At seventeen, she lost her parents.
At twenty-one, she lost her choice.
Forced into a marriage she never asked for, she expected cruelty... but instead found an anchor.
He was never meant to marry her-deceived by his own family, betrayed by hers. Fourteen years older, yet nothing like the man they painted him to be. He doesn't cage her-he fights for her. He doesn't silence her-he gives her voice back.
This isn't a story of romance born from force.
It's a story of protection, trust, and a girl reclaiming her stolen future.
Because this man-humiliated by his own family's deceit-refuses to cross the line of morality. No matter how much they pressure him to "act like a husband," he chooses honor over tradition, respect over control. Instead of chaining her down, he gives her freedom: the right to study, to dream, to rise.
And when years pass, freedom takes its true shape. She becomes a woman who stands tall, a voice for women's rights, fearless and unshakable. He too refuses to stay silent, speaking out against the same system that once used him.
Together, they break chains. Not as lovers bound by force, but as allies in dignity.
And when the time comes, they part ways-through a mutual divorce, not with bitterness but with respect. She finds her independence, her voice, and her choice. He gives her the space to choose her own life partner, even as his heart may belong elsewhere.
This is not just a love story-it is a story of freedom, feminism, and the courage to stand against what is wrong.
📖 ONE BREATH AWAY is Book One of the JUST series, a journey of strength, respect, and voices that refuse to be silenced.
-"Why are you crying?"
What, I didn't know I was crying.
-"Come on." He offers a hand to help me up.
-"Stay away... from me." I get up on my own a grunt escaping my lips when I feel pain in my knees.
-"Your knees!" He crouches down to look at them up close.
-"Oh don't act as if you care." I look down and see he has wet hair, which is reasonable since he came out of the bathroom.
*Swoop* He scoops me up, my injured knees on his left and my head rests on his right shoulder. I hitch as he picks me up.
-"What do you think you're doing? Put me down this instant!"
I try to wiggle out of his arms, but it's useless, he holds me tighter to his chest.
He gently places me on the bed, and I sit on the edge, I instantly throw my hand to his face intending to slap him.
As if it were muscle memory he blocks my hand and gently holds it. He crouches down not breaking eye contact.
-"Stella, I'm... sorry. I acted out on you."
I know Jacob, and that probably was hard for him to admit.
-"Let me treat your knees." He places a gentle hand over my wound.
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Her Dad was murdered fighting for what was right, her mom didn't love her dad all that much...or her, she plans to follow her dad's footsteps even though that might lead her to death. Her parents had a planed marriage, her mom was more on the medium class while her dad was lower, that said, he needed money to help some important people and ended up marrying a women he didn't love.
She has an awful opinion of men. She loved her dad, but she was still mad at him, for his decisions.
A little something might happen in her life to change that perspective.