Every routine Vera Lim-Hartley keeps is a bargain with herself: hold it together on the surface, survive the storm underneath. Therapy sessions, journal entries, daily rituals. They aren’t just steps to silence the echoes of her mind or keep her from slipping into chaos. They are how she controls herself. On the surface, she has a good job, loyal friends, and a man who makes her feel safe.

Niklaus Zarzecki seems perfect: attentive, protective, intoxicating in ways Vera doesn’t dare question. But perfection has shadows. And as Vera clings to the comfort he offers, her journal becomes the only place where truth leaks through. On Page 23 lies the secret that will unravel her carefully built world, and expose not just who Nik really is, but who she has always been.

Because love can wear the mask of salvation.
Because monsters recognise each other.
Because sometimes, the only thing more terrifying than facing your demons, is falling in love with them.