Thug Love

Preface

They say love is supposed to lift you up, make you feel seen, safe, complete. But that wasn't my love story—not at first. I learned the hard way that love can be a twisted thing, something that starts with sweet promises and ends with broken pieces scattered across the floor.

For years, I held onto him, thinking I could save what was already destroyed, hoping I could fix someone who had no intention of changing. I told myself that maybe I was the broken one, that maybe I just didn't understand what love was supposed to feel like. So, I learned to live with the bruises—some on my skin, others buried deep where no one could see. I told myself that pain was normal, that it was just how he showed he cared.

But then he came along.

It was his friend who made me feel alive, who looked at me as if I deserved more than fear and silence. He was dangerous, in a different way—rough around the edges, with secrets in his eyes and scars of his own. But when he looked at me, I saw something I'd never seen before: respect. Safety. Freedom.

Falling for him was inevitable, reckless, forbidden. Yet for the first time, I wanted to be reckless. I wanted to break free, to run toward the unknown, even if it meant risking everything. Because with him, I wasn't just surviving—I was alive.

But love, real love, doesn't come without a price. And I know now that loving him will demand more from me than I ever imagined.