A Shadow Between Stars (Midnight Series #2)

Midnight Series #2

Jasmine Amara Delgado has always been the rebellious one-or at least, that's how her parents see her. No matter how hard she tries, it's never enough. Every mistake is magnified, every achievement dismissed as if it were insignificant. Growing up in the shadow of her siblings, who effortlessly earned their parents' pride and affection, Jasmine felt invisible. She longed for love, recognition, and validation-things that always seemed just out of reach. Every sharp word, every disappointed glance, every comparison carved deeper wounds into her heart, teaching her that no matter what she did, she would never be enough.

So, she stopped trying. She stopped chasing approval that would never come. Isolated and misunderstood, she learned to rely on no one but herself. She built walls-high and unyielding-to protect herself from a world that had never truly welcomed her. Cold indifference became her armor, rebellion her only act of defiance. If she was going to be the disappointment they claimed she was, she might as well own it.

But everything changes when she meets Vincenzo Rafael Romano-a man who sees through her defenses as if they were made of glass. Where others see defiance, he sees pain. Where others find trouble, he finds a heart that has only ever longed to be understood. He doesn't push her to change, doesn't demand perfection-he simply sees her, in a way no one else ever has. And for the first time in her life, Jasmine feels something unfamiliar yet intoxicating-acceptance.

But can she trust it? Can she allow herself to believe that someone like him could truly care? Or is he just another illusion, another person who will let her down like everyone else?