Not Yours to Save: A Dark, Emotional Romance with a Protective Hero and a Single Mom

“I don’t want a hero. I want someone who doesn’t flinch when I fall apart.”

A forbidden romance. A broken single mother. A man with secrets—and the patience to love her anyway.

Lilia Halden has spent the last six years in survival mode—juggling doctor appointments, medical bills, and the relentless weight of raising her disabled daughter alone. There’s no space in her life for romance, no time for softness, and certainly no trust left for men.

Then he appears.

Damon is quiet. Watchful. Dangerous in ways Lilia can’t quite name. He shows up when she needs him most—and stays long after he should have walked away. But his presence feels less like fate and more like a warning.

Because Damon isn’t who he says he is.
And the truth about why he found her could destroy everything.

What begins as an unexpected attraction turns into a slow-burn, emotionally charged connection neither of them expected—and one Lilia isn’t sure she can survive again.

Not Yours to Save is a gripping standalone dark romance

A fiercely protective, morally gray hero

A single mother heroine with real-world struggles

Forbidden attraction and emotional slow burn

Themes of trauma, trust, redemption, and healing

High emotional stakes with steamy scenes and a deeply satisfying payoff

For readers who

Possessive, soft-dominant alpha males

Romance with real emotional depth

Stories about resilience, motherhood, and finding love after devastation

A slow build with intense payoff

Books like Credence, Still Beating, Give Me More, or The Confidence of Wildflowers

It’s not a fairy tale. It’s not perfect. But it’s real. And sometimes, that’s enough.