginning. - Luca."


Chapter 207 - 209