Novel & Cerita 1 Second After

When I was born, the nurse handed me over to my parents, and the smiles on their faces instantly vanished. Hovering over their son's smooth head was a line of numbers that no one else could see. 6570 days. It was exactly 18 years. Not a day more, not a day less. The nurse thought they were just nervous first-time parents, but my parents knew the truth. That number was my lifespan. While everyone else in the delivery room was celebrating a new life, my parents were staring at my death. For the next 18 years, I was the most precious person in the family. No matter how poor we were, the eggs were always mine, the new clothes were always mine, and the meat was always mine. My younger sister could only look on enviously. My parents often told her, "Let your brother have it. He doesn't have much time left." I was well-behaved from a young age, never causing trouble, quietly waiting to die. On my 18th birthday, I blew out the candles and said a sincere goodbye to the world. The next day, my parents and sister, dressed in black clothes, walked into my room with swollen eyes. I rubbed my eyes, smiled at them, and said, "Good morning." The air froze. The sadness on their faces slowly turned into astonishment, then coldness.

"I know I don’t deserve a second chance. I know I’ve hurt you in the cruelest way. But I regret it, truly regret it. I've spent five years searching for you, hoping to atone for my mistakes. I... I still love you." My heart raced. Part of me wanted to believe him, wanted to surrender to the words I had longed for. But I couldn’t just forget how he had shattered me. "Love?" I let out a small laugh. "You’re talking about love after what you did to me? After you made me feel like nothing more than a replacement? I’ve moved past the days when I cried over you, when I questioned my self-worth just because you chose another woman. You want me back? But what if one day you find another reason to leave me?" "No!"

“Standing in a wedding dress meant for her sister, Naomi Hayes felt like an imposter.” Shy, soft-spoken, and always overshadowed by her glamorous sister Charlotte, Naomi never imagined her life would take such a dramatic turn. When Charlotte vanishes to chase love and wealth, Naomi is forced into an arranged marriage with the cold and ruthless billionaire, Damian Cross—a man who makes it painfully clear that she is nothing but a poor substitute for the bride he truly wanted. Thrown into Damian’s opulent but icy world, Naomi endures his disdain, her family’s relentless demands, and the whispers of betrayal that haunt their every interaction. Yet, beneath Damian’s ruthless exterior lies a storm of secrets and enemies, none more dangerous than Evan Reid—his greatest rival and the man Charlotte left with. Caught between two powerful men at war, Naomi becomes a pawn in a high-stakes game that threatens to destroy Damian’s empire and her fragile place in his life. But as their lives collide in unexpected ways, Naomi discovers an unyielding strength she never knew she had. When passion and vulnerability crack Damian’s icy facade, Naomi begins to wonder if there’s more to him than meets the eye—or if she’s risking her heart for a man who may never truly love her. What happens when betrayals come to light? When Naomi faces a choice between loyalty to her sister or the man who has both hurt and protected her? To find out what happens next, read this gripping story of love, redemption, and resilience. Let the unexpected twists and unforgettable characters keep you turning the pages.

After losing everything she holds dear, Lena stands at a crossroads—trust her nemesis or embrace her hero. Two men, two paths and one life-changing choice. Which will she choose?

Olivia’s best friend Sandra turned against her, spoke ill about her to her husband, convinced him that she caused her fall that resulted in her miscarriage, stole from him and that she has been stealing from him for months. Also, that Olivia has been secretly taking prevention pills because she didn’t want to have a child with Nick. She convinced him that Olivia was still in love with her high school sweetheart, Marcus. In his anger, Nick sent his wife to prison and moved on with his wife’s best friend, Sandra. Will their relationship last, was Olivia going to get her revenge and her husband back?

Hope Carter is a quiet, good-natured journalist who lives with her sister, Julie. They have lived together and alone for many years, Hope always does her best to help her sister. Her life is turned upside down when she has the opportunity to interview one of the country's biggest criminals, Castiel Reed. But, something goes wrong, and she finds herself in a big mess, she will have to be the person she never thought she would be to protect her lovely sister tooth and nail.

“I need your help to fake a private jet crash,” I said quietly. “It’s the only way I can ever leave Luca Moretti.” People said he’d given up the Mafia throne for me. They called him the man who traded power for love— the heir who walked away from blood and gold just to marry a waitress from the slums. For years, he made the world believe in us. He built empires under my name. He sent me roses every Monday. He told the press I was his salvation. But love doesn’t always mean loyalty. While I was busy believing in forever, he was building a second home behind my back— one filled with laughter, toys, and twin sons who had his eyes. The night I disappeared, his empire burned. He tore apart cities, bribed governments, and buried men alive just to find me. But by the time he did— I was already gone. And the woman he’d once died for no longer loved him enough to stay alive.

The night before high school graduation, Ethan Luciano pulled me into his bedroom. His hands were rough, his touch demanding, yet my heart overflowed with a decade's worth of unspoken longing. I'd loved Ethan for ten years, and finally, it seemed my silent wishes had come true. Afterwards, as we lay tangled in his sheets, he whispered that he'd marry me after graduation. Once he took over the Luciano family's empire from his father, he'd make me the most cherished woman in the family. I believed him. The next morning, I sat curled up against his bare chest as he casually told my foster brother, Lucas, about us. My cheeks were flushed, and my heart raced, still clinging to the sweetness of the night before. However, then their conversation shifted into Italian. Lucas smirked, leaning back against the doorframe. "Not bad, Young Boss. Your first time, and the school's 'it girl' just threw herself at you. So, how's my little sister taste?" Ethan gave a lazy chuckle. "Looks like an angel, but a freak in the sheets. Who would’ve thought?" The room erupted in low, conspiratorial laughter. Lucas raised a brow. "So, should I call her my little sister or my future sister-in-law?" Ethan’s tone darkened, his arm tightening around my waist for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "She’s nothing. Just practice," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I’m trying to hook up with the cheer captain, Sylvia Dawson, but I don’t want her thinking I’m clueless in bed. Cynthia Saville’s just a warm-up." He paused. "But don’t tell Sylvia. I don’t need her getting all emotional." They didn't know that I’d spent months secretly learning Italian, preparing for the life I thought I’d share with Ethan. I didn't say a word. Later that day, I quietly withdrew my early decision application to Caltech and applied to MIT instead.

Lena thought graduate school would be about focus, discipline, and finally proving to herself that she belonged in the world of academics. Books, research, and long nights in the library—that was the plan. Romance had no place in it. Especially not with the one man who should have been completely off-limits. Professor Jace Carrington is everything Lena was warned about. Brilliant. Confident. Dangerous in his quiet control. His lectures command attention, his presence silences a room, and when his eyes find hers across the crowded lecture hall, she feels both seen and undone. He is a man who draws lines with precision—and a man who knows exactly how to make someone want to cross them. What begins as a spark of curiosity turns into stolen glances, late-night office hours, and conversations that blur the line between mentorship and something far more intimate. Jace’s rules are simple: no one can know, and she always has a choice. But rules are easy to write and far harder to follow. The deeper Lena falls, the more she realizes this isn’t just attraction—it’s obsession, it’s surrender, and it’s freedom all at once. Secrets, however, have a way of surfacing, and on a campus where whispers spread like wildfire, forbidden love can burn everything in its path. Lessons After Dark is a steamy, character-driven romance filled with power, temptation, and the dangerous pull of a secret relationship. For readers who crave tension, intimacy, and the thrill of crossing every line you were told not to, this story will keep you turning pages long after the lights go out.

"Some loves are written in the stars. Others are carved in sin." Sophia Chen never met her stepfather; she was too busy living her dream abroad to attend her mother's wedding. Two years later she returns home exhausted and broken from a failed relationship, the man who opens the door isn't just her mother's husband. He's everything she never knew she needed. Marcus Reid is hot, tall, intelligent, and trapped in a loveless marriage with a woman who sees him as nothing more than a convenience. The moment he meets Sophia, something shifts inside him, something dangerous, something he can never act on. For months, they orbit each other in agonizing silence. Late-night conversations. Stolen glances. A tension so thick it threatens to suffocate them both. Marcus struggles against thoughts that invade his most intimate moments with his wife, while Sophia battles a desire that grows stronger every day. Then Diane asks for a divorce. Six months later, they bump into each other again, no longer bound by marriage, no longer forbidden by law. Just two people who've denied a burning desire for too long. But freedom comes with a price. Because Diane didn't just leave Marcus for another man. She left because she knew. She'd watched them fall for each other in real time. She'd heard Marcus moan Sophia's name in their bed. And now that they're finally together, she's going to make sure they pay for every stolen moment, every forbidden thought, every lie they told themselves. Some secrets destroy families. Some loves are worth the ruin.