For ten years, Everett Mercer has survived the end of the world by trusting no one beyond the fences of his family farm. Alongside his younger brother, he transformed the isolated land into a hidden safe haven β fortified fields, guarded silos, and a strict rule thatβs kept them alive: strangers donβt stay. Hardened by loss and years of violence, Everett has become ruthless when it comes to protecting whatβs his. Everything changes the night two sisters collapse at their gate during a thunderstorm. The older sister, a former nurse named Clara, is desperate and exhausted, begging for shelter after scavengers ambushed them on the road. The younger sister β Y/N β is bruised, bloodied, and barely conscious after taking the worst of the attack. Against his better judgment, Everett lets them in for one night. But one night becomes longer when Y/Nβs quiet resilience begins breaking through the walls Everett spent a decade building around himself. As danger closes in from the outside and tensions rise within the farm, Everett is forced to decide whether survival is still enough β or if risking his heart could finally make this broken world worth living in again.
π¬ 990
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