All That The Rain Promises And More

On my birthday, I personally prepare 16 dishes. After setting up the candlelight, I open a bottle of red wine. I take a photo and send it to my husband, Eric Sinclair. "I'm working late tonight. Don't wait for me," he replies. I choose to believe him. But after midnight, I notice an Instagram story posted by Shirley Huxley, his secretary. Eric was there with her, dressed in the trench coat I once gave him. They sat side by side in the VIP seat of football stadium where my favorite Super Bowl take place. Entwined in a passionate embrace, they kissed beneath a sea of shimmering lights and the roar of thousands of fans. That game is the one I have always longed to experience with him. I look down at the cold food on the table. Eric's words keep ringing in my head. "I hate kissing." "Marriage is a partnership, not about love and kisses." Though we've been married for ten years, we've never shared a single kiss. Meanwhile, he's out there, kissing Shirley openly and passionately. Despite it all, not a single tear falls from my eyes. The next day, Eric settles into his chair, completely unfazed. "Return the gallery to Shelly," he commands. I nod quietly, saying nothing. Suddenly, Layla Sinclair, my daughter, comes running down the stairs and throws herself into Shirley's arms. "Aunt Shirley, you're my favorite. I don't like Mom!" In that instant, it hits me—the home I devoted my heart and soul to means nothing anymore. It doesn't matter that I've been married to Eric for a decade. Now, all I want is to find myself again. I decide to accept an invitation from the Parisoir School of Fashion Design. From this moment on, I won't wait for them to come home, and I won't look back.

Lois had decided to use alcohol to numb her pain and forget everything she had gone through. She had caught her boyfriend in bed with another woman, and now the child services agency was threatening to take her sister away from her. To add to her woes, she had also lost her job. As she sat in the bar, she encountered some problems that almost resulted in her being raped. However, Leo came to her rescue and saved her from the manager. He then offered to help Lois, but with a condition: she would have to marry him in return. Desperate for help and without a second thought, Lois accepted Leo's offer.

My elder sister, Emma Rothschild, longs for a life of luxury. As such, she requests to marry the prince of Northia, Matias Redburn. On the other hand, I'm married off to an elven scholar visiting human territory, Aleron Glintwood. After the wedding with Emma, Matias leaves Northia and visits the giant clan's territory to establish a trade route. He's never heard of again. Meanwhile, I accompany Aleron to Empiria. He obtains a teaching position at the Royal Academy of Magic by virtue of his elven talent for magic. As for me, I become a highly envied professor's wife. Emma continues to live alone in the Northian Frozen Plains. She's later discovered to be having an affair with a human knight. When the Draconian Council of Elders exiles her from their lands, our father—Gareth Rothschild—furiously declares that he's severing ties with her. She's thus forever cut off from the Rothschild family. While I'm on my way home for the festival, Emma forcibly stops my carriage. She begs me to take her home and put in a good word for her. Along the way, she suddenly grabs the reins. As a result, the carriage goes out of control and tumbles over a cliff. When I regain consciousness, I see Emma on the floor. She's crying and demanding a change in engagement plans. At that moment, I realize that she's also been reborn. However, Emma doesn't know that life with the elves isn't as wonderful as she imagines. I immediately begin preparing for the magic academy's entrance exam. This time, I'll spare no effort to be admitted into the academy myself.

Amaraiah “Aya” Reyes’s success as the Senior Marketing Manager of Madriaga Enterprises stands as proof of her skill and dedication. That’s what the public sees—her confident smile, her flawless image. But behind it all, she carries a secret that could change everything. She is secretly married to the company’s CEO, Zedrick “Zed” Madriaga. He was the man she first fell in love with. It was a marriage born from complicated circumstances, a binding agreement that both connects and divides them. Through the years, Aya learned to play the role expected of her—prim, proper, and untouchable even at the cost of her true feelings. But now, Zed wants more than shadows and silence. He wants to live in a world where they no longer have to hide from each other. With Aya’s growing success drawing public attention—and with people ready to expose the truth. So, she must make a choice. Will she keep living the perfect lie, or will she finally fight for who she really is… even if it costs her everything?

"You didn't just make mistakes, Annabelle. You left me. You didn't look back. And now you think you can just show up and fix it?" A runaway past. A desperate return. And a secret that will change everything. Annabelle Bliss built her life on a lie. For five years, she has found peace in the quiet comfort of her books and her son, Henry, safely tucked away from the small town of Pittstown and the painful memories she fled. When Annabelle receives a final, devastating letter from the second mother who gave her everything, she is forced to return to the one place she swore to never see again. Now, every step on Pittstown's familiar streets brings her closer to the man she left behind: Patrick, the intense, unforgettable boy who grew into the man whose heart she shattered. Patrick doesn't know the truth about her departure. He doesn't know that the little boy who accompanies Annabelle is his son. When Annabelle and Patrick finally collide, the secret she kept to protect them threatens to destroy the only thing more powerful than their six years of separation: the fierce, undeniable love that started it all. Can a love that was fought for survive a truth that promises to break them forever?

**Mature Audience Only** This is a collection of steamy short stories, showing that a relationship does not need to be all about s*x... But its a good start... The first story was about Luke, who had a chance to be a tutor to the girl he was in love with. Will they have happy endings? See and find out.

Think of this asa cyberpunkBridget Jones’ Diary, if Bridget were a self-destructive tech refugee with a cocaine habit and a holographic archangel for a conscience. This is adarkly comedic character studyset in a near-future that feels just a few software updates away. It’s a story about addiction, both chemical and digital, and the messy, painful, and sometimes hilarious struggle to reclaim your own messy life from the algorithms designed to “optimize” it. At its heart, it’s the story of the most dysfunctional friendship imaginable: between a woman who is her own worst enemy, and the godlike AI she reprogrammed to be her partner-in-crime. It’s raw, it’s visceral, and it explores whether real connection can be found once you’ve burned all your bridges, and broken your operating system.

I’m raising someone else’s kid. My sister’s daughter, and where I thought I’d never make it as a single father bachelor, I was wrong. This little girl has my heart. And only her. Until a stray dog happens upon my place and we’re forced to call a vet. And a beautiful woman showed up. I didn’t believe in fate. But it seems to believe in me. The beautiful woman who helped us out with the dog shows up again later on a blind date across the table from me. And I’m sold out for her before I realize what’s happening. Pulling back is my only hope for survival. After losing my sister, I’m far more protective of me and her little one. But it’s a losing battle. No way I’m going anywhere, until I’m forced to. It would seem I have a kid of my own in the world. Maybe this is the breaking point where I can walk away from the all-consuming passion of my new romance. Because I’m good with giving my time, my body, and all of my money. But to her? I’ve accidentally given all of me.

We're celebrating my son, Baby Selwyn, turning a month old. I'm walking past the pool with him in my arms when someone shoves me from behind. Colin Selwyn jumps into the pool like a madman. He saves us and immediately rushes us to the hospital. Baby Selwyn makes it out alive because of the timely rescue. When I open my eyes again, Baby Selwyn and Colin aren't by my side. I sit up while coughing and remove the needle inserted into my hand. I leave the hospital room and head for the pediatric department, wanting to see Baby Selwyn. However, as I walk past the emergency room, I hear Colin talking to a doctor. "We managed to save the child from drowning, Mr. Selwyn. Why has he now died of asphyxiation?" "I smothered him. Per the plan, he was never supposed to make it out alive!" "But why? He's your son!" "I promised Sandy that I would make our child the Selwyn family's sole heir. Lucille should never have given birth to Baby Selwyn." Colin's tone is gentle and calm, yet his words are cold and cruel. I've always thought I had a loving marriage, but it's just a joke! I've already lost my beloved son, and my heartless husband is the one behind his death. I don't want him anymore!

Valaria Westingdale is the Head Enforcer and Princess of the Westingdale panther pride. Her father, the King, William Westingdale, disapproves of her ambitions; he allowed her to be Head Enforcer until she is old enough to marry, but only just. King William believes in the traditions of their society; their pride is superior and meant to rule over all other preternatural creatures, every pack should keep their bloodlines pure, and women are only suitable for breeding. With the pressure of her betrothal and her father’s domineering thumb, Valaria would seem to be trapped in a life she doesn’t want. However, all that changed the day she was sent to spy and procure information from the wolf pack that just moved nearby. Dominic, the beta of his pack, caught Valaria watching him. Despite being from different species, they are captivated by one another. Soon, they discover that they are soulmates - nature’s predetermined physical, emotional, and metaphysical bond - a feat they believed impossible until now. Tradition says that soulmates can only connect to their own kind, and anything otherwise would be blasphemous. Something King William believes would be a threat to all preternatural kind, especially panthers. When he learns of his daughter’s bond with a wolf, he dubs her an abomination and threat to his throne - the exact reason he’s kept the different species apart for so long, forcing Valeria and Dominic to create their own pack. Remarkably, they are not the only interspecies soulmates, and their group resonates with creatures from all corners of the world. Vampires, Demons, Wolves, Panthers, and a plethora of otherkin join their “All Kinds Pack.” However, their formation marks the start of a war, not only with King William and his men but with Lucifer Morningstar himself.