Description
For the ones who smile when they're breaking, who say "I'm fine" when they're anything but. May you find the strength to speak, the courage to feel, and someone who stays long enough to see the cracks beneath your mask. ____________________________________ Lyla Voss is a master of pretending everything's fine-especially when it's absolutely not. Growing up in a house where love looked a lot like yelling matches and slammed doors, Lyla learned early that the truth can hurt more than it helps. So, she built her life on little white lies: I'm fine. It doesn't bother me. I don't need anyone. Lies that kept her pain neatly hidden and her world under control... mostly. Now 24, she's traded teenage chaos for co-owning a business with her best friend, avoiding cars as much as she can, and steering clear of emotional entanglements. Relationships? Hard pass. Therapy? She's "thinking about it." Vulnerability? Never heard of her. But all that changes at a charity banquet, where she meets a mysterious investor with sharp eyes, sharper suits, and absolutely no business looking at her the way he does. He wants in-on the company, maybe, but definitely on her. And Lyla? She's caught between running for the exit or letting him get close enough to see the cracks beneath her perfect mask. One thing's for sure: the more she lies to herself, the harder it gets to keep her heart out of the equation. *Warning* Mentions of suicide
Chapter 1
