Ties That Burn

Before the money, before the glow-up, there was that summer, the one that took everything from Ayanna Moore. A shooting that left her brother bleeding, her mother gone, and her childhood best friend, her almost, disappearing into the streets to get revenge.

Years later, Ayanna's known online as the girl with the perfect life. Makeup, brand deals, followers. But behind the filters, she's still trying to heal from the night everything fell apart.

When Jay Carter, her brother's best friend and the boy she swore she'd never love again walks back into her world, old memories and new feelings collide. He's still fighting his demons, trying to be better for her. But Ayanna's not the same girl he left behind. She wants him to change for himself, not for her.

Between family secrets, street loyalty, and the kind of love that never really fades, Ayanna has to decide whether some ties are meant to burn... or meant to be rebuilt from the ashes.

A slow-burn urban romance about love, loss, and healing, even when the past refuses to stay buried.