No one knows who I really am or what I've done to survive. They want only what I allow them to see - a bubbly young adult who aspires to be a chef. I wear this mask to ward off the morbidly curious. It's easier to be alone than face judgment when someone realizes just how unclean I truly am. Until Nick... He wants everything I have to offer and he is willing to earn it. There is no pressure or expectation to follow his kindness. I fight against the hold he has on my heart because I can’t fall for him. I can’t get crushed under the weight of the reality of my actions. Men like him don’t want filth like me. When he sees what lies beyond the mask, he’ll run. But he doesn’t… Where I see filth, he sees resilience. He says my past is not my future, he is… This is a dark romance story with minimal on-page triggers. This story focuses on trauma healing and high spice! Please visit edknovels.com for a full list of triggers and tropes.