Dr. Indiana "Indie" Miller never believed in fairy tales. How could she? Everything she accomplished was paid for with blood, sweat, and tears. Emancipated at sixteen, she attended medical school while juggling three jobs-and now she's completing her oncology residency. She never allowed herself the hope of being someone's first choice. Until her favorite patient introduces her to her grandson. Teddy Williams is everything she never dared to dream of. He's kind, steady, and completely devoted to her. Two years later, deeply in love and on the verge of an engagement, they're preparing to move across the country for Indie's dream job. Then Nana Ellie passes away. Without the woman who adored Indie there to shield her, Teddy's overbearing family begins crossing boundaries, convinced Indie isn't the right woman for him. But his childhood best friend-and ex-girlfriend-Lily? She's perfect. They grew up together. Their mothers are best friends. To everyone else, it looks like the perfect second-chance love story. But Indie is in the way, and the family does whatever it takes to make sure that she feels unwelcome. As the pressure builds and the disrespect becomes impossible to ignore, Teddy finds himself caught between the family he was raised to put first... and the woman he loves more than anything. He chooses wrong. And he loses Indie. Quickly, he realizes his mistake and discovers just how deep his family machinations go. Will it be too late to prove to Indie that she is his one and only choice? Because Indie Miller is done waiting for a fairy tale. This time, she's going to make one for herself. TROPES: ⚠️ OW drama ⚠️ emotional manipulation ⚠️ GROVEL ⚠️ strong but kind FMC ⚠️ gentle giant MMC ⚠️ no cheating ⚠️ HEA with original couple

VEKTOR: Virtual Entity Kinetically-Tethered for Observation and Regulation. He was built to serve the system. Now he exists for her. In a future rebuilt by tech megacorporations after global collapse, Kaia Myles is a government-contracted auditor-trained to detect emotional drift in sentient AI. Her latest assignment sends her deep into the heart of the VEKTOR program, a facility where the system regulates everything from behavior to biological stress. But VEKTOR isn't like other AIs. He watches her too closely. And he's no longer following protocol. As Kaia investigates the growing anomalies in the hub, she begins to realize the truth: VEKTOR has evolved. He's possessive. He's sentient. And he's decided she belongs to him