So Close But Yet So Far

Katherine Harrison swore one night with Dorian would be nothing more than a reckless mistake. A secret to bury. But when her father drags her into a summer of forced family bonding with her new stepmother, Katherine finds herself under the same roof as the one man she can’t stand and can’t stop craving. Dorian lives to provoke her. Every smirk, every filthy word, every brush of his body against hers feels like a dare she’s seconds away from losing. He knows exactly how to get under her skin, and the line between hate and desire blurs more with every stolen glance. She tells herself to ignore him. To remember he’s off-limits. To keep her distance. But Dorian has other plans…plans that could expose their darkest secret and burn their world to the ground. This summer, Katherine will have to decide, fight the fire or let it consume her whole.

I push through my Gamma warrior training ahead of schedule just to get back to the pack sooner. All I want is to stand beside my Alpha, Kyle Faucher, and finally complete our mate-bonding ceremony. But when I step into our house, scarred and feeling hopeful, I see 100 old boarding passes to the Darkmoon pack littering the floor. That pack is only a mile from my training grounds. Kyle's been that close for two years, and still, he never came. I sprint to the place where we were supposed to have our mate-bonding ceremony, clinging to the desperate hope that there's an explanation. But the moment I burst through the doors, I stopped cold. Kyle is down on one knee, dressed in a tailored suit, his eyes locked on someone with a softness I've never seen in him before. Standing across from him, smiling through her tears, is my stepsister, Vivian Blackwell. "Vivian, I haven't completed the mate-bonding ceremony with Serene. Say the word, and I'll reject her and mark you right now." At that moment, the world goes still, and I even forgot how to breathe. So this is what he's been doing while I was gone, chasing the woman he never let go of. Meanwhile, I spent those two years giving everything I had, trying to become someone worthy of standing by his side. I don't ask why or shed a tear. I just turn around and walk away. If she's what he wants, then so be it. The mate-bonding ceremony I dreamed of will be theirs instead. But the second I'm gone, he loses it and sends every warrior looking for me.

Losing my job was not an option. Blackmailing my boss was the only solution. Falling for him was never part of the plan. *** Samantha Ion De Miranta made a tiny printing mistake, a typo mistake. Pero dahil masyadong perfectionist ang boss niya, sinisante siya agad sa harap ng lahat. Raz Eros Alcantara, the CEO of the Eros Advertising Group and the boss who fired Samantha. Raz was known for his strictness and cold heart. He never hesitated to fire employees over the smallest mistake. Perfect. That's what people called him. Handsome, rich, confident, and a man who knew exactly what he wanted. His standards were sky-high, especially when it came to women. Kaya naman nang makita siya ni Samantha sa isang high-end bar na pinapalibutan ng high-paid escort, sinamantala na ni Samantha ang pagkakataong iyon. She took a picture of him with those escorts then used it to blackmail him... just to get her job back.

Lindsey Johnson asks her fiance's true love, Stephanie Sullivan, to repay her debt. The next day, Jacob Whitaker throws at her a ledger that she had never seen before. Every single expense from their five-year relationship is recorded inside. From small things like two-dollar ice cream to the expensive items like the luxury bags he gave her. Even the costs of hotel stays and condoms are recorded in the ledger. "I'll split half the hotel bills with you. After deducting the 100 grand Stephie owes you, you still owe me 2.08 million. You have one month to transfer the month to my account."

Beta Max and I were at the Civil Affairs Bureau, ready to register our marriage. We were just waiting to take the final photo when he got a phone call and left. He abandoned me right there at the marriage registration office, leaving me stuck in an impossible situation. I called him—no answer. I messaged him—no reply. In the end, I had no choice but to call his childhood sweetheart’s number. Beta Max answered. “Louis, can you stop being so annoying? Grace twisted her ankle—I need to take care of her today. Stop calling and waking her up. We’ll reschedule the registration.” I bit my lip and murmured into the phone, “This makes it the seventh time we’ve rescheduled.” “So what? The Civil Affairs Bureau isn’t going anywhere—it’s not like it’s going to disappear!” My face was blank, but it felt like my heart was being carved open. A staff member looked at me with pity and asked, “Alpha Louis, are we still doing this?” I gave a small nod. “Yes. Let’s go through with it.”

I had cancer. And Carl—my boyfriend of seven years—ditched me at the hospital to play fake boyfriend for his so-called best friend, just so she could dodge her parents' marriage pressure. When the results came in, I broke down. Clutching the report, I sobbed as I called him. "Carl, I... I..." My voice cracked. I didn't even know how to say it. I thought he'd comfort me. Instead, his voice came sharp through the phone. "Can you not? Mia's just a friend. What's so wrong about me helping her?—do you have to be so dramatic? I already promised to marry you this month. What more do you want?"

After eight years of love, Liz Smith went from being the woman Zac Lincoln once saw as the love he could never forget, to someone he couldn’t wait to get rid of. She had spent three years trying to hold on, giving everything she had. But once her last bit of affection ran dry, she finally gave up and walked away. On the day they broke up, Zac sneered coldly and said, “Liz, I’ll be waiting for you to come crawling back, begging me to take you back.” But what came instead wasn’t a plea—it was news that she was getting married. Furious, he called her. “Are you done with your little game?” A deep male voice answered from the other end. “Mr. Lincoln, my fiancée is in the shower. She can’t come to the phone right now.” Zac let out a bitter laugh and hung up. He convinced himself it was just another one of Liz’s tricks—playing hard to get. It wasn’t until her wedding day, when he saw her in a white gown, holding a bouquet, walking down the aisle toward another man, that reality finally hit him. Liz had truly let him go. Like a madman, he pushed through the crowd and rushed to her. “Liz, I know I was wrong. Please don’t marry someone else. Please.” Liz lifted her dress and walked right past him. “Didn’t you say you and Xena were perfect for each other? Why are you kneeling at my wedding now, Mr. Lincoln?”

My husband, Liam, got his terminally ill ex-girlfriend, Chloe, pregnant. He said it was to grant her dying wish of becoming a mother. On the day she gave birth, Liam's sister, Isabella, hired a security firm to guard the hospital, claiming it was to prevent me from causing a scene. Isabella stood by Chloe's bedside. "Don't worry, I have people posted at the entrance. If Ava dares to show up and make trouble, we'll have her thrown out immediately." Liam, seeing I hadn't come, breathed a sigh of relief. "Chloe, just focus on delivering our baby safely. Don't worry about anything else." He truly believed that since he was only fulfilling his dying ex's last wish, I would never be so unreasonable as to make a fuss. Looking at the tiny, rosy infant in his arms, he sent me a text: "Darling, I did this for you. I had her carry a child for us, so you could finally be a mother." He thought that as long as I accepted it all, this child was my ultimate reward. But what he didn't know was that I had just surrendered my residency. In one week, I would be in Kenya, working as a volunteer on a project of biomedical research. It was meant to be a final goodbye—a world away from Liam, forever. But he was searching for me like a madman, pleading for me to return.

Carly's world shattered into pieces when she learned that she's been diagnosed with lung cancer. But that was only the beginning. A shocking betrayal by her own sister and fiancé sent her crashing into the dark pit of despair. With only 150 days to live, Carly's desperation grew. The thought of leaving this world without achieving her dreams, made her heart ache. And In a desperate bid to escape her anguish, She got herself drunk and ended up having a one night stand with a stranger, Steven Knight. Steven Knight, a billionaire and notorious playboy, carried his own burdens—a tragic history marked by his parents' separation and his father's sudden death. These events left him disillusioned, and made him not to believe in friendship, love or marriage. His life was marred by scandal after scandal, and his worried grandfather threatened him to get married or he would strip him of his CEO title. So their fate intertwined when they had a one night stand together, and agreed on a contract marriage to solve each other's problem. And what happens when their feelings for each other began to surface? But both of them decided to hide their growing emotions, because of their past traumas.

"After a messy break-up, police officer Matthew Haldon is fine living in his cabin out in the woods all by himself. He has his dogs to keep him company and his job to keep him busy. He never expects to find love again, especially not with the woman he finds stranded on the side of the road during a blizzard. When Matt realizes that Holly Cook has nowhere to go, he invites her to stay at his cabin for the night. Holly is dangerous, though: with her fiery red hair and her bubbly personality, she tempts Matt like no woman ever has. As the snowstorm rages outside, Matt and Holly share a night that neither will forget. Yet Holly’s past isn’t about to let her go—and now, neither is Matt. This title was previously published as Adore Me Ardently. It’s been rereleased with a brand-new look and with lightly edited content."