Leila has always lived a sheltered, peaceful life, unaware of the dark secrets her father has been hiding. But when the mafia boss, Alessandro DeLuca, comes to collect a debt that has been haunting her family for years, her world is turned upside down.
She never knew her father was in debt to such a dangerous man-she only knew him as the loving, protective father who kept her safe. But now, as Alessandro tortures her father in front of her eyes, Leila is thrust into a world of fear, power, and obsession.
In her innocence, she doesn't understand the gravity of the situation. All she knows is that she must save the man she loves. But Alessandro sees her-untouched, pure, and beautiful-and he's captivated by her in a way he never expected.
Instead of money, Alessandro demands something more precious: Leila herself. Trapped in a world of shadows, where love and danger collide, Leila must navigate a future she never imagined, caught between the protection of her father and the dark pull of the mafia leader who has claimed her as his own.
Will she surrender to the obsession that is consuming them both, or will she find a way to escape the grip of a love that could destroy everything?
PAUL
I cheated on my fiancée.
Sophie and I were building our future. In love, happy, peaceful. Then she found a lump in her breast and I made the worst choice: I numbed my fear by sleeping with someone else. My worst mistake and my biggest regret. Now I see Sophie around town with him. She's radiant and laughing with people who actually show up. I'm trying to learn how to be a man who does. If she lets me, I'll spend the rest of my life proving I can choose her when it's hardest. If she lets me...
SOPHIE
I thought the promise was in sickness and in health.
But he buried his fear in someone else. On the same night, I walked into a bookstore and meet the gentle giant owner who invites me to his book club full of misfits.
I'm laughing again, I smile more than I ever have, I heal my heart.
My ex says he can learn to stay, but my bookstore owner keeps showing up like it's as easy as breathing. I don't know what the future holds; I don't know if I'll win this battle against cancer, but I do know I'm done wasting time on people that love only when it's easy.
CALLUM
She came in to Rivers & Rhodes Bookstore and asked for books with happy endings only.
I gave her a recommendation, an invitation, and an offer of friendship. Now, this beautiful brave woman is completely under my skin. I'm not here to win a competition against him. I'm here because choosing someone, second by second, is the only way I understand love.
Content Warnings: on page cheating, emotional and physical infidelity, cancer, mentions of vomiting, bleeding, surgery. Please be advised.