Linger On

The day his first love got divorced, my husband drank himself senseless. I stayed up past midnight taking care of him, only to discover that his phone’s photo album was filled with pictures of her. The next morning, after he sobered up, he said to me, “Let’s redo our wedding.” I knew this was his way of provoking his first love into coming back. I smiled and agreed, but not before I slipped a divorce settlement agreement into the wedding contract he signed.

At the dinner table, my wife's best friend suddenly speaks to her in Lytian. "Three years ago, you married Julian in a grand wedding just to help Jace get Julian's letter of forgiveness. Over the years, I've seen Julian fall more and more deeply in love with you. Yet, you're still lying to him. "You gave him sterilization pills but passed them off as his depression medication. Aren't you afraid that he'll fall apart if he finds out the truth?" My wife, Erica Inman, briefly shows a conflicted expression on her face. She then gives a bitter smile and says, "A child unwanted by their mother has no reason to be born. As long as Julian doesn't stand in the way of Jace's happiness, I will keep my promise and stay by his side for the rest of his life." No one knows that I've learned Lytian to keep up with Erica. I stand in the living room and look at the fresh kiss mark on my neck. As I glance at the medication I take regularly for my depression, my whole body turns cold. It turns out that all of Erica's affection toward me was fake. What I thought was my salvation turns out to be nothing but a carefully planned deception. Since that's the case, I'll do my part to make sure they all get what they want.

“You walked into my room, Astrid. No bra. No panties. What did you expect me to do? Pray?” “I expect you to look away.” “Look away?” he chuckled in a low, dangerous tone as he trod toward me. “Baby, I've looked away for damn five years.” ~ When Astrid returns home for summer, she's expecting chill nights and zero drama. Except her brother's best friend–Rhett Rivers–is crashing at their house. And he has grown into every bit of the trouble she shouldn't want. One time at a party leads them to an unforgettable one nightstand What if Astrid Cole realizes she'd not just had sex with her brother's best friend but also let him touch her in some kind of way she never felt?

“I never meant to fall for him… especially not him.” — Mellisa Brown. Xavier Kesh has it all—England’s hockey golden boy, heir to a billionaire empire, and the face every brand wants. Fast on the ice and lethal with a smirk, he’s built a career on speed, charm, and winning. He was supposed to stay focused on the game… and loyal to his girlfriend, Katrina Brown. But everything changes when Melissa Brown—Katrina’s younger sister, fierce runway model, and rising hockey star—enters into a fake relationship with Xavier to skyrocket her modeling career. It was meant to be all for show. Just business. Just pretend. Until the cameras stopped rolling… and the chemistry became undeniable. Melissa has one goal—win the Miss England crown and prove she’s more than the second Brown sister living in Katrina’s shadow. But faking it with Xavier turns into late-night calls, lingering touches, and a connection that feels too real to ignore. And when Katrina discovers the truth? The sister who once protected Melissa becomes her worst enemy—hellbent on revenge, betrayal burning hotter than any spotlight. Now, lines blur and loyalties crack. Three hearts. One crown. And a love that was never supposed to happen. The game was fake. The feelings weren’t. And someone’s about to lose it all.

Alex, get up!”
A sharp slap to the leg.
“You think we’re running a daycare down here?”
Fifteen-year-old Alex scrambled out of her pile of thin blankets on the basement floor, eyes wide, limbs sore. Another day, another list of chores. Cooking. Cleaning. Smiles for those who kicked her. Silence for those who didn’t see her at all.
Upstairs…laughter, Alpha Cole’s family was having breakfast. She could smell the cinnamon.
Down here? Mold. Dust. And the quiet ache of a girl who didn’t know she was born to change the world.

I've finally gotten my wish after loving Christopher Lausten for four years. However, that's when his true love returns…

I am Kira Reed and for as long as I can remember, I have worked in his company. But I had enough! He’s such a despicable man to the point I couldn’t resist his tyranny. Or maybe that's what I want to make myself believe. Who am I kidding? Besides, the holidays are coming and I really want to go home this year. ............... After submitting her resignation, Kira goes to her home village, Hollow Peak, a dreamy settlement at the foot of the mountain. All she wants is to have a quiet holiday in the company of her loving family, away from her despicable boss, Gabriel. But unwilling to let her go, Gabriel goes after her and things get complicated. In between Christmas preparations, Gabriel’s hating of the holidays, and the love that slowly ignites in his heart for his young copywriter, the two discover the miracle of Hollow Peak.

People used to say Pierce Voss, my husband, also the boss of the largest mafia in Kingsburg, and I were the kind of couple others envied. He once lit fireworks across the entire coastline just to celebrate my birthday. He bought me a private island because I mentioned loving the ocean. He made the entire mafia respect me as the most esteemed woman in the world. He shut every woman out of his world so I would never feel insecure. I thought our love was unbreakable. After ninety-nine rounds of IVF, I finally got a positive result. I was so happy I couldn’t sleep the whole night, planning to surprise him at our tenth-anniversary party the next day. But instead, I cut into our wedding cake and found Lena Young’s pregnancy report hidden inside. She fell to her knees in front of everyone, sobbing. “Serena… I have cancer. I don’t have long. Please… let me stay with Pierce for whatever time I have left. Give my child a name.” The room erupted, with gasps, whispers, cruel amusement. And in an instant, the woman Pierce Voss had supposedly adored became the laughingstock of the entire Kingsburg city. The love I had been so proud of shattered like cheap glass. Clutching my own pregnancy report, I held back my tears and prepared to walk away with my baby, far from his world, far from the lies. But before I could escape, someone framed me for harming her. I was thrown into detention for three days. And in those three days, I lost my child. Pierce Voss lost me, and every last piece of love I ever had for him. No matter how desperately he begs later, there is no returning to who we used to be.

A handprint on the glass window in the bathroom leads to me discovering my husband's betrayal. I want to find that woman and make her and my husband pay.

On Mia Larson’s birthday, her mother, who had been her anchor, passed away. Her husband, Nick Ford, did not celebrate her birthday, nor did he attend her mother’s funeral. Instead, he was at the airport, picking up his one true love.