Liyah survived love that tried to own her.
Now she's learning that trust comes with a price.After rebuilding her life, her business, and her sense of self, Liyah stands stronger than ever-but strength attracts attention. Old connections resurface, new opportunities test her boundaries, and relationships demand more than survival instincts can offer. As she navigates power, intimacy, and ambition, Liyah must decide who deserves access to her world-and who benefits most from her vulnerability.In a city where loyalty is currency and love can be leverage, Trust Ain't Free explores the cost of emotional independence, the danger of guarded hearts, and the courage it takes to risk connection again. This is a story about healing without erasure, power without cruelty, and a woman who refuses to give herself away cheaply ever again.Liyah fought hard for peace-but peace doesn't mean safety.After surviving a love that nearly erased her, Liyah has rebuilt her life with intention. Her business is thriving, her mind is clearer, and her boundaries are no longer negotiable. But success has a way of drawing attention, and not all of it is earned honestly. Old names resurface with new motives, familiar faces return wearing different masks, and opportunities arrive wrapped in questions she's learned not to ignore.As Liyah navigates power, intimacy, and ambition, she's forced to confront a truth she can't therapize away: healing doesn't guarantee protection. Trust is still a risk. Vulnerability still costs. And love-real love-demands more than survival instincts.With Trey offering steady presence, Renee rewriting her own narrative, and ghosts of Malik's influence lingering in quieter, more dangerous ways, Liyah must decide who deserves access to the woman she's become. In a city where loyalty is currency and closeness can be weaponized, Trust Ain't Free is a raw, unflinching story about growth without apology, strength without cruelty, and the price of choosing yourself-even when connection is what you want most.This isn't a comeback story.
It's a reckoning.
