Chances

Do you ever wish a secret billionaire would sweep you away to a tropical island? Do you ever wish that you could be like Cinderella and find your happily ever after with the prince? From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes, comes a sweet but spicy Billionaire Romance Series that will have you believing in happily ever after! Each story in this series is a stand-alone one. But with all the stories happen in one world, characters will reappear in other stories. ****** The First Set: Saltwater Kisses– An accidental marriage between Jack and Emma. Rainwater Kisses– Falling in love, and finding how they fit together with Owen and Kaylee. Freshwater Kisses– Finding love in childhood friends with Robbie and Sam. BONUS: Kisses From Jack: The first half of Saltwater Kisses, but from Jack's perspective! Timeless Love Stories: Champagne Kisses– A story of long lost love and second chances with Dean and Rachel. The Second Set: Sandcastle Kisses– Finding love in all the wrong places with Noah and Izzy Hurricane Kisses– Surviving the storm together with Logan and Olivia Barefoot Kisses– A Cinderella story with Aiden and Lena The Third Set: Sunrise Kisses– Ava and Bastian discovering true beauty Waterfall Kisses– Leo finally succumbing to Charlotte's charms Island Kisses: Gabe finally meets his match in Harper!

She only wanted to save her marriage. He wanted to forget he had ever believed in love. Myriam Bennett had it all: a successful husband, a comfortable life, and a future that seemed perfect. The only thing missing was a child… but what for her was a dream, for her husband was nothing more than an obligation. After several failed treatments, she received the cruelest proposal of all — to conceive a baby with another man, at any cost. Gerald Lennox is cold, solitary, and completely devoted to his work. After a painful betrayal, he locked his heart away. But one night, his best friend drags him into a reckless game… and a bet leads him to share a bed with a woman he doesn’t know and never intends to see again. What neither of them imagines is that this encounter will change their lives forever. When fate brings them together once more, the truth threatens to explode. Can love blossom between two people bound by a lie? Or will the past condemn them to lose everything? An intense story of second chances, forbidden secrets, and a love that was never meant to be. Registered with Safe Creative: 2208091753609 © Angellyna Merida, 2022. The distribution, copying, or adaptation of this work without the author’s authorization is strictly prohibited. This book is registered with the Intellectual Property Institute of Ecuador.

She was a powerhouse—brilliant, driven, and unstoppable—until the day her world shattered in the delivery room. Told her baby had died at birth, she buried her grief beneath ambition and success, building an empire while silently mourning the child she never got to hold. What she never knew was the truth: her husband had betrayed her in the cruelest way imaginable, fleeing with his mistress and the newborn daughter he claimed was lost. Years later, a business expansion leads her to a quiet, close-knit town far from her high-rise life. There, among tree-lined streets and familiar faces, she meets a commanding, magnetic man whose strength matches her own—but whose integrity and warmth begin to crack the walls around her heart. As their connection deepens, unsettling coincidences surface, pulling her toward a past she was never meant to uncover. The revelation is devastating and undeniable: her daughter is alive, growing up in this very town, raised by the husband who abandoned her and the woman who stole her life. Forced to confront betrayal, buried grief, and a motherhood stolen from her, she must decide how far she’s willing to go for the truth—and for her child. In a town where secrets never stay hidden, she faces a choice between vengeance and forgiveness, between the life she built and the love she never knew she could still claim. This is a story of resilience, second chances, and discovering that sometimes, what was lost can still be found.

Seven years in the Litha Pack's dungeons couldn't break Lyra Odwolf's Huhhh, but discovering her mate might just shatter her heart. Released from prison for crimes she didn't commit, Lyra returns to a world that has forgotten her pain. The Litha Pack destroyed her family, framed her for treason, and stole seven years of her life. Now she was supposed to bow down to the very wolves who ruined her. But fate had other things in store for her, Kael Maxmus, heir to the alpha who imprisoned her, is her destined mate. His father demands he reject the weak wolf who could never be worthy of their bloodline. Yet the mate bond burns between them, impossible to deny. When Lyra discovers that Damon Maxmus, Kael's uncle, locked away and cursed for years, is also her mate, everything changes. Her rare blood holds the power to heal his curse, but it comes with a price that could destroy them all. Because the man she's meant to save is the same monster who murdered her parents. In a world where pack loyalty means everything and second chances are earned with blood, Lyra must choose between revenge and redemption, between the mate who betrays her and the one who destroyed her, between the power to heal and the need to destroy. Some bonds are written by the moon goddess. Others are forged in blood and betrayal.

Tracie Conner has saved my mom's life before, so I've given her ten chances to make mistakes. On the day of our engagement, Tracie fled the venue with her first love, Elton Stafford. I chose to forgive her. On the day my mom gets discharged from the hospital, Tracie and Elton can be seen making out passionately with each other at the main entrance. I merely ignore them. In the year after that, Tracie keeps making all sorts of mistakes because of Elton. But I treat her like the same and never take her behavior to heart. That's why Tracie begins acting out of hand, thinking that I will always love her. The tenth chance is used up when Tracie brings Elton to our marital home on our wedding day. When her best friend, Erica Frey, accidentally stumbles upon them during their deed, Tracie doesn't give a damn at all. "Elton is my first love. What's wrong with us using this bedroom to get closure? Besides, Jonas loves me so much. Even if he sees me cheating on him, he'll forgive me." I chuckle softly as I watch everything unfold from a corner. Tracie has used up her tenth chance. Now, I no longer owe her anything.

The day my husband, Ethan Hart, posted wedding photos in a bridal gown with the college girl he was sponsoring on his social media, I didn't fly into hysterics like I usually did. Instead, I gave them a like. I even left a comment: [Such a perfect match. Let's all wish the newlyweds a lifetime of happiness.] People in our circle said I was the most pathetic wife alive, letting the mistress walk all over me without resistance. A week later, he came home and explained, "It was just an act. Her grandfather is sick. Before he dies, he wants to see her get married." I nodded calmly. "I didn't take it seriously. I believe you." In my previous life, I had stormed into their wedding ceremony that very day and caused a scene, ruining their wedding. To punish me, Ethan went after my parents' company. He drove them into bankruptcy and forced them to jump to their deaths. And I was sent to a mental hospital by that woman, tortured until I truly went insane. So in this life, reborn with everything laid bare, I no longer crave his love. All I want is his money. Every time he cheats, I transfer a portion of the assets under his name. Three chances remain. After that, he will have nothing left.

In the coastal quiet of Baler, a studio is born—not of architecture, but of intention.* Founded by Yam, a poet whose words cradle pain gently, and Franc, an artist who paints tenderness into walls, the studio becomes a refuge for those learning to stay—with grief, love, longing, and themselves. As visitors arrive, they leave behind more than footprints: a sigh recorded in bamboo, a poem tucked into the “Found Letters” shelf, a mural painted in crooked lines. Through zines, tea, silence, and sketchbooks, the studio teaches softness as revolution. Ren creates the *Window of Soft Returns*, an installation of anonymous voice recordings—each whisper forming a community of echoes. Drew builds the *Staircase With No Wrong Turns*, inviting people to walk through emotions without shame. Franc offers brushstrokes as brave work, and Yam curates writing circles that map healing in half sentences. Together, they host festivals that feel like hugs, and they begin traveling their archive, letting softness cross oceans. Even those who once left—like Miguel—return, discovering that some doors never truly close. Others, like Tala, capture the studio’s sound and turn it into a podcast of breath and becoming. Over seventy chapters, the studio transforms into something larger than itself: a mural of memory, a sanctuary for second chances, a place where return is sacred and voice is proof of survival. In the final bloom, the studio stands not as a monument—but as a reminder: > *“Staying isn’t easy. > But chosen together, > it becomes home.”*

Vincent Beckett has everything—money, power, and a famous legacy that’s being passed down to him. However, beneath the calm facade he usually presents to everyone lies a secret that could bring him and his family legacy down. To make it worse, his beloved grandmother threatens to take away everything that he’s worked hard for if he does not get married soon. After discovering that her boyfriend married her bestfriend, Eve’s life fell apart. Amidst her anger and pain, Eve accidentally destroys a set of the movie being filmed and is bound for jail when an opportunity arises to help fix the crisis she got herself into. Everything seemed to be going well for her until she found out who her boss would be, her long-time rival, Vincent Beckett. Meeting each other might seem like fate, but instead, it seemed to be the answer to both of their problems. Vincent and Eve started their fake relationship to appease their families and meet the expectations placed on them, but the lines they set up slowly began to blur as the chemistry and undeniable attraction they had for each other grew. Will they continue to play the game of marriage for the sake of their families, or will they deny themselves the love they deserve to protect themselves? The Billionaire’s Secret is a captivating story of love, trust, second chances, and the battles between family duty and personal desires, where two people must overcome their pasts to create a future together.

What do you do when all comes crashing down? How do you react when you realize the maze is gone and the truth is what you can't handle? Love, pain, betrayal;... To what extent are you willing to go? The wedding picture Cassandra held fell to the floor shattering into thousands of pieces just like the state of her heart. ‘’My heart is in just as same state as this picture” She crawls her way to the balcony overlooking the beautiful city. A life of a perfect housewife, a perfect wife and partner, now she looks back and it had been nothing but a joke. She stares one more time at the beauty of the city beneath her. ‘’What a waste”’ she spat angrily. Letting her fragile body fall from the 8 floors of an apartment bought with her own money. ‘’Time is all I wish for’’ she whispers. Falling and letting her blood graze the hard tar. Frank and Kelly watched with a satisfied look, not seeing the third eye from the corner who watched with pain written all over him. 6 years is what she offered, standing before two men on her wedding day, Cassandra wakes up. She had to choose a groom, will she go back with this man or would she take her chances into finding out what another 6 years would be in the hands of those longing eyes that watched her fall to her death or the hands that pushed her?’’

(Warning 18+) He can’t forgive. She can’t remember. But their past won’t stay buried. Atticus Roan is desperate for a fresh start. After two years of hardship, she’s ready to rebuild her life, even if it means facing rejection for the way her plus-size figure no longer fits society’s ideals. Applying for a secretary position at Royal Cruise Manufacturing Company is her last hope. But she never expected her potential boss to be Phoenix Everette — a man whose icy glare hides a storm of resentment and pain.Phoenix remembers everything Atticus forgot. Two years ago, her betrayal left him broken, both in heart and body. Now he walks with a cane, a daily reminder of the accident that shattered his life — and he blames her for it. Her return stirs old wounds and a fury he thought he’d buried. How dare she stand before him, unaware of the damage she caused?As their worlds collide, a tangled web of lost memories, buried secrets, and raw emotions threatens to destroy them both. Atticus must uncover the truth about their past, while Phoenix must decide if he can let go of his anger.Can they confront their painful history and find forgiveness, or are some wounds too deep to heal? In a battle between resentment and redemption, second chances don’t come easy — but they might be worth the fight.