Gemma Mossop – författare

People think the danger comes from enemies. From outsiders. From the ones who make noise, who threaten, who push too far. They're wrong. The real danger? It comes from the people you let close. The ones who smile in your face. Who sit at your table. Who pretend they belong in your world. Because betrayal doesn't announce itself. It slips in quietly. It waits. It watches. And by the time you realise what it is— It's already too late. I've fought enemies. I've ended problems. I've built something no one thought I could. But this? This is different. Because this time— The threat isn't coming from the outside. It's already inside. And if there's one thing I've learned… It's this: I don't lose what's mine. No matter who I have to destroy to keep it.

Some stories begin with love. Others begin with survival. This one began with both. Lily's story was never meant to be simple. It was never meant to be easy. From the very beginning, her world was shaped by things she couldn't control—choices made for her, paths forced upon her, and a life that demanded strength long before she was ready to give it. But even in the darkest moments, there was something that refused to disappear. Hope. Not the loud, obvious kind. The quiet kind. The kind that lingers. The kind that waits. An then there was Alex. Not a saviour. Not a hero. But something far more complicated. A man shaped by his own battles, his own past, his own need.

There are rules in this world. Rules about power. Rules about loyalty. Rules about who survives…and who doesn't. Alex Volkov has lived by them his entire life. He built his empire on control. On discipline. On never letting anything—or anyone—become a weakness. Because weakness gets exploited. Weakness gets destroyed. And then— There was her. Lily was never supposed to matter. She was supposed to be untouchable. Off-limits. A line he would never cross. But he crossed it. And now— There's no going back. Because in his world, you don't get to love something without consequences. You don't get to choose someone…and keep them safe. Not when enemies are always watching. Not when power demands sacrifice. Not when love becomes leverage. Lily doesn't understand the danger yet. Not fully. Not the way he does. Because she sees the man. Not the monster. And that's exactly what will destroy her. Because Alex doesn't just protect what's his. He owns it. And now that she's crossed into his world— Now that she's chosen to stay— She's no longer just a girl he wants. She's a liability. A target. A promise he can't break. And in his world— Vows aren't made with words. They're made with blood

Powe rcomes at a cost. Alex Volkov learned that long ago. Empires aren't built on mercy. They aren't held together by love. And they don't survive weakness. He made his choices. He built his world. And he paid for it. But there's one thing he never planned for. Her. Lily was never supposed to be part of this. Never supposed to see the truth behind the power. Never supposed to stand this close to them an everyone else fears. But she did. And now— She's not just in his world. She's part of it. Because love, in a world like his, isn't soft. It isn't safe

She was the only girl he ever loved. Then he forgot her. Lily-Carter and Alex Volvok were inseparable—childhood best friends turned soulmates. Until one night, she vanished without a trace. Five years later, Lily returns. But Alex isn't the same boy she left behind. He's dangerous. Powerful. Untouchable. And worst of all— He doesn't remember her

Some love stories don't survive. Some are broken long before they have the chance to become anything real. And some— Are tested until there's nothing left to take. They tried to separate them. They tried to control them. They tried to turn them into something they weren't. And for a moment— It almost worked. Because love like theirs was never safe. Never simple. Never untouched by the world around it. It was pulled apart. Pushed to its limits. Forced into choices no one should ever have to make. But they didn't break. Not when they were torn apart. Not when they were pushed into darkness. Not even when the world tried to reshape them into something unrecognisable. They held on. And that was their greatest strength. And their greatest weakness.

Lily thought she had escaped her past.The danger. The secrets. The people who once hunted her.She was wrong.When enemies from a powerful underground network resurface, they don't just want revenge—they want her.Because Lily was never meant to survive… and now she's something far more dangerous than anyone expected.Alex built an empire to protect what's his.Ruthless. Controlled. Untouchable.But when Lily becomes the target, control is no longer an option.Now, they're not running.They're hunting.As the truth about Lily's past begins to unravel, one thing becomes clear:this isn't just about power.It's about what she was meant to be.And how far they'll go to survive it.In this world, love isn't soft.It's possession. It's protection. It's war.

They say love is the easy part. That once you find the right person, everything else falls into place. They're wrong. Because love isn't what breaks you. It's everything around it. The expectations. The pressure. The life you have to build together once the chaos settles. Six months ago, I said yes. Not just to a ring. Not just to a moment. But to him. To all of him. The complicated parts. The parts that scared me. The parts I didn't fully understand. And I meant it. I still do. But no one tells you what happens after the yes. They don't tell you about the quiet moments that feel heavier than the loud ones. The decisions that matter more than the feelings. The way love shifts— from something you fall into… to something you have to choose. Every single day. Because loving someone forever isn't about big moments. It's about the small ones. The ones where you stay. The ones where you forgive. The ones where you fight for each other— even when it would be easier not to. We've already survived the impossible. The secrets. The distance. The almost losing everything. But this— This is different. Because now we're not fighting to be together. We're fighting to stay together. And that's a different kind of risk. A different kind of fear. Because forever isn't a promise. It's a choice. And this time— We don't get to walk away. This is what happens after the yes. This is what happens when love is tested one last time. This is what happens when forever becomes real

Love doesn't end when you finally get what you want. That's the part no one talks about. They tell you about the tension. The longing. The almosts and the what-ifs. They tell you how it feels to finally give in. But they don't tell you what comes after. Because loving someone—really loving them—isn't the hard part. Keeping them is. Six months ago, I made a choice. Not a reckless one. Not a careless one. A deliberate one. I chose him. I chose the complicated looks, the quiet tension, the way everything felt like it could fall apart at any second. I chose the risk. I chose the consequences. And for a while— It felt worth it. We weren't hiding anymore. We weren't pretending. We weren't stealing moments in silence or pretending they didn't mean anything. We were real. Out in the open. Together. And maybe that was the problem. Because when something is hidden, it feels untouchable. Safe in a strange, fragile way. But when it's real— When everyone can see it, question it, judge it— That's when it starts to break. Because love doesn't just live in stolen moments. It lives in arguments. In silence. In the things you say when you're hurt. And the things you don't say when you should. I thought the hardest part was falling for him. I was wrong. The hardest part is waking up every day and choosing him again— Even when it's difficult. Even when it hurts. Even when part of you wonders if love is enough to hold everything together. Because sometimes— It isn't. And that's the truth no one prepares you for: Just because two people love each other… Doesn't mean they won't fall apart. This is what happens after the story you thought was the ending. This is what happens when forever isn't easy. This is what happens when love is tested. This is us— Six months later

They think I broke him. That I distracted him. Softened him. Made him weak. They're wrong. I didn't ruin Alex Carter. I made him worse. Stronger. Sharper. More dangerous than he's ever been. Because now— He doesn't just have something to protect. He has something to lose. And people like us? We don't lose. They should have stayed quiet. Should have stayed away. Should have understood that some lines aren't meant to be crossed. But they didn't. They came looking for answers. For revenge. For blood. And now? They're going to learn exactly what happens… When you come for something that belongs to me.

There are some people you're never supposed to fall for. It doesn't matter how it happens. It doesn't matter how long you've known them, or how deeply they've become part of your life. Some lines are just… there. Drawn in silence. Understood without ever being spoken. Alex Carter was mine. He wasn't mine in the way that mattered. He was never mine in anyway that counted. He belonged to my brother's world—late nights, laughter, loyalty that ran deeper than anything I could ever touch. He was constant. Untouchable. Off-limits in every sense of the word. And I knew that. I always knew that. But knowing something doesn't stop you from feeling it. It doesn't stop the way your heart reacts when they walk into a room. It doesn't stop the way your world shifts—quietly, dangerously— around someone who was never meant to be yours. So I left. I told myself it was the right thing to do. That distance would fix it. That time would erase it. I was wrong. Because no matter how far I went…no matter how much I changed… Somethings don't fade. Some feelings don't disappear. And some people— Some people were never meant to be forgotten.

Some stories don't end when you think they do. Some endings— Are just pauses. They thought it was over. After everything. After the running. After the lies. After the way the world tried to tear them apart— They found each other again. And for a moment— Just a moment— That felt like enough. The lake was still. The dock was quiet. And nothing was chasing the many more. But that was the problem. Because nothing in their world ever stayed quiet for long. Love like theirs was never simple. Never safe. And never— Left alone

There are two kinds of men in this world. The ones people trust… and the ones people fear. Alex Volkov was never meant to be anything but feared. He built his name in shadows, in silence, in blood. Men whispered it like a warning. Enemies didn't live long enough to say it twice. Power followed him. Violence obeyed him. And love? Love was never part of the plan. Lily grew up in a world far different—but just as broken. A house filled with shouting. With silence that hurt more than words. With a father she loved…and feared in equal measure. She learned early how to survive. How to stay quiet. How to disappear. But she never learned how to be afraid of him. Because when Lily looked at Alex… She didn't see the monster the world bowed to. She saw something else. Something human. Something dangerous in a way no one else understood. He should have stayed away from her. He knew that. She was too young. Too good. Too untouched by the darkness that followed him everywhere. And worst of all— She was his best friend's daughter. Off limits. Untouchable. Forbidden. But Lily had never followed rules. And Alex had never wanted something he couldn't have. The problem was never whether he would fall for her. The problem… was what would happen when he did. Because in Alex's world, love didn't save you. It destroyed you

I wasn't supposed to want her. That's how it started. That's how it always starts —with something small, some thing harmless. A look that lingers a second too long. A feeling you brush off because it doesn't make sense. Because it shouldn't make sense. Grace was never meant to be mine. She was offlimits. Untouchable. A line I should have never even considered crossing. But the problem with lines… Is that I've never been good at respecting them. I watched her grow up. Watched her become someone I couldn't ignore. Someone I couldn't stay away from. Someone who got under my skin in a way nothing else ever has. And I tried. God, I tried. To keep my distance. To bury it. To pretend what I felt was anything other than what it was. She thinks I protect her because I have to. Because of Louis. Because of loyalty. Because it's the right thing to do. She's wrong. I protect her because I don't know how not to. Because the thought of something happening to her… Of someone else touching her… Looking at her… Having her— It does something tome. Something dark. Something I don't even try to control anymore. She wants freedom. Wants to run. Wants to escape this city… escape me. But she doesn't understand one thing. You can run from a lot of things. Your past. Your fears. Even the people who love you. But you can't run from someone who's already decided… You belong to him.

My name is Amelia. I'm from the UK— properly English, through and through. You can't take that out of me, no matter where I go. So when I decided to leave it all behind and move to Russia, it wasn't exactly something anyone expected…especially not me. My brother Liam had moved there six years ago to become a boxer. Ever since, he'd tried convincing me to join him. I always brushed it off—until one morning, something changed. "e;What's really here for me?"e; I'd asked myself. The answer? Nothing. That same morning, Liam FaceTimed me like he always did. You'd think he was my keeper with how often he checked in. We chatted like normal… until I dropped it on him. "e;I'm moving to Russia."e; Silence. Then shock. Then excitement. He was thrilled—but I could tell he didn't believe me at first. Truth is,I don't think anyone thought I'd actually leave England. But I did. And I had no idea that decision would change everything… including me. Because Liam wasn't the only thing waiting for me in Russia. There was alsoJordan. His best friend. The most dangerous man I'd ever met. And the one I should never have fallen for.

Arlo and Miley grew up in a world where choices were never really choices—and love was the most dangerous mistake of all. They found each other anyway. On a quiet dock by the lake, away from the eyes that watched them, they built something they were never meant to have. Until one night… she disappeared. No goodbye. No explanation. Just gone. Five years later, Arlo hasn't stopped looking. And when he finally finds her— she's not the same girl he lost. She's hiding. Running. And still trying to protect him from a truth that could destroy them both. But this time— he's not letting her go. Because some loves don't fade. They wait. They fight. And they burn everything in their way.