An Angsty, Second Chance Romance "Don't ever expect me to call you sister." That's the icy welcome I get from Liam Winters—my new stepbrother—when my mother marries into his powerful, wealthy family. He's brooding, arrogant, and the most beautiful boy I've ever seen. We're forced to live under the same roof, a tangled mess of fake family dinners and secret, stolen glances. The rules are simple: Stay away from each other. We break every single one. Our forbidden attraction explodes in the dark: a searing kiss in the rain, tangled sheets in secret motel rooms, and promises whispered in the shadows. He is my secret. I am his sin. "We're doomed, Ella," he breathes against my lips, and I know he's right. But our world shatters when a devastating family secret is ripped into the open. To protect me, Liam does the unthinkable—he shatters my heart, pushing me away with cruel words that feel like a knife to the chest. "We're over." My voice trembles. "You're just like my father," he sneers. "Only caring about money and status." I believed his lie. And I ran. Years later, he's back. Not as the privileged heir, but as a self-made builder, his hands rough and his body harder. The boy who broke me is now a man who commands every room he enters. And me? I've built a life of my own as a successful artist. But one look at him, and all the old wounds tear open. The lies are gone, but the burning need remains. He says he wants a second chance. But can I risk my heart again for the man who was both my greatest love and my most devastating heartbreak