When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans, it didn't just destroy homes-it destroyed lives, families... and the unbreakable bond between two best friends. Dejahnae and Kentrell were inseparable, the kind of connection that felt destined, unshakable. Until the storm came and ripped them apart without warning. In the chaos, they lost everything-including each other. Left with nothing but grief and unanswered questions, both were forced to survive in a world that no longer felt like home. Ten years later, survival looks different. Kentrell is now a chart-topping rapper, known for his raw lyrics and haunted sound-but behind the fame is a man still drowning in the past. The storm never really left him. Nightmares, guilt, and a pain he can't outrun follow him everywhere he goes. And no matter how far he's come, he never stopped searching for the one person he lost that night. Dejahnae, now a trauma therapist, has dedicated her life to helping others heal... even though she never truly healed herself. She's learned how to carry pain, how to bury it, how to smile through it-but not how to let it go. When fate unexpectedly brings them face-to-face again, the reunion isn't what either of them imagined. Because love didn't disappear that night... but trust did. Old wounds reopen, buried truths rise to the surface, and the question they've both avoided for years finally demands an answer- Did you leave me... or did I lose you? As past and present collide, Dejahnae and Kentrell must confront the storm that still lives inside them. Because this time, it's not just about finding each other again... It's about deciding if they can survive each other.

"So when you gon' stop playing and let me hit that shit, Zuria?" Mitch asked while he smoked a blunt in my mother's living room and we both sat on the floor. "Let you hit this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I watched him blow smoke into the air. "Yeah." He smirked, cockily. "How about when you learn how to talk to your girlfriend?" I took the blunt out of this hands and smashed it on the ashtray that was on the coffee table. "Whatchu do that for?" He bit his bottom lip, leaning into me. "Hm?" He went on, softly biting my neck. "I've told you, you can't smoke in here, Mitchell." "You're really not even supposed to be here." I said to him, considering my mother did not condone boys in her house but here he was. He'd completely ignored me though as he mushed his head into my neck, leaving small kisses. "Stop." I whined playfully as he pushed himself up onto me and kissed my lips, pushing me backwards with our lips still attached. "Mitch." I spoke nervously as he climbed on top of me while I now laid my back onto the carpet. "Let me hit that shit, ma." He spoke softly into my ear as he continued leaving kisses on my neck. "Mitch, we cant. My mom will be home from work soon." I expressed to him but he ran his hands up my school skirt anyway. "Stop bitchin'." "Let me finally pop that cherry, Z." He spoke, putting his lips on mine as he slowly moved my underwear aside and rubbed his fingers against my Girl. "Mm." I moaned, unfamiliar with this feeling but it felt great. And though I knew my mother would be here soon, I no longer wanted to stop. He continued rubbing it as I laid there, looking up into his eyes. As I did, he smirked down at me and I smiled small, rubbing a hand down his cheek. I was so in love with this boy.

"You no tell this girl that I said, I want no relations with a darkie?" She spat to me, making my eyes go wide. What? I thought to myself and Gio tried pulling me away but I snatched away from him, knowing I heard right this time. "Wait, what?" I spoke out loud and Gi grabbed me roughly, trying to pull me away again. "Why you saying these things? She's beautiful." I heard his abuelita sticking up for me as she stood to her feet and all the guys began to as well, telling their mom that she was wrong for what she was doing. "That puta heard me." She spat, pointing her finger at me. "You're too dark." She held up a brown paper bag that she was drinking her beer out of. "You no match this bag or lighter, you're too dark." "You look too much like his father. I no want you around me." She shooed me off, instantly breaking my heart into a billion pieces as I looked up at Giovanni who was looking down at me with hurt in his eyes. "Baby, please." He begged and I shook my head at him in disgust before putting my attention back onto her. "Get that darkness out of here, Giovanni. She's a demon." "Only demons have her color." She kept on going and I felt sick to my stomach in this moment as I stood there in complete shock.

"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."

They say true love's the greatest weapon To win the war caused by pain But every diamond has imperfections But my love's too pure to watch it chip away

"I love you more than anything." Mad at you; book 2.

Every time Isaiah looked at himself in the mirror, he was constantly reminded of the most traumatic moment of his life. He grew to hate himself until Namiko randomly waltzed into his life one day and began teaching him how to love himself again. It was as if she was his second chance. He'd been so pissed off all night to the point where he was physically shaking like a ticking bomb. This one hug from her felt like the rainbow after a severe thunderstorm. He couldn't believe that his sanity really depended on her. He'd never reached this point of love before. She brought him so much peace. That's why he loved her the way that he did; the reason why he couldn't stand to spend a single second away from her and why he depended on her to keep him sane. She was just it; like a breath of fresh air. He never expected the woman that ended up stealing his heart would be a real life Disney Princess wandering cluelessly around New York City; an autistic one, at that.

& 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚. 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥?

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱-𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝗺𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐯𝗼𝐧,𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝗼𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝗼𝐛𝐥𝐞𝗺𝐬 𝐠𝗼 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭? 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝗺𝐞? 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝗼𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜.

Adey Tesfeye lives a life of quiet invisibility, carefully managing her anxiety and keeping the world at a safe distance. Sweet and trusting, she often finds herself taken advantage of but avoids confrontation at all costs. Her routine is predictable, her walls high, and her heart locked away-until she crosses paths with Dayvon "Von" Bennet. Von is a hardened drug dealer from the streets of Chicago, a man used to control, manipulation, and survival by any means necessary. His dangerous lifestyle has left him detached and weary, but when he meets Adey by chance, he becomes fixated on her softness-her fragility in a world as ruthless as his. What starts as curiosity spirals into obsession as Von begins to see himself as her protector, despite the chaos he brings into her life. As Von infiltrates Adey's world, their connection grows in ways neither of them expects. Adey, drawn to Von's intensity and the promise of safety, begins to let down her guard, unaware of the lengths he'll go to keep her close. But with her best friend growing suspicious and Von's grip tightening, Adey is forced to question whether her growing feelings are love or a dangerous illusion. In The Butterfly Effect, vulnerability and control collide in a slow-burn, high-stakes romance that blurs the lines between protection and possession. Will Adey find the strength to reclaim her life, or will Von's obsession consume them both? COVER AND BANNER CREDIT: K4SHMAYY