"See, this is exactly why I wish we never met. You came into my life and you just keep shaking everything up!" She stressed, her stomach rumbling with rage. He only stared before his lips twitched into a smirk. "You don't even believe that dumb ass shit." --- She thought running would set her free, but freedom came with a price she wasn't sure she was ready to uphold. She ran from one trap straight into another. Dreams of dancing slip through her fingers when survival forces her into a world she would have to endure. She's dragged into the dark corners of Onyx city and life is nothing as she knew it. Then he appears. A boy who feels different, who makes her believe she might have more to live for than pain. Unfortunately, in the streets nothing is ever as it seems. Every bond comes with secrets, every touch with consequences. And when betrayal cuts deeper than love, she'll learn the hard way what it really means to be slimed out. STARTED; September 18th 2025 PUBLISHED; September 27th 2025 FINISHED; FEBRUARY 7th 2026

"Woah, slow down. What?" I heard him say and I furrowed my eyebrows, looking up. "Ma.." He trailed off and I already knew it was his mother. "That has nothing to do with you." He said and I sat up because I could hear him getting angry. "What's wrong?" I asked him and he put his phone on speaker. "I can't believe you got that little.." She trailed off, too angry to even get her words out. "..whore pregnant, Sage." "And then the little slut gets an abortion, I hope she knows that she will rot in hell." She said and my heart dropped. He hung up the phone on her before she could say anything else. "Baby." He looked at me as I bit my lip, standing to my feet. "Olive." He stood to his feet as well. I quickly walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind me before Sage could catch me. I broke down crying as he stood on the other side of the door. "Babygirl, I love you." "I love you too." I told him, breathing heavily. "Don't cry, love. Nothing she says matters, she's just mad because I love you so much and there's nothing she can say to change that." "Open the door for me please?" I wiped my face before I slowly opened the door for him. "I'm done with her." He said, shaking his head. He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my waist as he shoved his head into my neck. "Until she can learn to respect you as my lady, she's out of our life."

Eight years ago, Rae Mitchell left Glencoe, Georgia without a goodbye. No note, no explanation, just a suitcase full of ambition and a heart too full to stay. She was supposed to outrun the memories. The whispers. And especially Khalil Reed, the boy who once made her believe in forever. But now she's back. Her grandmother's unexpected fall pulls her home, and with no job, no apartment, and a scandal she's still trying to forget, Rae has nowhere else to go. Glencoe hasn't changed, but Rae has. And so has Khalil. Once her first love, now the man she ghosted, Khalil isn't interested in forgiveness or small talk. He's running a business, raising his teenage sister, and trying not to care that Rae's name still hits him like it used to. In a town where everyone remembers who you used to be, Rae must confront what she left behind-family, friendship, and the one person who never stopped waiting for her to come home. But some wounds don't stay buried. Some love never really leaves. And some promises are made to be broken... until they aren't.

"i love you , that's not ever gone change"

Kay never planned to fall in love. She's a bartender who minds her business, keeps her head down, and understands that some men come with silence instead of promises. Rome Brewster is one of those men. He's charming, romantic, and dangerous in a way that doesn't need explaining. He shows up. He stays late. He learns her routines without asking permission. He doesn't offer forever-just consistency, protection, and a presence that feels too rare to ignore. What starts as quiet attraction turns into something deeper. Something chosen. Something neither of them names out loud. This isn't a story about being saved. It's about loving someone as they are. About wanting without ownership. About choosing the moment even when you know it won't last forever. Some loves don't come to stay. They come to change you.

"I don't know how to do this." He was almost embarrassed to admit it. "I ain't been right with you in a long time, but I'm gon' ask anyway. Please don't take her from me." His plea cracked something open inside of his chest. "I know I ain't a good man. I done did some shit that I can't take back and I can't make it right. But she is, she's good. She's the light in so many places I didn't know were dark." "So if there's a price that needs to be paid for all the pain that I have caused in this word and done onto others put it on me. I'll pay it. I swear I will. I'll protect her with my last breath. I'll listen and heed her warnings. I'll slow down and come home more and stop thinking that I'm alone in this world." "Just please let my baby wake up. I love her, I'm in love with her and I can't do this without her. If waking her up means I got to sacrifice letting her go so she can be safe. I'll do that. Just don't take her from this earth." "In Jesus name I pray. Amen."

Zoila inherited her autism from her mothe-and a longing for the gentle, steady love her parents share. But loud crowds, sudden noises, and unpredictable days make the world feel overwhelming. Then she meets Ezra, a quiet, patient boy who understands her in ways no one else ever has.

Everyone knew who he was and they all feared him. Except her. He had finally met his match in more ways that one.

𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁.

"𝐈'𝐦𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 !"