Weeping Iris

by Ava Milns

Weeping Iris is part of The Garden of Desire flower collection, where each story centers on a different bloom.

This is a dark romance novel exploring devotion, exploitation, and survival.

Maren learned early that survival doesn’t look like escape—it looks like endurance.
An orphan raised amidst scarcity and silence clings to the one constant in her her husband, Albie. For her, marriage is the ultimate proof of belonging, even when love becomes conditional and devotion is wielded as a weapon.
Even when her body learns to disappear so the rest of her can survive.
When their desperate pursuit of financial and marital stability leads Maren into the world of adult content creation, the line between consent and coercion becomes indistinguishable. Each compromise is presented as temporary, each boundary as negotiable, and every violation is justified by vows she has been taught never to break.
Then she meets Thaddeus Wolfe.
He is in control where her life is in chaos. He is quiet where she has learned to obscure her true self. He is dangerous not because he takes but because he sees. With him, desire feels unfamiliar, and choice becomes terrifying. For the first time, Maren is forced to confront a truth she has denied for love should not require her to disappear.
But leaving isn’t simple when loyalty is instilled in your bones—and freedom threatens to unravel everything you’ve ever called family.
Weeping Iris is a story about survival, trauma, and the brutal cost of choosing yourself. It is a story of quiet resistance, shattered vows, and a woman who must decide whether endurance is enough—or whether she deserves more than merely staying alive.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 29, 2026

About the author

Hi! I'm Ava Milns.

Welcome to my world of Dark Romance, where complex emotions intertwine with taboo themes and raw intensity.

How did I get here? I’m an introvert and a recluse, often seen as weak and lacking courage. But I am also dark and complex, with a mind that has been conjuring up worlds and stories since an early age. These realms, populated by real people and places from my life, became my sanctuary, offering comfort, protection, and a sense of belonging.

In these imaginative worlds, I found my true home. They helped me function in reality. As I grew up, I began to create these worlds intentionally, seeking refuge in the elaborate and vivid stories that consumed me. Now, I channel my passion into stories that explore the boundaries of desire, pain, and love.

I laugh, cry, fight, rejoice, and mourn with my characters. I love some and hate others. My own doppelgänger in these stories amazes, pleases, tortures, and terrifies me. Attempts to be that person in the real world led me deeper into my imaginative realms, where morality blurs and the heart’s darkest desires unfold.

In reality, I am a lonely person in a family that views me as emotionless, reserved, and slow. Yet, in my stories, I am alive, my emotions raw and real. I converse with my characters more than I do with others. I write to memorialize these worlds and characters, hoping to share them with readers.

I hope you explore these worlds, meet the characters, and experience their stories. I hope you find meaning, warmth, and impact. I hope you laugh, cry, hate, love, forgive, and punish alongside them. I seek company as I relive and explore these worlds anew.

I am based in New Jersey and New York, where many of my worlds and stories were conceived. My day job has taken me to various countries, infusing my stories with diverse flavors, colors, and characters from these beautiful places.

Love, Ava Milns