LiaWinters

She was only fifteen when I found her—broken, terrified, and barely alive.
I didn’t plan to keep her.
I was a special ops officer—trained to kill, not to care.
But she clung to me like I was her last light.
And I couldn’t let go.

I raised her like a sister.
Protected her. Watched her heal, grow, and fight her demons.
For five years, I told myself I was doing the right thing.

Until one day…
She looked at me—not as a guardian.
But as a woman in love.

I tried to push her away.
I was too old. Too dangerous.

But she’d already made up her mind.
And I was never strong enough to say no.

She thought her life ended the day she was taken.
But when he saved her, it wasn’t just her body that began to heal—
It was her soul’s second chance.

He saved her.
She became his reason to live.

A slow-burn, age-gap romance about trauma, survival, and the kind of love that takes years to grow—but never fades.

Saving Her Broke Me

He wants me. Like the way I want him.

Alex tossed a bag of chips onto the coffee table and flopped onto the couch with the kind of authority that made the whole apartment feel like hers.

I was sitting cross-legged on the rug, still holding the same textbook I hadn't touched in twenty minutes.

She took one look at my face and said, "You need a plan."

"A plan," she repeated, like it was obvious. "You and Elias have been orbiting each other for, what, five years? Now you've officially entered the danger zone."

"The zone where people either kiss or combust."

She pointed at me. "And judging by that face, you're combusting."

Alex leaned forward like we were discussing classified intel.

"Here's what we're gonna do. You're going to see him again."

She gave me a look. "Not like that. You need a reason to go over. Something casual. Low pressure. But enough to remind him you exist."

"You think," she said dramatically, "but the man has the emotional awareness of a shovel."

She pointed at my psych book. "Can you pretend you left something else at his house?"

She grinned. "Now we just have to decide what item you forgot."

I stared at her. "Isn't that lying?"

"It's strategic," she said. "There's a difference."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "What if he thinks I'm being clingy?"

"Yes, I do." She tossed a chip in her mouth, chewed, then added,

"He's a man, Liana. Not a robot. You show up at his door, you smile that confused little smile you do when you're nervous, and I swear to God, he'll forget his own name."

I groaned. "This is a terrible idea."

I paused. Then: "Okay… What do I pretend I forgot?"

She smirked. "That ugly sweatshirt you always wear here. Leave it on purpose next time. Then go back for it. Boom. Natural reunion."

I picked at a thread on my sleeve.

The idea made me nervous. But also… Warm.

"I don't know how to act around him anymore," I whispered. "It used to be easy."

Alex's expression softened. "Of course it was. You didn't realize you liked him."

She didn't smile. But she didn't look surprised either.

She leaned back on the couch, arms folded, like this was the final step of the plan.

"Sweetie," she said, "he already wants you."

"The only thing left is to make him realize… you want him too."

Chapter 47：Alex’s Rules