Darien Draco: Oh Dear Simona, Kartoniert / Broschiert

Klappentext

In the neon-soaked haze of city life, Simona is a master of the mask. To her friends, she is the life of the party-the girl who laughs too loudly, dances too recklessly, and chases the wrong kind of excitement with an effortless, brash confidence. It is a carefully curated persona, a survival mechanism designed to fill the hollow spaces where true connection should be. For years, she has kept the world at arm's length, hiding behind a drink, a bad boyfriend, and a sharp tongue, terrified that if she ever stopped running, the silence would finally catch up to her.

Then there is Jared. He is the quiet observer, the grounded anchor in a home that feels like a shared secret. Connected by a complicated family history that stretches back to their childhoods, they exist in the fragile space between sibling-like proximity and a deep, unspoken history. For over a decade, Jared has been the silent witness to Simona's chaotic descent-the one who checks the window at 3: 00 AM, the one who listens to the heartbreak, and the one who has carefully guarded a love he dared not speak. He has watched her search for validation in the eyes of men who don't deserve her, all while harboring a devotion that began when they were just children in a classroom.

The friction between them is a dormant volcano, built on years of stolen glances, missed opportunities, and the heavy, suffocating weight of social rules. But secrets have a way of unraveling in the dark. On a night that begins with a desperate return home and a shattered relationship, the carefully maintained facade between them begins to crack. As the boundary between "family" and "future" blurs, they are forced to confront the truth: they have both been performing roles to protect themselves, when the only person they truly needed was already sitting right next to them.

This is a story about the devastating power of being seen. It explores the terrifying, beautiful courage required to tear down the walls we build to keep ourselves safe. It is a slow-burn exploration of two people navigating the perilous line between the expectations of their past and the raw, undeniable reality of their present. In the quiet hours between midnight and dawn, they find that true intimacy isn't about grand gestures; it's about the vulnerability of finally admitting that you have been waiting for someone your entire life, only to realize they were holding your hand the entire time.

As their worlds collide and the "truth" becomes the only currency that matters, Simona and Jared must decide if the peace they find in each other is worth the price of dismantling the lives they thought they had to lead. With the world waiting outside, they find a sanctuary that feels both forbidden and fated-a place where they don't have to be the people everyone else expects them to be, but can finally just be themselves. It is a testament to the fact that sometimes, the hardest journey you will ever take is the one to the person who has been standing by your side all along, waiting for you to finally turn around and really look.