My whole life has been a lie. Nobody truly knows me. But I know myself, and I’m a coward. Years ago when my heart shattered, I used the weakest adhesives to put it back together. I can’t risk falling in love. My soul is too fragile. Love isn’t guaranteed. It’s always a gamble. And I know, better than most, that it’s not worth the fall. The body can only withstand so many tragedies before it ceases to exist. Only one person has made me want more. Only one. Yet I know it would break me to lose him, and he’d be impossible to recover from. The loss—devastating.

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.

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.

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?

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.