Amara's life should've been perfect. Born into unimaginable wealth, surrounded by luxury and privilege, she should've been living the dream. But for Amara, the dream was nothing but a gilded cage. She hated the endless galas, the carefully curated events, and the suffocating pressure to live up to the expectations of a world she never asked for.
Then, everything changed.
Forced to leave behind the life she didn't love, Amara finds herself thrown into a world that's nothing like what she's known-and she's not sure if she's ready for it. In this new life, she meets Caleb Blackthorne, a quiet and enigmatic 19-year-old who, like her, is trying to navigate the complications of surviving in a reality that's nothing like what they'd imagined.
Together, they forge a life filled with hardships, but also moments of unexpected love. As Amara tries to rebuild herself and protect her secrets, she'll learn that some things can't be outrun-especially when it comes to the truth of who she really is.
But even in the mess of their new world, Amara finds something she never expected: a chance to discover the real her, away from the pressures of the past.
"Sometimes, you have to lose everything to find out who you really are."
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]