After Stefan crosses the only boundary Sam needed him to respect, their life-altering choices set into motion a destruction that neither considered possible. With hundreds of days between them, their college romance no longer reads like a modern fairy tale, and both have endured the endless fallout from their decisions.
Having lived the last five years without Stefan, Sam has finally come to terms with the fear that he might never come back. While the thought is heartbreaking, she recognizes that their relationship was full of red flags and outright abuse; the forced separation, while devastating, was likely the best thing for her safety. Still, Sam can't help but light a candle every Halloween and Christmas in the hope that her love will be enough to lead Stefan down a different road where he will have both the capacity and the opportunity to make better choices.
After returning to Romania, Stefan has devoted himself to the Brigazi. Running drugs and weapons, trafficking women, and beating men to death have turned him into a thug. Without Sam's influence, his rage and emptiness have created a soulless enforcer without a conscience. The only thing that keeps Stefan going is his endless search for the woman he still loves. Despite his criminal lifestyle, he has convinced himself that once he has Samantha in his arms again, he will change back into the man she fell for, and their life will go on as though she had never been taken from him.
The powerful conclusion of the Back to You duet explores the collateral damage of love as part of an organized crime family while also shedding light on the untold abuses that growing up in such a life entails. Captivating readers with a novel that intertwines tension, desire, and allure, author Mia Michele cements her status as a legend in the mafia romance subgenre.
Reader Advisory: Back to You: Now is the second of a two-part duet and requires readers to have read book one. Topics of abuse, assault, rape, and domestic violence are presented. Reader discretion is advised.