Love Doesn't Ask Permission

When Emilia leaves London for a month in Australia to visit her family, she expects distance, distraction, and a chance to breathe from her long-term relationship back home. What she doesn't expect is Noah.
He's her family's friend - infuriating, blunt, and the kind of grumpy presence that seems determined to get under her skin. She's loyal to her boyfriend, focused on her life in London, and has no intention of letting anyone else in.
But Australia has a way of changing things.
Forced proximity turns into late-night conversations. Cold indifference softens into something unspoken. Noah is everything she shouldn't want - complicated, guarded, and carrying a past he never talks about. Yet with her, the walls start to crack. And for the first time in years, he lets someone see him.
What begins as tension slowly turns into connection neither of them planned for... or can ignore.
As Emilia's return to London approaches, she's forced to face the truth about her relationship, her heart, and the life she thought she was supposed to want. Because some people don't arrive to stay for long - they arrive to change everything.
And sometimes, one month is enough to ruin everything you thought was certain... in the best and worst way.