Mag-log inHi Dear Reader đđ˝
You've probably noticed that I've been struggling to keep a steady updating schedule these last few weeks. My older readers may be aware but I have a busy schedule. I'm a student, and I also juggle a full time job in addition to writing and while I love writing it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with my schedule. I either disappoint my readers or myself and that's something I don't want to do. Plus I've been suffering from a severe writers block. I feel like everything I write is trash and I'm not sure if my new chapters align with the story I originally intended to tell. So because of this I've decided to take a break. At least for a week. I'll try and be back once the week is over. I want to use this time to go through my notes of the story as well as re-read this book but most importantly I want to use this time to rest. I think a huge reason for my burnout is because I'm stressed. A friend advised me to take a break and she's right. I need it and as much as I've been trying to deny it my body has done an excellent job at pointing it out several times this last week. From falling sick to recovering and then falling ill again. I hope you understand the reason for my decision. I want to create a story I'm proud of and one you'll love and I can't do that if I constantly feel like everything I'm writing is terrible. Again I hope you understand. I'll be back soon but until then see you soon. Thank You â¤ď¸Hi everyone. The last eleven months have been a rocky road. I canât tell you how much my life has changed since then, or how close I was to giving up on this book because of said changes, but I can tell you that I made it, and you made it too, and for that I will forever be thankful. Thankful that you didnât give up despite the slow updates. Thankful that you stayed when I almost didnât. If you made it this far, you have my sincerest gratitude, and I cannot wait for you to see what's next. I will be taking a break from the mafia genre to try my hand at other genres (for example, the werewolf genre), but I will be back to give you Cillian and Claraâs story. I hope you join me for my next adventure. Until then. Goodbye. PS: For Bonus content and Behind the scenes update: you can join my f@c3b00k group by simply s3@ching 3th3lâs Romanc3 H@v3n on f@c3b00k and clicking j0in
FOURTEEN YEARS LATERAaronâDad, tell Liam not to touch my stuff.â My thirteen-year-old daughter, Addison, shouts as she storms down the stairs, just moments after her five-year-old brother came barreling into my legs.âLiam, donât touch your sister's stuffâ The little devil grins up at me, making a show of his missing front teeth. The tooth fairy, aka his mum, forgot to collect from under his pillow two nights ago, which resulted in me having to give him a hundred dollars as âapology moneyâ for the tooth fairy.He turns and sticks his tongue at Addison, who groans and stomps her feet.âSee, heâs totally being a little shit right now.â âAddison!â my wife exclaims as she walks into the living room. âWe donât use words like that with family.âShe scrunches her nose. âWhy not? You call Dad an asshole all the time.â My daughter points out.âI do not.ââYou totally do, babe.â I kiss her cheek, and she smiles at me. âHi.ââHey yourself.â I smile back.âEwwwwwâ Liam grimaces and unwraps hi
ElleAaron sits across from me, both hands clasped in front of him, thumbs fidgeting with themselves as he waits for me to speak.Neither of us has said anything yet, and I think itâs because weâre both waiting for the other person to speak first.âSoâŚââIâŚâ We both say and stop at the same time.âYou should go first,â I say. Itâs the least I can do since Iâve been the one avoiding him.âIâm sorry.â I blink at him. âWhat I did was reckless and selfish, and while I donât regret it, I do regret hurting you. I regret that I made you feel like you didn't have a choice in all of this. I was so focused on keeping you safe that I didn't stop to think about how my choices would affect you.â âAaronâŚâHe reaches for my hand across the table, and when I donât move away, he takes it.âI know I canât undo any of this. Not how we met, and especially not how we started, but I swear to you that for the rest of my life, there will be nothing else hidden. If you need more time, I'll give it to you.
ElleSIX WEEKS LATEROne would think that with everything that had happened, a lot of things wouldâve changed.And they would be right.While a lot of things stayed the same after the attack, most didnât.Aaron was still the head of the mob, but he had decided to change a lot of things, starting with the abolishment of the council. He and Cillian were working tirelessly to dismantle the old guard piece by piece. Turning a centuries-old hierarchy on its head.Of course it wasnât an overnight job, but Aaron was nothing if not ruthless when he had a point to prove.And his point was clear: no one would ever have the leverage to threaten our lives, or our family, again.Speaking of family.Ava sits across from me, a smile dancing on her lips as she watches her kids and my sister play together while we have afternoon tea.âSo,â she says, readjusting her teacup so the handle points at her, âWhatâs this I hear about you giving my brother the silent treatment?âOf course he told her.The las
Elle.The second weâre at home, I have Cillian call for a doctor.Aaron woke up briefly during the drive back, insisting through gritted teeth that he was fine, but Iâd seen the extent of his injuries with my own eyes to determine he was full of shit.âHeâll need lots of rest.â The doctor informs me as he puts his stethoscope back in his bag. âHis ribs are bruised, and the laceration around his left wrist required four stitches. His throat might be sore for a couple of days, but with proper hydration and medication, he should feel better in a couple of weeks.âI nod and take the note he hands me for Aaronâs prescription.âThank you, Doctor.âHe nods once. Cillian walks him out, and soon itâs only Aaron and me in our bedroom.I turn to look at Aaron, who is now sitting at the edge of our bed, shirt off and fresh bandages wrapped around his ribs and midsection. His wrists are also secured, and the bruising around his jaw has shifted from violent red to a dark yellowish purple.He look
AaronâSign this.âIvy tosses a file and a pen onto my lap before returning to stand beside her uncle.âWhat is it?â I keep my eyes locked on her face, noting the slight, ugly tremor of impatience in her jaw.âYour abdication.ââMy what?â âCome now, Aaron, youâre not that stupid. Iâm pretty sure you know what an abdication means, right?âOf course I know what it means. What I donât understand is why they need me to sign one. âI thought you just wanted to kill me and be done with it.âNeil lets out a snort followed by a cold, vicious laugh. âDonât be ridiculous. Even I know the damage your death would cause if I were to just show up and stake my claim to the throne.â He says it like he is explaining the alphabet to a dull child. âWithout leaving an heir, youâre basically plummeting the future of the mob into darkness, but by naming me as your successor in your abdication, the transition is seamless. No war. No questions asked.âFor a moment, I wonder how long they've had to think this







