Defending Your Life Review Novels & Stories

The night Enzo was made boss of the Moretti family, I gave him my virginity. He was the heir I'd been promised to since before I could speak. We kissed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, tangled in the humid, twilight heat... His rough, urgent hands hurt me, but I didn't pull away. Even the pain felt sacred, a sacrifice I was willing to make for love. Lost in the heat of the moment, he promised me a pair of the most beautiful crystal shoes, so I could dance the opening waltz with him at his coronation ceremony the next day. The first dance is always reserved for the new boss and his future bride. I cried with joy, believing my years of secret pining and patient waiting would finally culminate in a fairytale ending. But I was wrong. So terribly wrong. The next morning, I dragged my aching body out to get his favorite espresso, only to overhear the guys joking as I returned: "So you finally popped the family cherry, huh? How was Vivian on your first night as boss?" Enzo's voice was lazy, mocking. "Face of an angel, body of a devil. She's a hot little viper in bed." The room erupted in sleazy whistles. "So, you really gonna marry her, young boss?" "Are you kidding me?" Enzo scoffed. "Vivian's just a warm-up. Once I get some practice in, I'll go tame the Falcone ice princess. When I get bored, I can always circle back and put a ring on her." I stood frozen in the doorway, my vision blurring, the coffee cup trembling in my hand. Before the world faded to black, I sent a coded message to the Don: "Uncle Romano, for the promotion in three days, get me a transfer. As far away from Enzo as possible."

“All he wanted was the woman he could never have - my sister. So he and his family treated me like nothing. Now the tables have turned and revenge they say, is a drink best served cold.” *** One year ago, Brianna Page escaped the suffocating grip of her marriage to Nico Armani, a union that had reduced her to a mere shadow of her former self. Treated like a nobody by her husband and maltreated by his family, Brianna's almost nonexistent spark had been all but extinguished, snuffed out and scattered like the autumn leaves in gusts of wind. Now, she is a different woman altogether, a force to be reckoned with. The timid, submissive bride is gone, replaced by a confident, powerful entrepreneur who's built a small empire of her own. As the owner of a thriving company, Brianna has finally found her voice and her freedom. Just as she is savoring her newfound independence, Nico shows up and drops a bombshell: their divorce couldn’t go through and they are required to live under the same roof for half of a year before it is official. Now she is hell-bent on exacting revenge on her husband and his family for all the pain they’ve caused her. She is determined, ready, and resolute in her revenge plan and it doesn’t matter now that Nico is willing to do whatever it takes to win her back, to prove his love and devotion. She has moved on, and she's not about to let him dictate her life again. The question is: can Nico convince Brianna to give him another chance, or has she truly closed the door on their tumultuous past? One thing's for sure - Brianna's not going to let anyone, including her ex-husband, undermine her newfound happiness and success.

On the night of her wedding anniversary celebration, Emma Taylor caught her husband, Harry Smith, kissing his own assistant. In an instant, her world collapsed before hundreds of guests, her dignity shattered beyond repair. But amid the betrayal, James Walker appeared—Harry’s uncle: cold, stern, and a man who despised infidelity. He became Emma’s strength… and the very reason she found herself drawn into a forbidden feeling. While Harry drowned himself in Sophie’s arms, news of his affair spread like wildfire, dragging the prestigious Smith family name into ruin. Between heartbreak and forbidden love, can Emma find a new path for her life? Or will she once again be consumed by her past? A story of love born from the ashes of destruction.

"Let’s call off this wedding. Even in hell, may we never meet again." After ten years of living in neglect and betrayal, Roselyn chose to end her life by leaping from the balcony. However, she wakes up in the past—right on the night she almost surrendered her body to Derrick. This time, Roselyn vows to never seal her own tragic fate as his puppet again. In her desperate attempt to flee from her cruel father and her cunning fiancé, she receives an unexpected offer from her fiancé's arch-rival, Grand Duke Valthorne. Kaelus, the "Monster of the North," harbors a massive secret: he has turned back the clock countless times just to save Roselyn from death. Under Kaelus's protection in the frozen Valthorne lands, she must learn to grow thorns to become stronger, while facing the past traumas that haunt her.

Everybody said my life was over after Brad Coleman called off his engagement with me. I had been with him for five years. The things I had done to pander to him had left my reputation in tatters. Nobody was willing to be with a woman like me anymore. After word started spreading within our social circle that Brad had gotten a new lover, everybody was waiting for me to go crawling back to him. However, what they did not know was that I had volunteered to take my younger sister's place and go to a faraway city, Clason City, to get married. Before I got married, I returned the treasure box that Brad had given to me. The coupon for a free wish that he had given me when he was younger was still in it. I left without leaving anything behind. However, one day after a long time, Brad suddenly thought of me. "It's been a while since I last heard from Leah Young. Is she dead?" he said. Meanwhile, I was awakened by kisses from my new husband. "Good girl, Leah. You promised me to go four rounds. We can't go any less…"

Noah left me at the altar three times—for his precious Freya. First time? She threatened to jump off a building. Second? Said she was moving abroad. Third? Sent a text saying she was getting forced into some arranged marriage. Noah, usually Mr. Cool, freaked. Left a packed venue and turned me into a total joke. Again. I called him. "If you don't come back today, I'm marrying someone else." He laughed. "Freya's young. You're too old to be playing games, aren't you?" I clutched my phone, heart sinking. He knew Freya was bluffing. Still picked her. That's when I finally gave up. Later, after he'd calmed her down, he came looking for me. "Pick a new wedding date," he said, like it was no big deal. "It'll be even grander this time." A guy's voice cut through, smiling. "Sorry, man. Gotta get my wife on the plane."

Maya, a Human with no roots, and Eliane, a young werewolf hiding from the world, have been living together for years. Their peaceful life is threatened when rogues get in the picture and slowly take notice of them. But when the two women escape the rogues, they get themselves in a particular situation, none of them was prepared for. With nowhere to run or to hide, they have no other choice but to finally face life.

Age is just a number. Or at least that's what Maxwell Cooper thinks whenever he hits on his best friend's mother, Amanda, who is very much divorced and extremely attractive in his eyes. Amanda, highly aware of the obvious infatuation that Maxwell has on her, tries to avoid his advances towards her given their conflicting age differences. She speculates that Maxwell's attraction towards older women is deeply rooted to fact that he might just have some 'Mommy issues'. Maxwell refutes the hypothesis by claiming that he's only attracted to her , not older women in general. Both are put to the test when Amanda , returning from yet another failed date one night, runs into Maxwell who notices the tears in her eyes and proceeds to comfort her. This leads to her inviting her to her house which would be a convenient move seeing as Zac, Maxwell's best friend and Amanda's son, had gone to visit his father in New York for the weekend, leaving her alone for the weekend. They end up sharing a bottle of wine, getting drunk while reminiscing on the simpler days. A kiss is shared during the vulnerable moment between these two, which would lead to regrets and broken friendships.

IF HE IS NOT WILLING TO BE HER REAL HUSBAND, WHAT'S THE HARMFUL IN SUDUCING HIM? Charlotte Foster is in love with Morgan, her father's kind business partner who has quickly become her best friend since she met him. Now, at 20, and after several unsuccessful attempts to make Morgan see her as a woman, Charlie is prevented from receiving the inheritance that is rightfully hers, thanks to the schemes of her late father and her terrible stepmother. That's when Morgan surprises her with a proposal: become her husband for a year, so that she can receive what belongs to her. However, for Charlie, money is the least important thing in that situation. Morgan Sullivan struggled for a long time with his repressed feelings for Charlie, the authentic and impulsive daughter of his greedy partner. However, after years of managing to hide his love for her, he sees no other way out than marrying her to protect her from her Machiavellian stepmother. After all, it will only be for a year and everything will be a farce, since he will never touch her. As much as you want. And as much as he is no longer able to hide what he feels for her so well. Realizing that her husband may not be as indifferent to her as he thought, Charlie decides she needs to use that year to seduce her husband and turn their fake marriage into something very real.

I cooked up a storm for our seventh wedding anniversary. However, my CEO wife took a couple of bites before leaving in haste for some work emergency. I trailed behind her, only to find her entering an upscale event space where she held a sip-and-see event for the twins she had through surrogacy. Pulling out a centurion card, she handed it to her male secretary and uttered solemnly, “You’ve done well, Dale. Everything I own will go to the children.” Dale, his eyes sparkling, pressed his lips against hers. “Ms. Markham, it’s my honor to have children with you.” With a scoff, I pushed open the door to the hall. I’d like to see how the guy managed to have children with a woman who was born with underdeveloped ovarian follicles.