Because I Killed Him

The wrong ally is deadlier than an enemy.In the Civilized World, everyone is rich, yet money doesn’t buy safety. It only buys a gold coffin. The real currency is having the right allies. Low-citizens survive by joining high-citizens’ exclusive inner circles, trading loyalty for protection from laws that govern speech, dress, and posture—and punish mistakes with public beheading.Low-citizen Loredana Waldsten already knows the cost of breaking the rules. Once a rising fencing prodigy, she lost the right to carry weapons after killing a high-citizen in a brutal locker-room attack. The courts erased his death to preserve his family’s honor. Now she’s unarmed, legally defenseless, and enrolled at the elite Grandmaster University, where champagne spills into the gutters and reputations are built on death duels.When Loredana’s father, a low-citizen politician, publicly challenges the high-citizens, she becomes a target. Some classmates demand her execution. Others hunt her for sport. And by law, she’s forbidden to fight back.Her only chance of survival lies with Edmund Prew, a charming yet ruthless high-citizen student she’s been warned against. Edmund's family has been locked in a bitter feud with Loredana’s for years, and he wants nothing to do with her until a lost bet forces him to protect her within his inner circle. What begins as a scandalous, strategic alliance turns perilous as they fall for each other.Because the man Loredana killed wasn’t just a high-citizen. He was Edmund’s cousin.Loving Edmund means living a lie.Telling the truth means certain death. WHAT TO EXPECT: -  A character-driven dystopian story set in a bright, ruthless future -  A dangerous social system defined by blood color and inherited status -  Political intrigue and power struggles - Morally complex characters forced into impossible choices - High-stakes alliances, betrayals, and shifting loyalties - A slow-burn, forbidden relationship woven into the core conflict - A plot that unfolds like a mystery-thriller - Detailed, internally consistent worldbuilding NOTE: Because I Killed Him took us four years to write and is now complete. What you’re reading here is a 300-page preview of the full novel (829 pages), posted in serial form, with the complete book releasing in May. We really hope you enjoy the story!