The passionate story of Tessa and Hardin continues as family secrets, deep betrayals, and career opportunities threaten to tear them apart.

This is the sequel (continuation) of After. Hardin and Tessa's relationship will be tested in ways she never expected, but he knew of all along.

Tessa Young is an 18 year old college student with a simple life, excellent grades, and a sweet boyfriend. She always has things planned out ahead of time, until she meets a rude boy named Hardin, with too many tattoos and piercings who shatters her plans.

*Written in 2014* Book One in the Darien Grace Chronicles He was my siren song and all other melodies just seemed to pale in comparison.

WARNING: Story will heavily contain sexual/violent scenes, including: adult language, sex, violence, self harm, etc. It's the loneliest feeling in the world- to find yourself sitting down when everyone else is standing up. To have everybody look at you and say, "What's the matter with her?". I know what it feels like. Walking down an empty street, listening to the sound of your own footsteps. Shutters closed, blinds drawn, doors locked against you. And you aren't sure whether you're walking toward something, or if you're just walking away. People think depression is sadness. People think depression is crying. People think depression is dressing in black. But people are wrong. Depression is the constant feeling of being numb. Being numb to emotions, being numb to lie. You wake up in the morning just to go back to bed again. Days aren't really days; they're just annoying obstacles that need to be faced. And how do you face them? Through medication, through drinking, through smoking, through drugs, through cutting. When you're depressed, you grasp on to anything that can get you through the day. That's what depression is, not sadness or tears, its the overwhelming sense of numbness and desire for anything that can help you make it from one day to the next. Depression is simply, yet not so simply, Desolation. My name is Brianna Rodriguez, and this is my life... before I met him. STARTED WRITING: APRIL 2014