I’ve spent my whole life being the caretaker—the steady one, the strong one, the glue.

But after my diagnosis, everything shifted. Suddenly, I’m the one unraveling... and I don’t know how to ask for help without feeling like a burden.

Gunnar is trying. He loves me in the only way he knows how—with protectiveness, with structure, with suffocating kindness. But I don’t need someone to manage me. I need someone to see me.

The more he tries to fix things, the more I feel myself slipping away—from my body, from our plans, from us.

And maybe the scariest part isn’t the illness.

Maybe it’s realizing that love alone might not be enough to hold us together.

A raw, intimate story about identity, chronic illness, and the terrifying vulnerability of loving—and staying—in the middle of the storm.

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Please take the following under advisement before reading.

Your mental health matters.

Hate, Discrimination & Oppression: Fatphobia & body-shaming (Past), Workplace harassment (Past)

Alcohol and Drugs: Alcohol consumption

Pregnancy and Childbirth: Childbirth (Supporting character, not on-page)

Blood, Injury and Medical: Body modifications (Tattooing), Chronic illness (Type 2 Diabetes), Hospitalization, Medical treatment, Sterilization (Tubal ligation)

Kink Related: Exhibitionism, Fisting, Rope, Use of Adult Toys

This book contains “spice”, or graphic sexual content, and is intended for persons of legal age. The content of this work should not be used as a manual or a realistic depiction of kink, fetish, or BDSM activities, and all characters are of legal age. This novel is intended for entertainment purposes only.