Heidi Alore has always been invisible. A quiet, shy girl who keeps her secrets locked away in her diary-until Ryder Pierce, the school's infamous bad boy, finds it abandoned in the bleachers. He's reading every word. Every thought. Every heartbreak. Desperate to get her diary back, Heidi agrees to his twisted game of blackmail. Sneaking into bars, taking the fall for his mistakes, stealing answers for a test-each demand drags her deeper into his world. But Ryder doesn't expect the girl with the silenced voice to be so strong. He doesn't expect the words inside her diary to shake him. And he definitely doesn't expect to fall for her. The final demand? Be his girlfriend-or never see her diary again. Enemies to lovers. Forced proximity. A dangerous game of control. What happens when the bad boy learns the truth behind Heidi's silence? ✎ᝰ Heidi's hands trembled as she reached for the diary, but Ryder yanked it just out of reach, smirking. "Not so fast, sweetheart," he drawled, flipping it open. "Let's see what today's thoughts look like, hmm?" She swallowed hard, watching as his eyes scanned the page. His usual cocky expression faltered-just for a second. Just long enough for her to notice. "Give it back," she whispered. He ignored her, turning the page, reading her words like they were something sacred. Then, he sighed, shutting the diary with a snap. "Tomorrow night," Ryder said, standing. "You, me, and my friends. We're getting into The Hollow." "The bar?" Heidi's heart pounded. "You do it," he said, tossing the diary into the air and catching it again, "and maybe-just maybe-I'll consider giving this back." She could hardly breathe. And just like that, the game had begun.

on going...

She spent years enduring pain in silence, believing the man who tormented her was her father. But when his unexpected death uncovers a shocking truth-that he was never her real father-her world shifts in ways she never saw coming. Thrown into the system, she learns she has four brothers-strangers bound to her by blood but divided by suspicion. To them, she's nothing more than an attention-seeker, a gold digger trying to take advantage of a family she never knew existed. They don't see the bruises she hides, the flinches she can't control, or the walls she's built to protect herself. Until one day, they do. One bruise leads to another, each one unraveling a past filled with pain and secrets. And suddenly, the girl they pushed away becomes the sister they never realized they needed to save. Will they learn to trust her before it's too late? Or will she remain trapped in the shadows of her past, waiting for someone to see her for who she truly is? 〤〤〤 Dark clouds loomed over the house as I gripped my backpack tighter, my heart pounding in my chest. "You think you're leaving?" His voice was cold, sharp-like broken glass against my skin. I swallowed hard. My fingers trembled against the strap. Stay quiet. Stay still. He took a slow step forward. I flinched. He noticed. He always noticed. "Look at you," he scoffed. "Pathetic. Weak. Just like your mother." I should've stayed silent. I should've let the words stab and fade. But tonight, something cracked. "She was stronger than you'll ever be," I whispered. The air shifted. His eyes darkened. And then, the world blurred.