Wounds heal, but scars remain. So even with the possibility that one can accept and move forward, it's impossible to forget. Because there will always be an irremovable mark that will remind you of every bit of pain. Growing up without a mother was Zarih's first heartache. It scarred her more than anything else. She sees how her dad grieves for her mom all the time-even after years-and it breaks her. When Zarih learned about the possibility that she might have inherited her mother's heart disease, she knew she couldn't afford to love because she wouldn't want anyone to suffer at her death. She wouldn't want to love someone just to wound him at the end. It was easy not to fall in love, only if Ace Timotheo Salvador, her summer enemy, didn't dare touch her scars... as if they were the most beautiful parts of her existence. Zarih feels like losing it... She wants to love and be loved. Maybe he can heal her scars. Maybe their story is different from her dad's. Maybe they can have a happy ending. Or maybe... She should've not risked it at all. Maybe she could've not scarred her heart more. Finished: July 21, 2022

Legacy series #3: Sierra Lavelle V. Galvez Sierra Lavelle Galvez has it all---beauty, wealth, fame, and an attitude that no one dares to cross. A spoiled brat, social influencer, and Atenean college student, Velle is used to getting her way. But when she pushes her father too far, he hires Isaac, a scholar of the Galvez and a UP student, to be her bodyguard and, much to her horror, her full-time babysitter. But Velle isn't one to back down, and Isaac isn't one to break. As Velle's perfectly controlled world starts to crumble, Isaac finds himself stepping in, not just as her protector, but as something more. What happens when sparks turn to flames? Velle and Isaac are forced to face questions neither are ready to answer. But secrets have a way of surfacing, and their growing connection might cost them more than either of them is ready to lose. Can Isaac protect Velle from the dangers around her and the ones within himself? Will Velle risk everything for a love she never expected? Or will the truth tear them apart forever? Sometimes the greatest risks are the ones taken in the dark. 01/02/25