Ruin Me Gently

Hardened by heartbreak. Guarded by fear. Pulled in by something they can’t explain.

Lilith 

Surviving is all I’ve ever known. 

I’ve spent my life learning that love is just a fairytale built on pretty promises, inevitably ending in pain and bruises. 

So when a man in the shadows starts watching me, I don’t run, I welcome the distraction from my ugly life, because for some reason, his attention feels safer than the life I’ve known. 

I have zero intentions of giving him my trust, but when the past I barely escaped comes looking for me, the man watching my every move might be the exact person I need to help me stand my ground.

Silas 

Isolation is safe. 

For years, I’ve kept the world at a distance, knowing that any real connection leads to ruin. 

But the moment I find Lilith, a dormant part of me wakes back up. 

Watching her should be enough—keeping her safe from the shadows, unseen and unknown—but it never is. Because the more I learn about her, the harder it is to stay away. 

But every rule I’ve lived by is thinning out, and when the hurt she’s been outrunning finds her, I leave the safety of the dark behind. I’m done watching from the sidelines; I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure she never has to run again.