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 spun around the living room, grinning like an idiot. My heart felt like it would burst from happiness. I had never felt this light before.


"Noah's coming home," I whispered to myself, hugging my arms around my body. "He's really coming home."


I laughed, jumping onto the couch, then off again, twirling. I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.


The sound of cars pulling into the compound.


I froze, my heart stilling for a second. Then it picked up again, but this time, not from excitement.


I rushed to the window, my heart still hoping. But when I peeked outside, my stomach dropped.


My fingers trembled as I pulled the curtain back, stepping away from the window. My pulse roared in my ears. I needed to hide. No, I needed to lock the door.


Chapter 122 - Open the damn door