Grayson's life seems full of roses, but beneath the petals lies a tangled garden of inner battles and shadows that linger even after Charlie is gone. Each day feels as heavy as the last, yet he pushes through the pain and the trauma. Troubles arise as he faces the true damage Charlie left behind from years of abuse-everything he touches seems to fracture, from his romantic relationships to his bonds with friends and family. Haunted by flashbacks and nightmares, Grayson sinks deeper into despair, making choices that threaten to tear his world apart. Old secrets surface like thorns, ready to reopen his wounds as he confronts the chilling truths about his father and the mystery surrounding his mother's death. Even with Julian and Russell standing by him, he feels trapped in a cage meticulously crafted by Charlie's wicked hands. Will he discover the strength to break free before the shadows close in and consume him whole?

Grayson is one more teenager who announced trouble by mere looks, breaking every rule on his path with a home he dreaded returning to after school and would sometimes walk the street wishing he never made it back. He worked too many jobs to pay a debt he knew nothing of, and as an orphan, he did too many things without thinking and he was used to accepting severe consequences, however, things began to change when his custody was transferred to his uncles. He gets to be in a family with other kids, and he can't help but wreak havoc that he very much enjoyed, unfortunately, his new environment offered more scrutiny and discipline even if it required a hardcore old-school punishment and a tough love. Will he ever fit? Or must he face the old home he dreaded, again?

Years have fallen away like petals from a dying rose, yet the roots of the past refuse to wither. Grayson fought relentlessly to seal the door on his past, leaving only the scars etched into his skin-marks of a battle long endured, of a warrior forged in suffering. Scars he wished had never been carved into him, yet ones he had no choice but to bear. The abuse, the pain, all buried deep beneath the weight of time, cemented alongside Charlie's grave. But the past is never truly silent. When Grayson crosses paths with a ghost from his childhood torment, the door he fought so hard to lock swings open, unleashing memories long suppressed. His first instinct is to run-to flee as he always has. Yet, with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders and a young boy looking up to him, escape is no longer an option. This time, vengeance calls his name. It stands against everything he's been taught, everything he's tried to become. All in the name of peace-true peace-that eluded him since he was three. How far will he go to claim it? Would he break his family's trust and become the killer he was meant to be?

I thought I knew who I was. Gabriel Alvarez. Twenty. Son of a poor family in Albuquerque. Big brother. Protector. Future cop. My life had been built on long nights of work, endless study, and the unshakable promise that one day I'd wear a badge strong enough to keep my family safe. But then the threads started unraveling. Whispers of a world I wasn't meant to see. Names spoken like curses. The Caruso family. The Sicilian Mafia. Everyone in the city knew they ruled from the shadows. What no one knew, what I could never have imagined, was that I carry their blood. I am the brother they lost fifteen years ago. Every step I take now feels like a betrayal. To the family who raised me, who trust me with their lives. To myself, who swore I would fight men like the Carusos. And when the moment comes, when the truth tears everything apart, I don't know which side I'll stand on. The law I've devoted my life to... or the brothers who claim me as their own?

This is a story about Noah. Noah has always lived with his parents, he was loved and cared for, but ever since his Father died, his whole word came crashing down. His mother decided to move them to her new boyfriend's house. Noah could have never imagined that his sweet and loving mother would become a drug addict, always neglecting him as he dies slowly in the arms of James, her new boyfriend. When her heart failed, it became worse. He wasn't alive, he was simply surviving. But what happens when a stranger comes to rescue him. Someone he found himself getting attached to even though he knew the risk. (Not lgbtq) After 13 years of pain. Noah finally knew how it was to be loved again, to be cared for. Noah finally found someone to lean on. A Man who became his solace in a world of pain. Noah found himself letting down the walls he had worked so hard to build around himself. He found himself melting into the Embrace of a stranger who became a family. Oh but that's not all, what if all this has something to do with his past? What if there was a huge mystery behind his parent's death? What if...this stranger has something to do with his past? . A past that he totally forgot about. What if everything that he has ever believed was all...a lie? What if all this was just some twisted revenge? Dive in to find out about the secrets that surround Noah as he tried to not run mad because of the secrets. (Not a good description but I promise it will be worth it when you read the story.) . . . Mind you this is not an LGBTQ story Purely about friendship and family battles. The cover of this book was not designed by me I took it from Pinterest. I am only writing this book because I can't seem to find this kind of stories in Wattpad maybe there is idk. Well dive in and happy reading. Don't forget to vote comment about your thoughts And follow me please.