About

Sonia Martinez is a 20-year-old woman with eyes that have seen too much and a heart hardened by the scars of her past. Her world was shaped by chaos-a childhood marred by the relentless warfare between her parents. Love, in her experience, was never gentle or nurturing. It was explosive, cruel, and always left behind emotional shrapnel. Shouting matches became lullabies, slammed doors echoed louder than bedtime stories, and the word "forever" lost all meaning before she learned how to spell it. From that battlefield, Sonia emerged not broken, but battle-ready. She built her life around one unshakable belief: love is a dangerous illusion, and vulnerability is its deadliest trap. While her peers dreamt of fairy-tale romances, Sonia mastered the art of emotional detachment. Trust was a myth. Feelings were weapons. And relationships? They were ticking time bombs dressed in charm. Then came Alex Rodriguez. Confident, enigmatic, and dangerously persistent, Alex is everything Sonia swore to avoid. Their first encounter crackles with a chemistry so fierce it stuns them both. Their second is a collision of fire and ice-her resistance against his undeniable allure. He sees through her defenses, past the sarcasm and steel walls, into the wounded heart she's spent years trying to bury. To outsiders, the tension between them is scorching. But Sonia is determined not to become another cautionary tale. She clings to the armor she forged in childhood, unwilling to believe that a man like Alex could be anything more than another mistake waiting to happen. But Alex is hiding secrets of his own-ones that could unravel everything. As danger closes in and long-buried trauma resurfaces, Sonia must make the hardest choice of her life: continue living in the safety of her emotional bunker or risk everything on the terrifying promise of love. This isn't just a romance. It's a high-stakes battle between past pain and future hope, between hardened self-preservation and the terrifying, beautiful vulnerability of real connection. And once the sparks ignite, neither of them will ever be the same.

Chapter 1 Not His Type

There's something cruel about having your heart broken on what should be the happiest day of your life. I stood at the entrance of the Golden Palace Hotel's ballroom, still wearing my graduation cap, the taste of achievement fresh on my lips. Four years of fighting to maintain my scholarship, four years of proving I belonged here, and four years of loving Derek had led to this moment.

The same Derek who was now wrapped around Amanda Wilson on the dance floor, his fingers trailing down her back like he used to with mine.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I whispered, gripping Lisa's arm so hard she winced.

"Sonia, breathe. Just breathe," Lisa tried pulling me back, but my feet were already moving.

The champagne-soaked air felt thick in my lungs as I pushed through the crowd. My blue sequined dress-bought with my final scholarship stipend-caught the light, throwing sparkles that felt more like accusations now. Around us, our graduating class laughed and celebrated, their expensive perfumes mixing with the scent of success and promises.

"I heard they've been seeing each other for months," someone whispered as I passed. "Ever since Amanda started tutoring him in Advanced Finance."

The words hit me like physical blows. Advanced Finance-the class I'd helped him study for countless nights, holding his hand through every panic attack before exams.

"Derek." My voice carried across the music, and heads turned.

He froze mid-dance, his face draining of color as he met my eyes. Amanda didn't step away. Instead, she pressed closer, her red Valentino dress making my carefully budgeted purchase look like bargain leftovers.

"Sonia?" Derek's voice cracked. "I... we were just-"

"Just what?" The tears burned, but I refused to let them fall. "Just celebrating? Just dancing? Or just making a fool out of me in front of our entire graduating class?"

Amanda's laugh cut through the tension. "Oh honey, you did that all on your own. Following Derek around like a lost puppy for four years, pretending you could ever be part of his world?"

My palm stung before I realized I'd slapped her. The sound echoed through the suddenly silent ballroom.

"Sonia, stop!" Derek grabbed my wrist. "This isn't Amanda's fault. We... things changed. College is over. My father's firm-"

"Let go of me!" I yanked away, my voice rising. "Don't you dare touch me with the same hands that were just all over her. Was anything real? Or was I just your charity project-the scholarship girl you could show off to prove how generous you were?"

"That's not fair!" His face reddened. "You don't understand the pressure I'm under. My family's expectations-"

"And I was never going to meet them, right?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "Poor Sonia, with her student loans and her discount store clothes. Did you laugh about me with Amanda? Did you two joke about how pathetic I was, believing someone like you could actually love someone like me?"

The crowd around us grew larger. These same classmates who'd copied my notes, begged for my help during group projects, concealed their fascination as my world imploded.

"It wasn't like that," Derek's voice softened, trying to sound reasonable.

"We were good together, Sonia. But college is over. Real life is starting, and I need-"

"Someone who fits your country club lifestyle?" I reached into my clutch, hands shaking. "Here. I saved every penny of my last stipend for your graduation gift." I threw the envelope at his chest. "A ticket to that New York business conference you wouldn't shut up about. I hope you and Amanda have a wonderful time."

The envelope hit the champagne-wet floor between us. Someone gasped-probably at the waste of such an expensive ticket.

"Sonia, I didn't know..." Derek stepped forward, his blue eyes filling with tears I no longer believed.

"No, you didn't know. Because you never bothered to ask. You were too busy replacing me."

I spun away, but my heel caught on my dress. The world tilted, and I braced for impact with the marble floor.

It never came.