Ivana’s world shattered the day the military officers showed up at their doorstep with grim faces, confirming her worst fears: her father had died in the war. Grief consumed her, leaving her feeling raw and empty, the weight of the loss suffocating. He had been her hero, her anchor, and without him, the world felt unsteady. She had barely begun to process her pain when, just seven months later, her mother, Margaret, began smiling again. Laughing, even.Ivana couldn’t believe it. Her mother had fallen in love—fallen hard—for another man. Stephen. To Ivana, it felt like betrayal. How could her mother move on so quickly? How could she replace her father? Stephen wasn’t some passing fling either. He was always around, charming, helpful, and maddeningly perfect.At first, Ivana avoided him, barely acknowledging his presence. But as time passed, the walls she’d built to block him out began to crumble. Stephen wasn’t who she thought he was. He wasn’t just her mom’s new boyfriend; he was smart, kind, and attentive in a way that caught Ivana off guard. And that terrified her. Because, despite every moral alarm going off in her mind, Ivana realized she was falling for him.Every glance lingered too long. Every conversation felt too meaningful. And the guilt? It consumed her. How could she betray her mother this way? Was she just as bad as she had accused earlier.