One second.The blink of an eye.No turning back.If there was ever a Princess with a crooked crown, I was she. My indiscretions were well known, my reputation less than clean. A pawn in Daddy's games, I played my part well.A single act of desperation brought my world tumbling down around me, the consequences bringing a beast to my door. One adamant on leaving me broken.I hadn't counted on the one thing I'd never had being my saving grace.Love from a man who had yearned to know me for more years than I understood.Love from a man who'd been left irrevocably scarred by the memories of his past.Both men were different, their intent the same. But I was Charlie's princess, the Boss's daughter, and I'd learnt to live behind a wall of armour from an early age.I didn't know if I was ready. If I was worth it. If I deserved it. Until the little boy with the big eyes stole my heart.This is my story. This is my fight. Truths were unfolding whether I was ready or not.This is the death of a princess.

Twenty six years.Nine thousand, four hundred and ninety days.Every hour, a relief.I'm a thug. A pusher. A low life. Governed by the hand that feeds me and holds my sister against me. I am named 'Gripp' for good reason. Every breath I take is one I hold dear, for my life dictates a short span.I hit on women to save face, while I screw men in back alleyways to hide. My brazen attempt to seduce my sister's best friend fell short, leaving me spiralling out of control. I'm not good enough for Ayden Rinaldi, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to try.I want him with a passion I have never felt before.The chips are stacked against me, against us. The muddy waters I tread, taint all who come near. On bended knees, my world finally rips itself apart, leaving me sinking to the bottom of my black existence. In death's darkest hour, I am lost, Ayden a shadow of the man he once was.But he is my anchor.I am his.And we must swim these choppy waters before they drown us.

Life can change in a split second, a minute moment, an infinite hour.For Laura Hamilton, her split second lasted 2,880 minutes. 48 hours to be exact. She barely escaped with her life. With a body full of scars and a heart full of hurt, the twenty-nine-year old clothes designer spent the following eight years clouded with grief, believing herself to be too broken to ever see the beauty in her surroundings again.After a last-ditch attempt to scrape some semblance of her pieces together goes disastrously wrong, Laura’s pushed pin guides her to the sleepy village of Beaufort. No longer content to hide behind her sister, or languish in the depths of her sorrow, she finds a measure of peace among paranoia and fear, carving out an existence she is almost comfortable with.Laura inadvertently catches the eye of the enigmatic hotelier and newcomer, Lucca Rinaldi. For the first time, her heart begins the slow trip towards letting another man into her life. Passion and pain go hand in hand when the couple finally meet.Little does she know that Lucca’s history is not so far in the past as he thinks. His troubled affairs follow hot on his heels, bringing scorn and hate back into her fold. When their pasts collide with explosive consequences, Laura’s bitter memories threaten to pull her under when a walking nightmare crashes back into her life, bringing terror along for the ride.The seconds are counting down - but who gets to call time?*Please note - suitable for 18+ only due to adult/graphic themes and possible trigger content.

Life can change in a split second, a minute moment, an infinite hour.For Laura Hamilton, her split second lasted 2,880 minutes. 48 hours to be exact. She barely escaped with her life. With a body full of scars and a heart full of hurt, the twenty-nine-year old clothes designer spent the following eight years clouded with grief, believing herself to be too broken to ever see the beauty in her surroundings again.After a last-ditch attempt to scrape some semblance of her pieces together goes disastrously wrong, Laura’s pushed pin guides her to the sleepy village of Beaufort. No longer content to hide behind her sister, or languish in the depths of her sorrow, she finds a measure of peace among paranoia and fear, carving out an existence she is almost comfortable with.Laura inadvertently catches the eye of the enigmatic hotelier and newcomer, Lucca Rinaldi. For the first time, her heart begins the slow trip towards letting another man into her life. Passion and pain go hand in hand when the couple finally meet.Little does she know that Lucca’s history is not so far in the past as he thinks. His troubled affairs follow hot on his heels, bringing scorn and hate back into her fold. When their pasts collide with explosive consequences, Laura’s bitter memories threaten to pull her under when a walking nightmare crashes back into her life, bringing terror along for the ride.The seconds are counting down - but who gets to call time?*Please note - suitable for 18+ only due to adult/graphic themes and possible trigger content.

Life can change in a split second, a minute moment, an infinite hour.For Laura Hamilton, her split second lasted 2,880 minutes. 48 hours to be exact. She barely escaped with her life. With a body full of scars and a heart full of hurt, the twenty-nine-year old clothes designer spent the following eight years clouded with grief, believing herself to be too broken to ever see the beauty in her surroundings again.After a last-ditch attempt to scrape some semblance of her pieces together goes disastrously wrong, Laura’s pushed pin guides her to the sleepy village of Beaufort. No longer content to hide behind her sister, or languish in the depths of her sorrow, she finds a measure of peace among paranoia and fear, carving out an existence she is almost comfortable with.Laura inadvertently catches the eye of the enigmatic hotelier and newcomer, Lucca Rinaldi. For the first time, her heart begins the slow trip towards letting another man into her life. Passion and pain go hand in hand when the couple finally meet.Little does she know that Lucca’s history is not so far in the past as he thinks. His troubled affairs follow hot on his heels, bringing scorn and hate back into her fold. When their pasts collide with explosive consequences, Laura’s bitter memories threaten to pull her under when a walking nightmare crashes back into her life, bringing terror along for the ride.The seconds are counting down - but who gets to call time?*Please note - suitable for 18+ only due to adult/graphic themes and possible trigger content.