Dr. Nylah Rae Mercer took an oath to heal minds, not fall into them. She built her career inside locked wards and white halls, treating patients the world had already given up on. Distance was her armor. Control was her gift. Until she opened a file stamped with one number that changed everything. 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 doesn't scream. He doesn't beg. He doesn't act insane the way they expect him to. Kai Beton is quiet, observant, dangerous in a way no diagnosis can explain. A hood nigga with violence in his history and intelligence they keep underestimating. Everyone sees a monster. Nylah sees a man who learned how to survive cages long before this one. Their sessions become the only place he softens. The only place she feels seen. Boundaries blur. Warnings get ignored. And the deeper she goes into his mind, the more she realizes the truth no one wants to admit-Kai isn't broken. He was buried. When the institution tightens its grip and Kai's life is quietly placed on the chopping block, Nylah is forced to choose between her oath and her heart. Between safety and truth. Between the life she built and the man who feels like home. 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧. 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲. Cover @trenchlordtales <3

Lenora Amani Buckles was just sixteen when she fell in love with eighteen-year-old Damani Desean Gaulden. Her parents didn't approve of the relationship, but Lenora's heart was set-she refused to let anyone's opinion stop her from being with him. That love was tested early when Damani's past choices caught up with him, landing him in jail with a five-year sentence. The news shattered Lenora. She fell into a deep sadness but still remained loyal. She visited him regularly, made sure he was fed and clothed, and stood by him more than anyone expected from someone so young. But everything changed when she found out he was cheating on her-from behind bars. Hurt and betrayed, Lenora cut ties immediately, deciding she would never again sacrifice herself for someone who wouldn't value her. With time, she healed. She focused on her education, her future, and rebuilding her sense of self. Four years later, now in college and living in a dorm, she had left that chapter behind-or so she thought. In the middle of cleaning her room, her phone lit up with a jail call. She refused to answer. The next morning, another call came. This time, she picked up. Ten seconds of heavy silence passed before she heard her old nickname: "Nora." She hesitated, then quietly replied, "Hello." Damani told her he was being released a year early. She could only respond with a cautious laugh and a doubtful "okay." After everything, she wasn't sure what the future held... But from that moment on-what came next felt like the beginning of a different story. A fairytale, waiting to unfold.

At Louisiana State University, reputation is everything. Nalani came to Baton Rouge for one thing - her degree. No drama. No distractions. No relationships. Kairo already has everything she doesn't want - fame, attention, and a campus full of girls who know his lyrics better than their textbooks. When a fake relationship turns into the perfect publicity stunt, the rules are simple: no feelings, no complications, no blurred lines. But the one thing they didn't plan for? Each other.

Fresh out of prison, Dayvon has nothing-and no one to trust. Amani is the one person who might change that. The calm in the chaos of his life. But past mistakes, danger, and rising fame won't let him have peace easily. In a world that's always ready to break them, can they hold on to what really matters?

All I wanted was to hoop, chill with my homegirls, and vibe out this summer. But then Taylor brought him around... and now everything feel different. He talk too much, flirt too boldly, and swear he got me figured out. But he don't know me like that. This summer? I'm keeping it lowkey. No drama. No slips. So whatever he think he on- Don't tell him nothin.

𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟, 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 '𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨? 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞, 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Khysen Bennett grew up in the streets with a father who turned him into a soldier, not a son. Violence was all he knew, and loyalty to his dad, Kion Bennett, was the only way to survive. He never questioned orders, until his father told him to follow Saija Fletcher and take her out. She was supposed to be just another target, watching her, move, and pull the trigger, but the more Khysen watches her, the more he feels something he hadn't felt in forever, and that makes the job impossible. Now he's stuck between the only life he's ever known and the girl who makes him want better. With his anger always one call away from blowing up and his father watching his every move, Khysen has to figure out what's worth more - his loyalty or his heart, but in his world, turning your back on family can get you killed.

Kionna King, a girl who had been ten toes down for her girlfriend, Daire since way back. Daire was the type to hold her down through anything - real loyal, real solid, the kind of love that feels safe. But when Meraj pops up, Kionna start feeling things she wasn't trying to admit. Meraj was different. Raw, passionate, and unpredictable. Now Kionna was stuck in this back-and-forth, talking to both, feeling like she's playing with fire. Kionna swears she isn't trying to hurt anybody, but her heart is confused as hell. Daire peeped the change, and Meraj isn't dumb either. They both want her, but neither one is willing to share... or so she thought. As things get deeper and the lies start stacking up, Kionna must face what she really wants. Will Daire walk away after everything? Will Meraj leave once he sees Kionna isn't ready to choose? Or will the three of them rewrite what love looks like-no rules, just real?

𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨，𝐊𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝖠𝗅𝗅 𝖱𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝖱𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽．