In the chaos and quiet of her 30s, a woman reflects on the loves that shaped her, the heartbreaks that undid her, and the tender spaces in between. Through fleeting romances, almost-loves, and the weight of expectations—family’s, society’s, and her own—she navigates a world where connection is currency, vulnerability is rebellion, and self-discovery never comes easy. Told with wit, warmth, and raw honesty, this novel is a journey through modern love: messy, magical, and sometimes maddening. It's about the people who entered her life, the ones who left, and the version of herself she’s still becoming.
view moreIt all started when I was fourteen—and hopelessly gullible. I believed the world was as kind as I was. I trusted easily. I loved openly. And for that, I was discarded and betrayed like I meant nothing. Tossed aside like a ragged doll.
That day in class, I saw my crush glancing at me with a kind of focus that made my heart stutter. When he passed me a folded note asking me to meet him after school, I smiled so wide I thought my cheeks would split. I was elated—convinced that my time had come. As soon as the final bell rang, I dashed home, completed my chores in record time, and took a long bath, scrubbing and smoothing myself until I felt beautiful and smelled like vanilla soap and coconut oil. I was light on my feet, giddy with excitement, practically floating to our meeting place. He was already there when I arrived—cool, confident, and radiant in the golden hour sun. One of the most sought-after boys in school had noticed me, and I was basking in his attention like it was sunlight. He bought us drinks and snacks, and I devoured them with the joy of someone who believed she was living a dream. With every bite, every glance, I thought: This is it. This is what they talk about in books and movies. This is what I’ve been waiting for. But I didn’t know yet—that dreams, when trusted too quickly, can become nightmares. Halfway through the snacks and drink, something shifted. A strange heaviness settled in my stomach, and my head began to spin. I felt queasy, uneasy—like the room was tilting on its side. My vision blurred. My body no longer felt like mine. And then—nothing. When I opened my eyes, everything was a haze. My head throbbed like a drumbeat, disoriented and sharp. Confusion filled every part of me as I tried to sit up. Where am I? What’s happening? Why is my dress torn? My mind spun with questions I couldn’t answer. Then I heard laughter—mocking, cruel. “The princess is finally awake,” one of them sneered. “So glad you could be joining us today.” And there he was—my crush—and his friends. Their eyes held no shame, only amusement. The horror of what had happened crashed into me like a tidal wave. I had been raped. My body violated. My trust shattered. He leaned in and whispered, “You can go, as long as you promise to be a good girl. Don’t tell your parents. No one will believe you anyway. You act like a saint, but we all know what you really are.” I was frozen. Silent. Terrified. My voice lodged deep inside my throat. I was too ashamed to scream, too broken to cry. The threats etched themselves into my skin like scars: No one will want you. You’re damaged. You’re soiled. In that moment, something inside me died. My virtue—gone. My self-respect—crushed. My esteem—torn beyond recognition. I wished for death, pleaded silently for it, but it didn’t come. Instead, I had to gather what little dignity I had left and walk away from that room, carrying a weight no child should ever bear. I don’t remember the walk home. My feet moved, but everything else was numb—my heart, my skin, my soul. I could still feel them on me, their laughter echoing in my head like a sick chorus. Every step felt like I was dragging the broken pieces of a girl who no longer existed. When I reached the front door, I stood outside for a long time, staring at it, unsure how to go in and pretend everything was normal. My body trembled as I adjusted my torn dress, trying to smooth out the wrinkles like it could hide what had been done. My hands still smelled faintly of the drink he gave me. I scrubbed them on my skirt, as if I could rub away the shame. Inside, the house was quiet. My parents weren’t home yet. Relief and fear flooded me at once. I ran to the bathroom, locked the door, and turned on the shower. The water was scorching, but I didn’t care. I scrubbed my skin until it was red and raw, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t wash them off me. I couldn't wash me off me—the girl who trusted too easily, smiled too brightly. I stared at my reflection afterward. My eyes looked hollow. My lips were trembling, but no sound came out. I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I had already been silenced.POV: Layla BrooksThere’s a different kind of exhaustion that comes from living your dream.It’s not the bone-tired weariness of surviving. It’s not the soul-deep ache of grief or fear. It’s the quiet hum of trying to rise to meet the life you once thought you’d never reach—every moment asking you to prove you’re worthy of what you already earned.That was what the second week at The Fold felt like.Brilliant. Demanding. Unreal.Each day bled into the next, but never with monotony. No two assignments were the same. One day I was editing a story on generational motherhood, the next I was drafting an opening letter from the desk of the editor-in-chief (who, to my secret thrill, had pulled me aside and said: “I trust your tone more than anyone else’s here.”).I spent hours immersed in other people’s stories, and somewhere in between the copy edits and pitch reviews, I found myself.Not the version of me who shrank in staff meetings or hesitated before raising her voice. But the versio
POV: A. RennerHe shouldn’t have gone in person.Not really.It was reckless, even by his standards. There were a thousand easier ways to observe her transition—data feeds, security access, a reliable driver stationed three buildings over. But nothing compared to seeing her with his own eyes.So, he came. Sat in the café across the street from The Fold, hiding behind a screen and a pair of glasses that blurred his sharp features just enough to pass for someone else.He watched her step out of the cab, dressed in navy and silk, her shoulders squared against the weight of her own expectations. She didn’t hesitate at the door.She looked like she belonged. She looked like someone becoming.And it broke something open in him.He was late to knowing her.It had started with a feature she wrote—a tender, incisive essay about women and silence, published in a small online magazine two years ago. The piece was short. Unassuming. But it lingered in his mind for weeks.There had been something
POV: Layla BrooksThe morning of my first day at The Fold, I woke up before my alarm.The city outside my window was still stretching, light brushing the tops of buildings like the sky was just remembering how to be gold again. I sat up slowly, staring into the soft silence of my new apartment—boxes half-unpacked, art still leaned against the walls, plants uncertain in their new corners.It smelled like new beginnings. And coffee.I wrapped myself in my robe and padded to the kitchen, flipping on the kettle with hands that trembled, just a little.This was the day I’d been working toward for years. The day I stepped out of the margins and into the headline.I dressed with careful purpose.The wide-leg navy trousers Mara insisted I buy. A soft silk blouse tucked just so. Blazer sharp enough to signal confidence but loose enough to let me breathe.I pinned my curls back and swiped on a subtle lip. Just enough to look intentional. Just enough to feel like armor.On my way out, I hesita
POV: Layla BrooksSaturday arrived with sunbeams slicing through my blinds and the scent of possibility in the air.It was my first real weekend off in what felt like forever—with no edits due, no looming deadlines, and no awkward office tension to navigate. I had slept in for the first time in months, my phone blissfully silent except for one message:Mara: Brunch. 11 a.m. Wear something you can try clothes on in. You’re not going into The Fold looking like a college intern.I smiled, rolling out of bed with a soft groan and more excitement than I’d admit. There was something oddly emotional about planning your wardrobe for a job you once only fantasized about in coffee shops.The Fold. Every time I said it—even just in my head—it felt like a promise kept.Mara was already waiting outside the café when I arrived, her sunglasses perched high, a green smoothie in hand, and a wicked grin playing on her lips.“You’re late,” she said. “Which means I ordered for both of us.”I leaned in f
POV: Layla BrooksThe office felt different during my final week.Everything looked the same—cluttered desks, morning coffee queues, a rotating playlist of background indie music—but the edges felt softer. People paused longer when we crossed paths, as though reluctant to break the illusion that I’d still be here next week.I wasn’t used to being the center of attention.Even with my job offer from The Fold no longer a secret, I kept things low-key. No announcements. No balloons. Just a quiet countdown in my chest, each day folding inward like a page turned gently in a worn-out novel.The real goodbye wasn’t happening in the conference room or inbox. It was happening in moments.Lucas bringing me fresh coffee before I even asked. Zoe sketching a cartoon version of me on a sticky note with the words Editor-in-Chief vibes. Even Ethan—distant lately, more careful with his words—leaving a polaroid on my desk with no caption. Just the two of us laughing over something forgotten during t
POV: Layla BrooksThere’s a strange kind of ache in packing up a desk.The notes you scribbled in half-light. The paperclips you never remembered using. The mug you claimed during your first week because no one else had touched it.It wasn’t a full goodbye yet—I still had three weeks to go—but I’d started the process anyway. I needed the mental space. The clarity.Preparing to leave wasn’t just about moving offices. It was a letting go of who I’d been in this space—quiet, eager, rebuilding.Now I was stepping into something more.And still, part of me trembled.Lucas leaned against the doorway, arms folded, watching as I slid a stack of books into a cardboard box.“You’re early,” I said, not looking up.“So are you,” he replied.I finally turned to meet his gaze. There was something different in his eyes lately. Not colder, exactly—but cautious. Like he was walking a path he wasn’t sure he was meant to take.“Trying to get a head start before things get too emotional,” I said, tapping
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