𝟬. 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘
You’re about to read something that might ruin you.
Not in the way that leaves you gasping for air at 4a.m. (though it might). Not in the way that makes you screenshot lines to send to friends who don’t read (though you might). But in the way that makes you wonder if borrowed time is better than no time at all.
This story isn’t a metaphor for grief or depression or chronic illness, though it holds all three like a fist holds water. It’s not about romanticizing death or glorifying the idea of loving something that will destroy you. It’s about the weight of staying alive when the cost isn’t just yours to pay.
DEATH, DARLING is a paranormal romance, yes. But it’s also a study in guilt. In the mathematics of mortality. In what happens when the heart beating in your chest isn’t the one you were born with.
Tatum Reed doesn’t want to die. She just wants to know if living is worth what it costs everyone else.
Death doesn’t want to love. He just can’t figure out how to stop.
This is their story. This is your warning.
CONTENT NOTES(READ BEFORE YOU DIVE IN)
This book contains:
- Chronic illness (congenital heart condition, medication dependence)- Death (on-page, discussed, inevitable)- Guilt and moral injury- Existential dread packaged as romance- A protagonist who is tired in ways sleep won’t fix- No suicide ideation, but plenty of “what if I just stopped trying”- Sensuality without explicit content (we burn slow here)- A love interest who is not a man but aconceptwearing a man’s face
If any of this feels too close to home, please protect yourself first. This story will still be here when you’re ready. Or maybe it won’t be for you at all, and that’s okay too.
HOW TO READ THIS
Each chapter ends on a feeling, not a cliffhanger. You’ll want to binge. That’s by design. But if you need to stop and breathe, do it. Tatum’s heart might be on a timer, but yours isn’t.
Comment as you read.Tell me which lines broke you. Tell me if you hateDeath(you will, then you won’t, then you will again). Tell me if you see yourself in Tatum’s exhaustion or Mateo’s quiet rebellion or Claudia’s resentment.To mention a few...
I’m listening.
Also:this updates everyMonday, Wednesday &Friday at 8 p.m. EST.New chapter, new heartbeat, new reason to stay up past your bedtime. If we hit vote milestones, I’ll drop early.I’m not above bribery, LMAO.
THE FINE PRINT
©️2025 Jesse Chinedu.All Rights Reserved.
This work is my intellectual property. That means:
- No reposting on other platforms (yes, even if you credit me)- No translations without explicit written permission- No copying my style and calling it ”inspired by"- The temporary cover art for the Wattpad & Inkitt edition is from Pinterest.
If you see this story anywhere that isn’t my Wattpad (indig0jesse),or Inkitt (indig0jesse),it’s stolen.Tell me immediately.❤️
I workedtoohard on this for someone else to slap their name on it and call it a day.
WHERE TO FIND ME (AND WHERE TO YELL AT ME)
Inkitt: @indig0jesse(you’re already here, but follow for updates)Instagram: @indig0jesse(aesthetics, behind-the-scenes, crisis posts)Twitter/X:@indig0jesse (live updates, chaos, unhinged thread theories)TikTok:@indig0jesseDiscord:indig0jesse(DM me, I don’t bite. much.)
Join the conversation. Send me your fanart. Tell me your theories. Ask me why I’m doing this to you (I don’t have a good answer, but I’ll try).
ONE LAST THING
If you finish this and feel something—anything—that’s all I’m asking for.
Love it. Hate it. Argue with me in the comments. Reread it at4a.m. when your own heart is doing that thing where it skips and you remember you’re alive for no reason other than chance.
This story is a gift, a debt, and a question I don’t know the answer to:
What do you owe the universe for the heartbeat you didn’t earn?
Let’s find out together.
Now go. Chapter 1 is waiting.
And Tatum’s heart is ticking.
—Jesse
P.S. — If you’re reading this in one sitting at 4 a.m., drink some water. Tatum would want you to stay hydrated while you emotionally unravel.
