She had learned to live behind walls. Promises had once shattered her heart, leaving Alya with nothing but scars and silence. In her small village, she kept to herselfsafe, predictable, untouchable. Until a stranger appeared. Adrian was everything the village was not polished, powerful, and far too curious about the girl who refused to look at him. His presence disturbed her peace, his persistence unsettled her heart. She told herself not to trust him. She told herself he would leave. But every step he took drew him closer. Every word he spoke cracked her defenses. The villagers whispered. The past threatened to return. And Alya… Alya found herself torn between the fear that he would break her and the desperate hope that, just maybe, he would be the one to stay.