Holding My Breath: Act I

By Belinda Blanchett

Mariana is twenty-one. Impulsive. Stubborn. Hopelessly romantic.

Ana is forty-seven. Divorced. The mother of two teenagers. And Mariana's boss.

Everything about them says no.

The age gap.

The workplace.

The children.

The lives they've already built.

What begins with playful banter and an attraction neither of them can ignore soon becomes something neither of them can control. Every glance feels dangerous. Every touch carries consequences. Every choice threatens to hurt the people they love most.

Ana tells herself that loving Mariana would be selfish.

Mariana believes some loves are worth fighting for-even when they seem impossible.

But love never exists in isolation.

There are children watching.

Coworkers whispering.

An ex-husband who never truly disappeared.

And one painful truth neither of them can escape:

Sometimes the greatest obstacle isn't society.

It's the person you're trying to protect.

Some people steal your heart.

Others teach you how to breathe again.

Holding My Breath is a deeply emotional slow-burn sapphic romance about impossible timing, family, healing, and the courage to choose love when every reason tells you to walk away.

Perfect for readers who love:

- Slow-burn romance
- Age-gap WLW relationships
- Workplace romance
- Forbidden love
- Emotionally driven contemporary fiction
- Found family
- LGBTQ+ romance with unforgettable characters

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H8MKNR8K
• ISBN13: 9798186583165
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"