In Johannesburg's fast lanes, love collides with legacy. Ayakha Ndaba, a devoted young teacher from Katlehong, has built a quiet life of purpose in Bedfordview. Lubanzi Thabethe, a doctor from a powerful political dynasty, has spent years avoiding the spotlight his surname demands. When their worlds cross at an upscale golf club, an unexpected connection sparks between them. But with family expectations, public scrutiny, and the weight of his name pressing in, Ayakha and Lubanzi must decide-can their love survive the politics of the heart?

"Ulokhu uwaphenqile la mehlo akho kanti ang'dlali ngawe. Ngiyazi iy'nswelaboya sezashela ngomendo, zidlala ngawe. Kepha mina ntokazi angik'khohlisi. Inhliziyo yami usuy'phendule eyakho kodwa ang'khalazi ngoba ngiyazi isezandleni ey'phephile. Ngiyazi uzongang'kholwa mengithi ngiyaqala uk'zizwa ngalendlela ngomuntu eng'qalayo ukumbona kodwa kuyobe kuyiqiniso elimsulwa. Uma kuyidliso leli, ul'faka kancane, nyusa is'kali mama. Ngithathekile ngawe, sala usuk'thatha konke, Mnininhliziyo. Thatha nalu uthando lwami, ngikunika lonke unreservedly. Thatha isandla sami, sigxume, sizicwilise othandweni. Thatha ngisho nazi iy'ndlebe zami, ngizwe ngawe. Whatever you want, MaNdwandwe, as long as you'll have me," he said. Siminaye Nxumalo has sworn off men - well, at least love from men. Still healing from a relationship that nearly broke her, she finds herself unexpectedly pursued by Qophelo Dlomo - a forward, confident Zulu man with marriage on his mind from the very first encounter. When Qophelo proposes marriage, foregoing courtship and even dating, will Naye allow the walls she's built to protect herself be wrecked or will fear of the unknown conquer?

Nyezi Bhengu has built her career and life around being a wife. For years, her identity was tethered to her husband - as the "Real Housewife of Durban", "umfazi kaBafo", and "uNyezi kaSmiso". His sudden death upends Nyezi's life when, bound by isiko lokungenwa, she is forced to marry his older brother, Mnisi. Mnisiwokuhle Bhengu has a personality very few would describe as "lighting up a room". Reserved, and perpetually serious to the point of appearing cold, where Smiso was the life of the party, Mnisi is the brooding figure who leaves just as the fun begins. He wears detachment like armour, keeping himself unapproachable and at a distance from everyone - especially Nyezi. Forced into a union they're both less than glad to find themselves in, will forced proximity be enough to break down the walls Mnisi has so carefully constructed, or will tradition condemn them into a loveless arrangement they cannot escape?

After surviving something that changed everything, Linomtha is learning to live again - slowly, cautiously, and on her own terms. But when she meets Qhawe, a quiet man with a gentle soul and a steady presence, she finds herself drawn to the kind of safety she never believed she'd feel again. He doesn't try to fix her. He just sees her - scars and all. A slow-burn, healing romance about trauma, trust, and the kind of love that asks for nothing... but gives everything. -----

Resilience (noun) ~the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. I've lived too long with pain. I won't know who I am without it. ~ Orson Scott Card. DO NOT READ IF SENSITIVE TO VIOLENCE OR IF YOU HATE SLOWBURNS. Started: 11 December 2024. Ended: Edited: ~All names, characters, places are purely fictitious. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Hope you read and enjoy the book.