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 sat there, my mind a mess, staring at the empty bottle of wine in front of me. I wasn't sure how many I had drunk. One bottle? Two? Maybe more. But I didn't care. The alcohol blurred everything, my thoughts, my emotions, and for a brief moment, it made everything easier to forget.


I should have known better. I shouldn't have let myself get this deep into my feelings for Alex. He'd told me to stay away from Bella, that she was his focus now, that there was nothing between us anymore. I hated the way those words stung. But what hurt the most was how easy it seemed for him to walk away.


Chapter 179 - 179