Avery felt alone in this world.The kind of alone that clung to her skin like a second shadow —cold, invisible, and always there. After what happened last year, happiness had become a foreign concept, something distant and unreachable.Until him.Until those eyes, molten emerald, too intense to be safe, found her in a crowded room and made her feel seen for the first time in forever. Something inside her stirred, something reckless and curious, aching to touch whatever heat lived behind his silence.Darren had sins to atone for, a past soaked in silence and shame. What he hadn’t done haunted him just as deeply as what he had. And now she was here… radiant, fragile, unforgettable. She tore him apart with every soft smile, every glance that asked questions he wasn’t sure he had the right to answer.He was supposed to protect her. Instead, he fell in love with her.He would give anything to rewrite time — to have met her in a different life, one untainted by guilt. But maybe… just maybe, their stars had crossed for a reason.Now, the question that burned beneath his skin was:How does he tell her the truth without destroying her all over again?And if he can’t…How the hell is he supposed to let her go?