After That

At our engagement party, my sister said she saw my fiancee at the hospital for a prenatal checkup. Inga Lane looked at me nervously, then smiled and handed the test results to our parents. “I’m one month pregnant.” Both families were over the moon. I was the only one who could not smile. After everyone left, Inga said, “I’m sorry. I’m pregnant. I was drunk that night. The baby is Xion’s.” I clenched my fists and tried to stay calm. “Then, why did you come to the engagement today?” She leaned toward me and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to marry Xion. He has cancer. He doesn’t have much time left. “We grew up together. He’s the only child in his family. I just wanted to give him a child to carry on his family line.”

When Matteo Ricci threatens to end our engagement for the 100th time unless I take Lydia Capone's place in the famiglia's drug trial, I don't cry or make a scene. I just sign my name on the engagement termination agreement and calmly hand over the man I've loved for eight years to my twin sister. A few days later, Lydia storms the mafia summit like she owns the room, insulting the Pirelli family and daring anyone to stop her. I'm forced to step in and bear the full weight of her chaos. And now they're saying Lydia's body can't handle the trial after all, so they want me, the older sister, to take her place. The moment I agree, my parents smile at me for the first time in years. Even Matteo, who barely notices me, hovers nearby and murmurs, "Don't be afraid. The trial isn't lethal. When you get out, I'll take you for your favorite spaghetti alla Napoletana." But he has no idea that there's a late-stage stomach cancer diagnosis tucked inside my pocket. No matter what horrors the trial holds, he will never witness me walk out alive.

Elena (21) gets pregnant after accidentally entering the private room of the most powerful and cold-hearted man in the city—Alexander Kingston (28). Drunk and blinded by memories of the woman he once loved, Alexander mistakes Elena for his lost love and spends the night with her. Because of the pregnancy, Alexander is forced to marry Elena—even though he does not want her. Convinced that Elena deliberately trapped him by sneaking into his room, Alexander believes she is nothing more than a gold-digger who used a one-night mistake to secure wealth and status. To him, the marriage is temporary. Once she gives birth to his child, she must leave. “I hate you. A woman like you doesn’t deserve to be my wife. Sign the divorce papers. After you give birth to my child, you will leave this house.” — Alexander Kingston (28) Pregnant and humiliated, Elena realizes she was never a wife in his eyes—only a tool chosen to bear an heir. But what happens when the truth comes out—and Elena was never guilty, never scheming, never trying to trap him? In a cold and unwanted marriage, Elena’s quiet strength and beauty slowly make it impossible for Alexander to ignore his growing feelings. Yet by the time he realizes his mistake… Elena has already given up and walked away. Will Alexander Kingston finally learn the true cost of regret?

Five years after my death, my daughter, Emma, dialed Xander Green’s number. She cautiously asked, "Do you like my mom?" She was trying to get an answer to the question I once wrote in my diary. "Xander, do you like me?" Unexpectedly, the voice on the other end sneered, "Did your mom put you up to this? Using her own daughter like a pawn? What an unfaithful woman! She’s already with your dad, yet still trying to rekindle things with me?"

The wolves of our pack are different from most. At five years old, every pup must undergo their first shift. But my son Ash was born with a broken wolf. He couldn't complete the shift on his own. The healer said the only way to stabilize him was for my Alpha mate, Kael, to transfer fifteen percent of his power to Ash. Otherwise, Ash would die during the first shift. The Five Packs Alliance summit was approaching. Any loss of strength could put Silver Fang at a disadvantage in negotiations. Kael weighed his options and decided to postpone. He said Ash could hold on through this moon cycle — they'd do it after the summit. I begged him to perform the ritual as soon as possible. Kael gave me his word. But the summit kept getting pushed back. First, Kael's childhood sweetheart Nora said her daughter Lily had a fever and she couldn't manage alone. Kael dropped everything and stayed with them for two days. Then Nora asked to take Lily to the Northern Frost Pack's Bonfire Festival. She said Lily had never had a father, had never attended a single pack celebration, and wanted Kael to go as family. When Ash was losing his breath in my arms, I called Kael. He said: "Lily's first shift ceremony is in three days. I have to stay and guide her. Don't worry — I'll be back as soon as it's over. Ash isn't urgent. Didn't the Elder say there's still a month? Stop overreacting." Three days later, Kael rushed home. All he found was Ash's cold body.

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

Five years had gone by since my death. The cops called my mom and told her they got news about me. My mother and brother marched to my grandmother's home and kicked her door down. "Where's Charlie? That shameless woman has been hiding from us far too long. Her brother needs her cornea, and she's giving it to him!" "Charlie's dead," said my grandmother, sobbing. My mother sneered. "As if. The cops called us. They said they had her news. Hand her over or get out of the house, you hag." My grandmother looked at her daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks. With trembling hands, she took my photo out. "I wonder if you've ever regretted saving your brother, Charlie."

I've been in a five-year relationship with my mate, Alpha Callum Nash. However, he has delayed the Luna Coronation Ceremony 52 times so far. The first time it was held, Seraphina Vance, an outsider Omega whom Callum had taken in, lost control of herself and shifted into a wolf on the training grounds. He quickly returned to the grounds to soothe Seraphina, but in doing so, he abandoned me in the sacred grounds for the entire day. The second time it was held, Callum had sensed that an elder was making Seraphina's life difficult halfway through the ceremony. He immediately interrupted the vowing ritual and headed back to the pack just to defend Seraphina. As I stood on the altar on my own, I could hear the rest of the pack making fun of me. Since then, whenever the Luna Coronation Ceremony is held, Seraphina will keep coming up with different problems that require Callum's immediate attention. In the end, I've completely given up on Callum, so I decide to sever our mate bond. On the day I leave the pack territory, Callum, who's no longer able to pick up my scent, goes crazy.

BLURB Laurie-Ann Kane thought she had it all,. a loving husband, a quiet home, and the kind of marriage people envied. But one night shattered the illusion. Walking in on her husband Ethan wrapped in the arms of his ex, Laurie’s world fell apart. Humiliated and heartbroken, she walked away,. from him, from their life, and from the woman she used to be. With the help of her godmother, Hollywood icon Vivian Kane, Laurie rebuilds herself. One year later, she’s no longer the wife who lived in someone else’s shadow,. she’s the rising star of the film industry. Independent. Fierce. Untouchable. But fate has a cruel sense of humor. When Laurie lands her biggest role yet, she discovers her co-star is none other than Ethan, her ex-husband the man who betrayed her, and shatters her trust. Now, under the blinding lights of Hollywood, the cameras capture more than just a performance. Old wounds reopen, sparks reignite, and secrets buried in their past threaten to destroy the peace she’s fought so hard to find. Love made her weak. Betrayal made her famous. But working together might just break them both. Will passion ignite or will revenge and hate prevail?

Everyone envied my marriage to Luca Moretti, the ruthless mafia king who ruled the city with blood and power. To the world, I was the one woman he would never betray. For five years, he put me above everyone else. Protected me. Chose me. Worshipped me. Until I found out even a man like him could cheat. I tricked him into signing the divorce papers and disappeared overseas, determined to cut myself out of his empire for good. But Luca refused to let me go. He used the full reach of his underworld network to find me, then begged me for another chance. He swore he had been drugged, that the other woman meant nothing, that I was the only one he had ever loved. He promised he had already cut her out of his life. And for a year, he proved it. He chased me across countries, tore down every wall I built, and in the end, he asked me to marry him again in front of the whole world. Under fireworks and a global livestream watched by millions, I said yes. I thought this time we would finally get our forever. Then I went in for a prenatal checkup… and found him with them. Sofia Romano. And the little boy. A perfect little family I was never supposed to see. In that instant, every promise he had made turned to ash. So I arranged a fatal car crash. If a divorce still wasn’t enough to escape a mafia king’s obsession, then I would vanish the only way he could never drag me back. This time, I’m not leaving alone. I’m taking our unborn child with me—and disappearing from his world forever.