And After All This Time

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.

“Are you crying?" She shook her head and wiped at her face as more tears were falling. “I’m so stupid.” she groaned. "Now I am truly and utterly alone. If I had just said yes to marrying him, none of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this mess.” Without warning, I turned sharp to the side, putting the car to a sudden stop close to the curb. “Don’t ever say that again. You think marrying a man you don’t love, a man who doesn’t care if he hurts you, just to please your family is the right thing to do?” I turned to her slowly. “That would’ve ruined you.” “But I would’ve had a home to go to, I would’ve been taken care of. Now I have nothing,” she looked away. I reached over and gently took her bruised hand in mine. “You did the hardest thing anyone in your position could have done. You saved yourself. That takes more guts than standing there and pretending to be happy.” I tucked a hair behind her ear. “You think you are alone? You’re not… you have me.” ___ Alina Etienne has always lived a life dictated by her parents. She is groomed to be an obedient daughter, a perfect public image, and now, a bride to a man she doesn’t know or love. On her wedding day, crushed by the weight of expectations, Alina does the unthinkable... she says “I don’t” and flees the altar. On the run and scared with nowhere to go, she crosses paths with Mikhail Antonov. A cold, guarded man with a past he doesn’t talk about. What began as a reluctant act of kindness turned into something neither of them expected.

Copper, named after her grandmother, was told to her face that she was the black sheep of her family. She got into fights, hang out with the bad crowd, and had the biggest crush on a teacher. However just when her parents couldn't take it anymore, a driver appeared outside of her school and informed her that her grandfather, the richest man in their city, and a man she'd done her best to forget about, wants to reunite. Kenny Greenland refused every woman his parents brought to marry him. Fed up with his folks, he made a deal. He would only marry the grandchild of his master, knowing full well that his master didn't have grandchildren. However, to his surprise the most dashing young lady he has ever seen claims to be his master's grandchild. She whispered, "Keep your promise, darling." From family conflicts, to poisonous rivals, outside forces were happy to stop the union of two powerful families, but they don't know who they're messing with. Whoever tried would live to regret it.

The morning after a one night stand with her high school crush, Ava woke up alone, with a note on the bed stand,stating that he has left the country and the house is her's now. Two months later, she found out she was pregnant, torn between what decision to make as the supposed baby daddy was about getting married to someone else, even tho he confessed his undying love for her, the night, they made love. Having to Navigate through medical school being a single mom of identical twin boys. What will Ava do after discovering that all is not as it seems in this love story, read to find out, where this journey leads.

When I was born, I was already a certified liar. That's a fact that everyone seems to agree with. The truth is, my mom, who's a scientist, has implanted advanced chips into me and my fraternal twin brother, Ryan Hartwell, when we were still babies. By right, as long as we lie or make mistakes, our mom will receive the devil signal from the chips. Then, she'll administer electrical shocks as a form of punishment. Ryan's chip often transmits the smiley signal. Even if he destroys our mom's research equipment and pins the blame on me, his chip still has the smiley branded on it. Meanwhile, when I reach home ten minutes later than usual because I had to help out a classmate, my chip transmits the scary devil signal. The next thing I know, I've already crippled to the floor from the intense pain caused by the electrical shock. At first, I'll still explain to Mom what happened. But she often exclaims, "Don't think you can pull off clever little tricks just like that gambling father of yours! The chip is ten thousands times smarter than you! The punishments will only be branded into your bones if the pain is searing enough! What I'm doing is saving your life!" After suffering from the pain countless times, I get brainwashed into thinking that I really am a liar and a troublemaker by nature. On the night of Christmas Eve, Mom comes to the attic to tell Ryan to join the family at the table for the Christmas dinner. That's when my asthma suddenly acts up, causing me to stumble and fall to the floor. "I… I can't breathe… Save me, Mom…" But Mom just coldly gazes at the devil signal that she has just received on her phone. Then, she dials the shock value to the maximum. "You don't have asthma at all! Ugh, you're kicking up another fuss just to attract attention! Seriously, you never change your ways!" After that, she takes Ryan's hand and leads him out of the attic. Soon, she slams the door heavily behind her. As I suffer from asphyxiation while on my deathbed, I can't help but think that Mom is right. After all, my chip has just transmitted the devil signal. Maybe the asthma attack really is just a figment of my imagination. I've always been a bad girl who loves lying to others, after all. When Mom finds out that this is the last time I've ever lied to her, she must be really happy, right?

After I was reborn, I dumped the cheating bastard and married his older twin brother. But as it turns out, I still picked the wrong man. In my past life, I married Maxwell Vaughan, the younger twin. Not long after our wedding, he started sleeping with Kelly Sloan, the maid's daughter. For her, he set the house on fire while I was sleeping. I woke up burned beyond recognition. Amoura, the world-famous lingerie brand, dropped me overnight. Just like that, my modeling career was over. This time, I chose Charlie Vaughan, the older twin. We were in sync and deeply in love. I thought I'd finally made it, that I'd rise to the top and become the supermodel I was meant to be. But the night before my Amoura runway show, my face was burned again. Charlie uncovered the truth quickly and had Maxwell arrested. For a moment, I thought I'd made the right choice this time. Six years later, I overhear something I was never meant to hear as Charlie tucks our sons, Declan and Dylan Vaughan, into bed. "Dad, Uncle Max already took the fall for Kelly. So why did she have to leave the country? Couldn't she have stayed here with us?" "Yeah, Dad. We still want Kelly to be our mom. We hate that freak!" Charlie pulls Declan and Dylan into his arms. His gaze softens with sorrow, then hardens with quiet resolve. "I already betrayed your mom once for Kelly. I'll spend the rest of my life to make it right." A rush of emotion surged through me, the pain cutting deeper than the fire ever did. For six years of marriage and eight years of love, I've been nothing more than a joke. Only now do I see it—Charlie loved Kelly all along, just like Maxwell did. Our marriage was nothing more than a matter of convenience. Even Declan and Dylan call me a freak and wish Kelly were their mother. If that's how it is, then so be it. I'm done with all three of them.

My husband's first love posted a video on her social media. In the video, the two of them were passing a playing card with their lips. When the card fell, their lips met in a kiss. They didn't stop—lost in the moment, they kissed passionately for an entire minute. Her caption read: [Still the same clumsy piggy! PS: Steve's skills are as good as ever!] I quietly liked the post and left a comment: [Congrats.] The next second, my husband called, yelling at me furiously, "No other woman is as dramatic as you! I was just playing a game with Lanie. Why are you acting crazy again?" It was then that I realized seven years of love meant nothing. It was time for me to leave.

After going bankrupt, I was given away as a gift by my former nemesis, Colt Reyes. My former lover, Emerson Snyder, the one I had played with the most ruthlessly before, now traced his fingers along my face, his hands roaming every inch of my body. "You sure had a lot of lovers," he said. I provoked him defiantly, telling him he was the most despicable among all my lovers. He gave my face a light pat, his suggestive tone dripping with amusement. "That's okay. Now you only need to serve me."

In the era of mystical magical creatures, "The Continent" is a magical realm where all supernatural beings co exist together under a peace treaty. The continent is a barrier between the demon realm and the human world, and its land is blessed with an immense amount of magic. But, When the seal of time breaks, enemies once again rise from the depth of drakness, the protectors are born, and tasked to finding their way towards each other to help prepare for the last war.

This story is about two middle class tamil people. Prabhu and Janaki. Prabhu - A 24 years old good tamil boy, who respect his parents. He is kind & loving. He is working in a big company as a Software engineer in Chennai. His native is Kancheepuram. Janaki - A 21 years old carefree tamil girl, but she tries to be responsible since her parents wants her to be a perfect daughter. She is studying CA intermediate in Chennai. Her native is also Kancheepuram. Yes, Prabhu is Janaki's cousin. Prabhu's mother and Janaki's father are blood related. And Prabhu's father is blood related with Janaki's mother. They maintained to be affectionate all these years with great love and care for each other. Prabhu's parents arrange him to marry their family friend's daughter Nandhini who is from well settled family and working as a Fashion designer in Chennai. Everybody is happy about their marriage. But the destiny has some different plans. Everyone got to know about Nandhini's hidden-side on the marriage day. What is destined to happen in their life? How will Prabhu's parent react? Will they forgive Nandhini's mistake? Or will fate tie knot between Janaki and Prabhu ? © All rights reserved Content warning: Mature content (18+) This purely my own imagination. The story doesn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. P.S. This is my first story. I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes or my poor English. Please do support by voting and sharing. And correct my mistakes by commenting. Thank you all in advance.