Shattered Dreams

<p><strong><em>Svetlana</em></strong></p><p>I've spent my life running.</p><p>I ran the day my sister was taken and I've been running ever since-away from the guilt the grief and the hollow expectations of who I should be.</p><p>But running doesn't erase the pain. It doesn't stop the memories from haunting me.</p><p>Now I'm face to face with a man who sees the broken pieces I've been hiding. A man who makes me want to stop running.</p><p>Brandon is everything I shouldn't want-dominant intense and unrelenting. But I can't deny the pull between us.</p><p>I thought I was done with dreams but he's giving me a glimpse of something I never thought I could have.</p><p>And I'm terrified it will shatter again.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Brandon</em></strong></p><p>I've made mistakes. Some I can't forgive myself for.</p><p>But when I meet Svetlana it's like she sees straight through the walls I've built around my heart.</p><p>She's beautiful fierce and carrying the weight of a past that threatens to crush her.</p><p>I want to protect her to show her that her scars don't define her. But to earn her trust I'll have to face my own demons.</p><p>She's everything I've been searching for but her pain runs deep and her secrets could destroy us both.</p><p>I've lost before. I won't lose her. Not without a fight.</p>