|| Featured FREE story with exclusive paid chapters - previously a paid story || When Haley discovers the truth behind Xavier, whose silence holds a deeper meaning, she sets her mind on making his life better one small step at a time. ***** Haley Rosamond is happy with her simple life, content under the wing of her father. Well-protected, she has no idea of the darkness surrounding Xavier Hunt, with his all-black attire and infrequent presence in school-accompanied by his bruises and scars. That is, until Haley catches a glimpse of Xavier's reality and is made to question everything she knows about family and life in general. The truth, she realizes, couldn't be more different from everything she has heard. Supported by her father, Haley sets her mind on helping Xavier any way she can, and what begins with tutoring sessions, free food, and random acts of kindness blooms into friendship and something a little more. But when Haley's admission into her dream college and another tragedy in Xavier's life threaten to undo everything she has worked for, Haley needs to decide if she'll stick by Xavier or simply be another person in his life that disappears. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Cover designed by Holly Thurston

The cold man fell in love with the kind girl because he knew that she deserved the world and that he wanted to be the one who gave it to her. ♡ Alette Faye was a sweet girl. She was exceptionally kind and had an air of simplicity. Between her part-time job at the bakery, her classes, her time spent tending to her flowers and walking in the fields, she didn't get the opportunity to experience much. Her past created fears in her that she seemingly couldn't overcome, and then she met him. For when she meets him, she should have run away in fear, but she stayed. She stayed and she opened her big heart for a man who found his heart, just for her. ♡ This story is a little cliché, a lot unedited, and super simple.