𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

Author's Note & Disclaimer

Author's Note & Disclaimer

Thank you for choosing to read this story.

Before you begin, please note that this novel explores dark and mature themes, including the mafia underworld, manipulation, and emotionally complex—and often toxic—relationships. It's intended for mature readers and contains scenes that may be triggering, such as violence, emotional abuse, and trauma. These elements are fictional and not meant to glorify or romanticize harmful behavior. Rather, they are used to explore human psychology, survival, and power from a deeply flawed, sometimes uncomfortable, perspective.

This is a story built around flawed people making flawed choices.
Not every relationship is healthy. Not every ending is clean. But that's what makes it real—in a fictional kind of way.

Now, a bit of honesty from me to you:

This book has been rewritten four times.
Each version has brought me a little closer to what I wanted this story to be. I once said I'd keep rewriting it until I got it right—but this time, this is it. This is the last version. I've polished some parts, tweaked others, and debated rewriting the ending completely. But in the end, I've chosen to keep most of it as it was—because this book, messy as it may be, started everything for me.

It's the book that pushed me to write seriously.
The one that helped me find my voice.
The one that—if you've read my work before—you may notice all the beginnings of the writer I've become... or still hope to be.

There are simple symbols next to chapter titles—some of you might notice them, some may not. They're not explained outright, because they're not meant to be. They're there for readers who like to guess, interpret, and feel their way through things. Like this story itself, some answers are meant to stay just out of reach.

If you're new here, welcome.
If you're returning, thank you for coming back.
Either way—I hope this story grips you, wrecks you, and stays with you.

—With love.