What Is Self-Sabotage: And Other Ways I’Ve Spent My Time About?

To the world, I’m just Macey Carter. Mason’s little sister. Samantha’s best friend. The girl who somehow landed her dream job as lead designer at Seams & Touch. But inside? I’m someone else entirely. Someone who aches to be broken down and put back together by a man who knows exactly how to use me. Someone who craves submission so badly, it’s like a sickness. My ex never understood. David was too soft, too careful. He wanted to hold hands and make promises, while I wanted to kneel and beg. When he left me, I didn’t fight it. Two years later, I’m twenty-four, single, untouched, and suffocating under the weight of everything I can’t admit out loud. And then there’s Damien Blackwell. My boss’s older brother. Ten years older, sharper, and rougher, with a reputation that makes people whisper when he walks by. I shouldn’t want him. But I do. God, I do. He’s the finest thing I’ve ever seen. I know because I’ve seen all of him—one reckless afternoon when I walked into his office and caught him taking a woman apart on his desk. She looked like she wanted to disappear, like she hated every second of it. And I hated her. Because I would have begged for more. Damien promised his sister he’d stay away from me. He told himself I was too young, too close, and too dangerous. For a while, he believed it. But that ended the night he caught me touching myself in my office, late after hours, knowing he was watching. That’s when everything changed.

After her mother shoved her away, Astrallaine moved in with a woman she didn't know. She must be self-sufficient and capable of standing alone — without leaning against other walls. Will she be able to continue in life when a man appears and makes her even more miserable? Will she be able to let go of the wretched version of herself?

Three years ago, I destroyed the man I loved to save his life. Now I'm crashing Adrien's engagement party because my brother is missing, and my ex-husband is the only one with the power to find him. Adrien moved on and built a safe life with a woman who won't shatter his heart the way I did. His fiancée makes it clear I'm not welcome. She's right. I'm the wife who vanished without explanation, leaving only a note saying I "couldn't handle marriage." But the truth is darker. I didn't leave because I stopped loving him. I left because someone threatened to kill him if I stayed. For three years, I've lived in hiding while my stalker pulled the strings of my life, using my terror to control me. I thought my sacrifice kept Adrien safe. I was dead wrong. Now the monster from my past is escalating his twisted game, and Adrien is in more danger than ever. Forced back into each other's lives, we must uncover a conspiracy that goes deeper than either of us imagined. But working together means risking the one thing I swore I would never gamble with "his life".

Davina Russell had one goal before graduation—complete her ridiculous list and prove everyone wrong. Too bad, the last item got exposed to the entire school. And thanks to her long-time enemy, Shannon, she was stuck with an impossible challenge. When Kael, an exchange student, showed up—things got even more complicated. But Kael had secrets and Davina was somehow connected to it. Shannon wasn't also done ruining Davina's life. Worse? A third party showed up and suddenly seemed interested in Davina… and also had his own reasons for getting close. With graduation approaching and her reputation on the line, Davina must decide—would she stick to the plan, or risk it all for a chance at real love?

Those words defined Claire Reid's entire life—and her death. At twenty-eight, she dies in a hospital bed surrounded by the family she sacrificed everything for: the father who forced her to quit school, the sister who took everything she had, the husband who treated her like an inconvenience, and the mother who demanded endless gratitude for their abuse. As her heart stops, Claire sees their relief and realizes the devastating truth: she wasted her life loving people who never loved her back. Then she wakes up. One year earlier. One month before her family frames her for theft. This time, Claire refuses. Refuses to give money. Refuses to stay silent. Refuses to be grateful for crumbs. Armed with knowledge of their betrayals and a fury born from her wasted first life, she systematically dismantles their manipulations, exposes their schemes, and reclaims her identity. But when she tries to leave her cold, arranged marriage, something unexpected happens.

Right after the SAT results dropped, the admissions representatives from Blackridge University practically fought over me so fiercely it felt like they'd set the whole room on fire. They made an outrageous offer just to win me over, claiming that I could bring one friend along with full admission. As the clock reset, I chose no one this time around because I'd already lived through it once. In my last life, I didn't hesitate to pick my childhood best friend, Shawn Hooper. I gave him a ticket into a world he could never hope to reach without my help. And what did I get for it? A look of pure disgust. "You're pathetic," he sneered. "It's laughable that you'd dare use something like this to drive a wedge between Madison and me." Madison Cole was our class president. She was the golden girl and everyone's favorite girl. She couldn't handle losing both the guy she loved and the future she thought was hers. So, she jumped from the roof of a building. Shawn found her final message and lost his mind. He told me the class was having one last bonfire party just outside town. It was a lie. He took me there to torture me before leaving me to die. Our entire class covered for him. Every last one of them told the police I'd slipped near the ravine and fallen by accident. … A week after my death, my parents died in a supposed highway pileup. My soul never moved on, and that was how I discovered the truth—Shawn had orchestrated everything. When I reopened my eyes, I quickly realized I was back on the day when Blackridge University fought to recruit me. I wouldn't choose anyone this time. No, the only one I would choose was myself.