Passion Amidst Resentment

Darius Nero Lysander has it all-looks, money, fame, talent, and the charm to break hearts without even trying. A star varsity player in both badminton and basketball, top of his engineering class, and a notorious playboy, Darius lives fast and recklessly. But when his frustrated mother cuts off his limitless allowance, he's forced to move into a shared condo unit-something he's never done in his entire privileged life.

That's where he meets Lian Avery Valentino, a soft-spoken, feminine marketing student who wants nothing to do with him. Lian is everything Darius is not: quiet, disciplined, gentle... yet sharp-tongued when pushed. And beneath Lian's shy demeanor lies a history of wounds-rejection from his own family, abuse from his father, betrayal from the sister who once protected him, and years of surviving through church shelters. Lian has learned one rule: never trust straight men. Especially not the loud, cocky, heartbreak-collecting type.

But Darius isn't what he appears to be-not with Lian.

As days in the condo pass, the spoiled playboy finds himself drawn to the beautiful man who flinches at his touch but isn't afraid to call him out. Lian's fragility awakens a softness in Darius he never knew he had. Slowly, gently, Darius begins to care. To protect. To cherish. To love.

And for the first time in his life, Lian feels something he has never felt-
safe. Wanted. Home.

But with Darius's past catching up to him and Lian's fears running deep, love won't come easy. To stay together, they must learn to heal, to trust, and to choose each other... even when the world tells them they shouldn't.

A story of trauma, healing, found family, and a love powerful enough to rewrite two broken lives.