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 woke up feeling warm and safe, wrapped in the expensive silk sheets of the room Alex had given me. The scent of him still lingered in the air, making my heart race even though I knew exactly what I was to him. Just another girl. Another one of his many distractions. But no matter how much I told myself that, my feelings refused to listen.


The days turned into weeks, and before I knew it, I had been with Alex for months. He never asked me to leave and never treated me badly. He paid me well and made sure I had everything I needed. Even knowing he only saw me as a sex worker, even knowing he paid me generously for my time, I couldn't stop loving him. And when I had finally paid off all my debts, when I was free to leave, I stayed. Because leaving meant losing him.


But he never told me I was special. Never told me I was different from the others.


Chapter 78 - I had fallen for him