Avoidance; is a survival instinct that looks like control. It's keeping people at arm's length, pretending nothing matters, and running before anything real has the chance to stay. It isn't loud. It isn't obvious. But it ruins things all the same. -------- "You're trouble." "Took you long enough to notice." ------ oc x oc Josie Walsh x Finn Holland Ballerina x Rugby Player Enemies to Lovers Broken girl x Boy trying not to become his brother

"I owe you nothing." "And even if you begged me for it, moya koroleva, I wouldn't tell you." "Oh, really?" Evelina Vitale was raised on blood and silence. She was never meant to be soft - only strong enough to inherit an empire. Aleksandr Volkov believes in rules, consequences, and survival. Care is weakness. Hesitation is death. Sent to Sicily, he expects negotiations. Violence. War. He does not expect her. A masquerade. A gunshot. A mistake neither can undo. He saves her life without knowing who she is. She lets him live without knowing what he is. Enemies by birth. Allies by necessity. Ruined by desire. Because in Sicily, there are no saints - only survivors.

Aurelia Hart has a perfect pastel life-but Nate Cross knows the darkness she hides. He wants the truth... and she can't let him in. Secrets, lies, and forbidden attraction collide in a dangerous game neither can escape. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I wanted to. God, Aurelia, I wanted to. I just-" "I thought keeping it from you would keep you safe." "Safe?" "Do I look safe to you, Detective?"

"Don't make me sad, don't make me cry Sometimes love is not enough And the road gets tough, I don't know why" - 'Born To Die' by Lana Del Rey xxx In Shelley, nothing stays buried. Not secrets. Not betrayals. And definitely not the kind of love that ruins you. Aurora Rossi has spent years building walls strong enough to survive anything. Theo Williams is the one person who knows exactly how to tear them down. But when loyalty turns dangerous, friendships fracture, and the past comes back burning, they're forced to face a truth no one wants to admit: Some flames keep you warm. Others consume everything. And once you start to burn... there's no going back. xxx "I think you're going to have to ask me again," I murmured, tilting my chin up. "But like, really nicely this time." Theo blinked. "You're serious?" "Deadly." A second passed. Then another. I watched the way his tongue ran along the inside of his cheek, watched his hand flex like he was trying not to grab me too fast, too rough. And then, softer now-different-he said, "Rory." Just my name, but it held more weight than anything else. "Please, baby. Let me kiss you."

There are girls raised to behave. And girls who learn how to survive. Elena Radcliffe wears perfection like armour-polished smiles, perfect manners, and secrets sharp enough to cut. She's careful. Controlled. And far more dangerous than she looks. Kai Murphy doesn't do careful. Reckless, magnetic, and completely untamed, he lives like he has nothing to lose-and maybe he doesn't. When their worlds collide in England, 2005, it's explosive. Hate turns into desire. Desire turns into obsession. And lines meant to stay uncrossed disappear fast. Because some fires aren't meant to be tamed. And the most dangerous women aren't born- they're provoked.