Chapter 1 - Me
Lauren
Here I am living this life of luxury and I still don’t believe I ended up h...


This story contains themes of: assault, attempted rape, cheating, depression, domestic violence, drug use overdose, sexual assault abuse, stalker
All Rights Reserved ©
Lauren Bailey met Jose "JJ" Juarez when she was just 16 years old, at a time she really needed someone. Her father had basically given up on life after the love of his life died by his hands, indirectly.
Lauren was 9 years old when she lost her mother, Brenda; she had to practically raise herself as her father, Lorenzo, couldn't get over the hand he played in her death.
Lauren was smart, very smart to be exact. She attended high school and attended college courses at a community college located in downtown Chicago, to stay ahead of the game. She knew she had to be book smart if she wanted to get out of the hood. She was determined to land a scholarship to take her away from southside of Chicago.
Lorenzo tried his best to do right by his daughter, but smoking weed and drinking everyday wasn't really helping him keep a job. Lauren needed help, otherwise she was going to drown right along with her father and she was determined to float.
Jose comes in and saves Lauren at her lowest point, making promises to Lauren without her knowing of his motives. She was looking for someone to save her; he was looking for someone to mold.
15 years later, not only did Jose come through on his promises he made to Lauren, he's now her husband.
Lauren is a kept woman, with anything and everything she ever wanted, yet she knows something just doesn't feel right. She notices Jose doesn't seem as interested in her as before and he spends more time away with his businesses than before.
Things begin to turn when Jose expects Lauren to accept someone he brings into their life that needs help, just like she did. Lauren feels there's more to it than Jose is willing to reveal.
Lauren decides to hire a private investigator to get answers to her questions. Nathaniel "Philly" Boyd takes the case and finds out Jose is involved in a lot of illegal deals as well as another woman. Philly knows Lauren deserves better, he just needs to get her to realize it.
Will Lauren find out the truth?
Who has Jose set his eyes on now?
Will Lauren decide to open her eyes and live her life without Jose?
Lauren's life has been hard since losing her mother at a young age, leaving her to be raised by her father, Lorenzo. However, Lorenzo can't bare the fact that Brenda, Lauren's mother, died because of him and can't bring himself to live life after she's gone. Lauren instantly goes from having a childhood, to trying to make life decisions her father should be making. She just wants to be a regular teenager. Life gets rough to the point, Lauren knows she needs to do well in school as getting a scholarship is the only ticket available for her to get out of the hood and try to live a somewhat normal life on her own. That is until someone makes a promise to Lauren that she can't refuse as she knows it would change her life dramatically.
Lauren
Here I am living this life of luxury and I still don’t believe I ended up h...



ohoney2004: I liked this novel. Good story line, interesting plot and characters.
Read Now
Catherineb83: Story good just would have liked her not to wear a mask
Read Now
lunaartsoul___: I loved the way your story unfolds. The emotional depth and structure made it feel very engaging, almost cinematic at times.I’m someone who enjoys both reading and visual storytelling, and your work really stood out to me. If you’re open to chatting about creative ideas someday, I’d love that.
Read Now
S.TYTECA: I really enjoyed reading this book! The story was engaging and kept me interested throughout. There were a few minor spelling errors here and there, and some parts felt a little drawn out for my personal taste, but that’s purely subjective. Overall, it was a lovely read, and I genuinely enjoyed the ...
Read Now
vivcarroll: Good story line looking forward to find out the rest of what’s going to happen
Read Now
Manoj: I like the plot the slow burn moments and intensity of pain and it's nice the pain and hurt they both feeling
Read Now