the house across the lake

I was madly in love with James Gates for 10 years. So mad that everyone in the Imperium said that I was addicted to him. How far did it go? I wouldn't allow any woman to get close to him. I wanted to eliminate every woman around him. In the end, James sent me to rehab. While others quit smoking, drinking, or gaming, I was quitting James. But later, I truly moved on from him. Yet, he regretted it and, in the pouring rain, begged me to love him again.

My childhood sweetheart and I are about to exchange rings at our wedding ceremony. Just then, a young woman charges into his arms and says pitifully, "Don't abandon me." My childhood sweetheart brought her home when he was in high school after chancing upon her by the roadside. Everyone knows how doting he is toward her. When she charges into his arms, she "accidentally" shoves me aside. I lose my balance and fall off the stage, knocking my head on the steps. I end up in a coma. When I wake up again, I'm taken back to the day my childhood sweetheart meets the young woman.

My childhood sweetheart and younger brother both fell in love with the underprivileged student who moved into our home. After she took my family and fiancé away from me, I chose to disappear from their lives forever. But after I left, the fiancé who once told me he wished I were dead went mad trying to find me.

Growing up, Alassandra Khairi always had a passion for law. Following the death of her parents, she decides to study law to honor her father's memory. While attending one of the most exclusive colleges in the Ivy League, she meets Ikaris, whose fate is intertwined with hers. As Alassandra and Ikaris begin to uncover the school's secrets, something dark and ominous begins to emerge. They soon realize that the only way to save themselves and their love is to uncover the truth and face the darkness. What secrets are hidden in the night? Will Ikaris be able to choose between his mate or his destiny? Will Alassandra choose to bring the truth to light, or will she remain silent and keep her secrets in the shadows?

"The House of Mortem has taken what belongs to us. For years, they have raped our girls and women, burned our houses, and taken our brothers captive. Tonight, we take back what is ours and restore the lost glory of the House of Vagamor." If Alpha Orvyn knew better, he would have read the stars and counted the cost before going into battle against the all-powerful Alpha Kazamir of the House of Mortem. To bring down the usurper of his father's throne, Alpha Orvyn made a promise to his late father's grave stone to get back what was rightfully theirs, no matter the cost. Most of her subjects outside the castle walls thought Princess Olive lived an enviable life. But little did they know that the Princess is nothing less of a bargaining tool in the hands of her powerful father, Alpha Kazamir. He wanted to marry her off to the arrogant Alpha Cassian of the House of Stortstrand in return for his riches and ruthless mercenaries. The paths of the two lost souls cross in what seemed like a cross fire, sparking off an incandescence of forbiden love between them. Will the duo be able to navigate the forbidden route of their new found love? Wiill their secret romance bud into rainbows and rubies, or will it rain blood and hell on them?

I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.

After being reborn, I'm taken back to the day I confessed my love for my childhood friend. In my past life, I had to plead and beg before he begrudgingly agreed to marry me. "You look pathetic when you beg me for anything, Annabelle." That was what Hayden Gulman always said to me. He was so cold to me that he even canceled the part where we read our vows to each other during the wedding. When I was eight months pregnant, he took a photo of my belly covered in stretch marks. Then, he complained to his true love about the unhappiness he faced after marrying me. When I went into a difficult labor due to my agitation, he and his true love were on vacation. At that moment, my heart finally died. It turned out my one-woman show couldn't be considered love at all. Now that I've been reborn, I smile when I see the disdainful look in his eyes. I say, "We have nothing to do with each other from this moment on. I only wish to be happy."

My grandmother only knows how to draw one thing—infants. They're ugly, but people line up to buy the paintings. I watch as she takes those women into unlit rooms. Then, their bloodcurdling screams will ring out. Oddly enough, they always thank my grandmother when they're leaving. One day, I finally find out what exactly my grandmother paints. I discover the truth when I see an infant crawl out of one of the women's bellies—it looks just like the one my grandmother has painted.

My mom treated me like the dirt beneath her shoes but worshiped my cousin like a queen. Since I could walk, I had scrubbed clothes and cooked meals, but I would still be yelled at or smacked if I messed up. On the contrary, my cousin twirled in princess dresses and played the piano. She was cherished by my aunt and uncle like she was the center of their world. Then came the day everything changed. At my cousin's birthday party, my mom got drunk and spilled the secret—she switched me and my cousin at birth. It turned out that I wasn't her daughter; I was my aunt's daughter. I was over the moon. Finally, I thought I'd found my real family, people who might actually care about me. But when I told my aunt, she just smirked. "You think I didn't know? I don't want you. You'll never be my daughter." Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water. I couldn't understand. Why didn't anyone want me? But that day, I made a vow—I'd never beg for anyone's love again. Years later, when I got into Mayward University—the best educational institution in the country—I threw two DNA test reports on the table in front of them. For the first time, they both looked terrified.

Avery Sallow wants nothing more than saving her ailing mother from the clutches of death. Graduating with honors from one of the best colleges in Empire City, she hustles through the city for a job, which landed her in the net of Michael King, her 'devilishly handsome' boss. Michael King is the cassanova of Empire City, the richest and youngest CEO in town. Betrothed to his childhood friend, Nicki Sandalwood, he is caught between fulfilling his promise to Nicki, or taking his chance with the 'nerve-wrecking' assistant that haunts his night. Will their hatred for each other quench the spark of love they feel for each other? Will they prevail over the forces that put them on the other side of the divide?