Rita Branches

Under a Million Stars Rita Branches

Can a beating heart bleed from the shattered pieces? Her heart cracked when her best friend walked away; it completely shattered when she lost her family in a tragic accident. Now orphaned at seventeen, Charlotte Peterson is forced to live with her former best friend, Jacob Parker. Charlie, a talented pianist, desperately wants their loving friendship back, but something is holding Jake back. The more she spirals into the darkness of depression, the more she needs him. Jacob vowed to stay away from her-no matter how much he still loved her. Armed with secrets that would have destroyed both of their families, he chose to end their friendship and walk away, which nearly killed him. As he watches the girl he once knew begin to fade away, however, he realizes that their relationship is more important than the truth he's hiding. Now it's up to Jacob to put the pieces of Charlie's broken heart back together-even if it means revealing the secrets he so desperately wants to protect her from. Will Jacob find a way to bring back the carefree, talented girl he once knew, or is it too late for both of them?