The Forbidden (The Forbidden Clause #1)

Flashback — My Death

Blood. Everywhere. I remember the cold concrete, my breath shortening, the taste of metal flooding my mouth. The streetlamp flickered above me like a failing heartbeat.

Then Grace. Her eyes glowing with calculation as she leaned over me. “I told you never to fall in love with me,” she whispered. “You were so easy, Alexi.”

She walked away. Left me to die.

I closed the door on love that night. Bolted it. Cemented it shut.

Until Evelyn.

And now the fear is back: sharp, choking, and undeniable. This time I won’t be the one bleeding out hopelessly.