the woman in the window

Who are you?" I sluttered, attempting to take a step back but my feet seemed rooted to a spot. The mysterious man smiled, his eyes glinting in amusement, "I am someone who knows you," he said, his voice dripping with an otherworldly intensity. "I am someone who has been waiting for you." I looked around, I was surrounded by lifeless Bodies, slaughtered brutally by something worse than a monster, "What happened here?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady. The mysterious man chuckled, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "They are dead, you killed them all." He said, his eyes glistening in happiness, "You've become the person I knew you would be." I felt a pang, I looked at my hands, they were covered with blood. However, the question remains: did I really kill all these people? If yes… then who am I? Read on to find out!

What did we do when we were stuck inside during COVID? Some learned new skills, like making sourdough bread or crafting. Some caught up on their Netflix watching, learning all about the Tiger King. And some learned way more about themselves than they would have if the world hadn’t stopped. Samantha and Ashton finally gave in to the love and passion that had been eating them up alive, but they never acted on because Ashton is Samantha’s brother’s best friend. Cole comes to terms with his sexuality with the help of his gay roommate, Kent. Alexis gets stuck overseas with her boss and learns exactly how domineering Jonathan Wilson can be. And couple Jaime and Jorge work to get their roommate Andie out of her shell.

Dad attends a banquet with his ex-girlfriend, and they make headlines. Everyone mocks Mom for this, saying that she hasn't gotten anything out of her relationship with Dad. They make fun of her for giving up her successful career for his sake to end up with nothing—she can't even tell a homewrecker off. Mom looks at me tiredly after bawling her eyes out. "He let me down first, so I don't want him anymore. Do you want to leave with me, Rosie?" Just then, my phone pings. I've received a text from my boyfriend of seven years. "I'm just going through the motions and registering my marriage with someone else, Rosalie. You'll still be my girlfriend!" After a brief silence, I nod and tell Mom I'll leave with her. On the day of the double weddings, Mom and I disappear after a fire at our villa.

Skyler Cress is ordinary. Bland, routinely boring and poor, Sky has a hard time believing life would get any better than the rut she's in. But when a handsome stranger asks her on a date, things go awry. All of a sudden, there are people after Sky and she's been told that she holds some ancient power that everyone is after. Before she can wrap her head around everything, Sky has to abandon her mundane life to go into hiding before someone figures out who she is. There, she's met with challenges of arranged marriages, a world of magic and trying to learn self discipline so she can save the world one day... All while trying not to get too close to anyone because she knows she'll have to leave eventually. With having to contend with a doppelganger from an alternate universe and trying to figure out her feelings, Sky is in for a Rollercoaster of a time - especially when she can't tell what's real anymore.

"How could you conspire with them. I trusted you Layla!" He was really mad. "I didn't give them the code Damon, okay? I don't know how they got it?" She said. She strangely felt no nervousness or fear. Only the guilty felt fear. "Why didn't you tell me the truth about him? God! We've been dating for almost a year and you never told me he was a ex-convict", he said a shade quieter. He watched Layla look down for a minute and stare back up at him, tears gathering in her deep blue eyes. "If I did tell you, would you still have fallen for me...?" Working in a coffee shop wasn't Layla's dream. She has a degree in Business Administration but getting a got job in America was difficult for minority groups like her. But her boss, William Grey was wonderful, plus, she did get some pretty awesome customers like Damon Prince, the billionaire businessman and New York's most eligible bachelor and some pretty awful ones as well like Logan West, Damon's annoying and stuck-up assistant. After a brief argument with Logan, Damon comes to the coffee shop to make an apology to Layla on behalf of Logan and offers her a check. She turns both down and demands that Logan apologizes or they can forget about their coffee orders. She wasn't going to be pushed around by some rich folks. This intrigues Damon and he gradually falls in love with her. They begin a beautiful relationship but it's not all roses. They soon meet Damon's ex, Yasmin Kyle and Layla's criminal and terrible father, Dario Hernandez. Their trust and love for each other is tested as well as family ties but will they pull through or are something's just not meant to be?

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it." He added, his eyes fixed on her and Anita rolled her eyes, why was he talking too much? Was he always like this?  "Don't feel so good about yourself Alexander; I didn't. I was only trying to make a baby." She snapped.   "But yet you forgot your pants." Alexander teased her again, and her mouth opened, then closed.  —---- Amid her beautiful face and rising fame, Anita harbors a secret mission–to save her child. The world may think she was in Los Angeles to cement her acting career but deep down, she had just one objective and aim. She needed to save her son, who suffers from blood cancer.  For that, Anita would need to go back to her worst nightmares. She was willing to go to great lengths to achieve this goal, including getting pregnant with Alexander's child and involving herself with her step-sister who regards Anita as a competitor. Even if it means stealing Alexander's sperm! Alexander was informed of the stolen sperm and after much investigation found out that Anita's son was a result of the one night many years ago. Alexander wasn't ready to let go. He wanted them as his family but Anita wanted no relationship. Anita also seeks justice and wants to reveal the truth about the events that transpired between her and Alexander in the past. She aims to regain control over her life and overcome the challenges thrown her way.

Every person is unique. We might not have control over the things that distinguish us, DNA and all, but we are also formed by personal experience and the environment that grooms us. Lina, a girl who is extraordinary, meets Ashton who is astounding and they have a connection. Although there are some puzzles that have to be solved and obstacles they need to clear, they get together to fight all those and still come out on top. They manage to restore some things that were changed in the past, took down a stumbling block that proved to be a big obstacle in their interaction. Facing all these troubles brought them closer and formed a formidable bond that proved hard to break through difficult situations. A love that managed to withstand the differences between them.

"You are what I want. You." Annette, an independent and career oriented human is in trouble and could only seek assistance from Xavier, the billionaire Alpha of the Michaelson pack. Her cousin, James got involved with a group of vampyres and elves and could be killed if nothing is done. With her cousin life at stake, Annette believes that her family's ties with the Michaelsons would persuade Xavier to help her cousin. Xavier promised to help Annette save her cousin on one condition: Annette must agree to give herself to him in exchange for his help, she belongs to him for as long as he desires. Annette, desperate to save her cousin and aware that she had no one to turn to accepted Xavier offer. James conflict with the vampyres and elves had a significant impact on both his and Annette lives. Xavier had always wanted to be close to Annette and saw this as an opportunity to keep her close hence the proposition. In an attempt to save her cousin, Annette was attacked and bitten by a vampyre, endangering her life. Xavier, the alpha of Michaelson pack, could not sit and watch Annette die, especially since he had feelings for her. So he bit her, changing her life forever. Annette was transformed into a werewolf, and fate had it that she would become his mate. Some pack members refused to accept her as their alpha mate because they believed she was weak, because a weak wolf cannot be mated to their alpha. She had to prove that she is Worthy of him and the pack. Xavier and Annette had to fight for their love and her title in the pack. Annette eventually emerges as an Alpha female, with enormous power, which is unusual for a previous human.

After Chester Caldwell loses his vision, I donate my corneas to him without hesitation. He vows that he'll never let me down, yet he delays our wedding time and time again after his true love suddenly returns to the country. On the day of my birthday, his gift arrives, albeit late. I accept it expectantly only to find that they're two movie tickets. I question him about it, but he answers impatiently, "Who said anything about the blind being unable to watch movies? "You willingly gave up your vision back then—I didn't force you into anything! Stop thinking you can hold that against me forever!" His true love makes it sound like she's being charitable. "Sorry, Riley. The movie wasn't to my liking. You can throw the tickets away if you're not going to watch it, either!" I rip the tickets in half and leave. Later, I hear that Chester goes mad when he can no longer find his bride.

I’m trapped, trapped in a mate bond I hate. Will I ever escape its hold on me? “I, Than Sable, Alpha of the Amber Desert Pack, reject you Kaia Glace as my Luna.” I remember his cruel cutting words as if they were only yesterday. Our mate bond is non-existent. That’s a lie, it exists but Than doesn’t allow himself to get close to me…to be alone in a room with me. It’s as if I disgust him. He has reduced me to nothing. A shadow of a mate and I hate him for it. I can’t keep living like this, waiting… I am Kaia Glace, the rightful Luna of the Amber Desert pack. Yet my mate, Alpha Than, refuses to let me rule by his side. I feel cheated by the mate bond, unwanted by my own mate. Years I’ve spent trying to get him to love me…to see me…but how can I? When he has another…. I can’t stay, it isn’t safe for me anymore or my unborn child. A child created by force. I have to leave…to runaway and find my Father. He is the only lifeline I have. However, he was last seen at the enemy pack, the Dark Phantom pack. A notorious pack with a cold and scheming Alpha, who doesn’t take kindly to outsiders. It is said, those who enter the pack are never seen again. But I have no choice…into the enemy pack I must go to rid myself of my mate bond. Only, I myself find another. Another that dooms me to the same trickery of the mate bond.