Ending my marriage is one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I vowed never to settle for anything less than I deserved again. In fact, taking time for myself—with no distractions—was all I needed. Of course, I never saw him coming. Gorgeous and amusing, he convinced me to agree to five rules.

As an author, words have always been my escape. In my mind, I've lived the many versions of happily ever afters I've written for the world to listen to. I've created swoon-worthy men who would do anything for the women they love. The worlds I've created have left women wishing the stories I've penned were real. Yet my life outside the pages is void of romance and dictated by fear—something I have in abundance while my trust is scarce. I'm terrified of the horrors that could break me and avoid them at all costs. But he found me anyway.

My fate was sealed the first time I met the gorgeous, fun, and older Ollie Hale. Though forbidden, he captivated me, and for years, I couldn’t let him go. I never thought I’d have him, but then…an unexpected kiss and the start of something new. My heart aches for his love while my mind tells me to run. I’ve seen this story before, and it doesn’t end well. He’s a damaged man unable to give me more, and I’m a woman who wants it all. I’ve dreamed of my happily ever after, but I’m terrified we’re heading toward a tragic ending. I’m just praying it doesn’t break me.

He told me that he’d destroy me. I knew he wasn’t lying, and I loved him anyway. I believed in love - in him. I just wasn’t prepared to carry the weight of his demons. I wanted forever with him, but life showed me love was temporary, and forever was a dream. Despite everything that happened, even now, I wouldn’t change any of it. For a love to have the capacity to destroy you, it has to be extraordinarily powerful - and that kind of love is impossible to walk away from.

I used to wonder if soul mates existed. I know now they’re real. Our love was true, raw, and deep - our connection, magical. Every day with him was a gift, and I knew it. He was my forever, yet our forever wasn’t long enough. Each second that passes without him hurts, and maybe it always will. They say that time heals all, and I hope they’re right. Perhaps time will save me, or maybe love will. When it comes to soul mates, who’s to say we get just one?