Alessandra has never believed in safety. Life never gave her a reason to. Pain carved her childhood, silence became her armor, and trust? That was a luxury she could never afford. So when she runs -- bloody, broken, and barely breathing, she doesn't expect saving. She certainly doesn't expect to be taken in by a family dripping in wealth and power and. . . warmth? A mother who refuses to give up on her. A father who watches like he's waiting for her to let him in. And six brothers. Rough. Protective. Complicated. Brothers, who don't know what to do with a sister who won't speak. She doesn't know how to trust. How to believe that maybe not everyone wants to hurt her. Every instinct tells her to run. To shut down. But they don't let her go. Not when she flinches. Not when she hides. Not even when she breaks. Happiness is for other people, or that's what she believes. But when love comes wrapped in gentle patience and fierce protection, when hands reach for her without demand, when hearts break themselves wide open just to hold her... she starts to wonder. Can a girl stitched together with silence and fear ever belong in a family built on love? Can she stand tall when the ghosts of her past refuse to let go? And when danger claws its way back into her life, threatening everything she's come to know... will she find her voice, or will she shatter all over again? Trigger Warnings: Child abuse. Violence. Addiction. Panic attacks. Self-harm. Death, and more.

"𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫." ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ Maikel Marquez was one of the most reputable students in Cleveland College. Known for having an extremely outgoing personality but also being a straight up heartbreaker. Everything is going well but that all changes when his younger sister, Carmen, joins. Carmen is the definition of beauty and brains but also completely innocent and clueless. She doesn't drink, never goes out and has been sheltered her whole life by her family's wealth; meaning Carmen has never gotten a taste of the real world by herself. What happens when she falls into the hands of the wrong person? Damian Galanis. Playboy, heartbreaker and also Maikel's best friend. He is the opposite of Maikel in every way. Yet despite the pair being entirely different to each other, they get along like two peas in the pod. Maikel and Damian support whatever one another decided to do however there was always one thing that was off limits for Damian. Maikel's little sister, Carmen. Damian had never seen Carmen before but as soon as he sets his sight on the wholesome girl, he can't stop thinking about her. Damian has always been handed everything in his life and has never been told the word "no", due to his prosperous parents giving him everything he has ever wanted and more on a silver platter. The problem is, he wants the one thing he can't have. Will things go smoothly between the pair, or will lust and temptation get the best of them? 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝟏𝟖+