She didn’t jump because she wanted to die.
She jumped because she had run out of ways to stay.
Her life didn’t look broken.
It looked… fine.
She showed up.
Held things together.
Loved her daughter.
From the outside, nothing suggested crisis.
But beneath the surface, something had slowly stopped working.
A relationship that gradually reshaped her independence.
Money she stopped looking at.
Evenings softened by wine.
Unopened envelopes moved from table to chair to floor.
The exhausting promise of I’ll sort it... tomorrow.
Nothing dramatic.
Just a slow drift into a life she no longer recognised herself in.
Then, silence.
Not answers. Not rescue. Just space.
And within that stillness, something unexpected begins.
A rhythm. A presence.
A connection that doesn’t ask her to prove, fix, or perform.
And slowly — almost reluctantly — she begins to return to herself.
One choice at a time.
“Raw, honest, and deeply immersive, this book gives readers permission to face their fears with clarity and compassion.”
- Julie H, financial services
“Beautifully written and deeply thought-provoking. It captures how small problems compound, how money flows through every part of life.”
- Chris M, financial adviser
“Clear, poetic, and beautifully multilayered.”
- Grainne D, performance coach
“This book feels like a kind friend – one who listens without judgement.”
- Marianne D, engineer
“WOW – what beautiful writing. I could relate to so much of it.”
- Emma H, director
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
For anyone who has ever felt like they were holding everything together… while quietly falling apart.
“Alina has a rare way of creating space: space to reflect, to question, and ultimately to grow. This book is extraordinary – a deeply personal, yet universally shared journey through money, identity, relationships, and the subtle patterns that shape our lives. A reflective masterpiece. It may change you more than you expect.”
- Jenni C, mental health expert
About the author
Alina P Burlacu writes about the moments where life begins to shift beneath the surface — often long before we find the words for it.
Her work explores the intersection of money, relationships, identity, emotional survival, and the choices that slowly shape who we become. She's particularly drawn to the experiences many women carry silently — holding everything together while losing touch with themselves somewhere along the way.
Alongside her writing, Alina works in financial wellbeing and coaching, helping people build greater clarity, confidence, and a healthier sense of control in both life and money. Her approach blends practical guidance with emotional honesty, recognising that financial decisions are rarely just financial.
Between Curtains: The Dance Worth Staying For is her debut novel — a story about coping, connection, loss, hope, and the possibility of beginning again.
A note about this book
Most of the proceeds from Between Curtains: The dance worth staying for will help fund access to financial education, wellbeing support, and guidance for people who may not otherwise be able to afford it.
Because financial struggle is rarely just about money.
It affects confidence, relationships, mental health, choices, and the sense of possibility people feel they have over their lives.
Too many people reach crisis quietly — long before anyone notices.
This book was written not only to start conversations, but to help create access to the kind of support that can change the direction of someone’s future before things reach breaking point.
So by reading this story, you are also helping someone else begin again.
We don't just talk about well-being.
We make sure it's who you are.