Drawn To The Bitter

It has been fifty-five days since my fiancé cut me off. I called off the wedding I'd waited eight long years for. All while he was caring for his childhood sweetheart, who was battling depression and seeking peace at a remote retreat. He even had the historic chapel—a local landmark called the Aethelred Sanctuary—closed to the public for six months because of her. And me? I was left to face the swarming reporters, hounded from one place to the next until I had nowhere left to hide—all because he disappeared without a word. Out of options, I went to the retreat to find him. But he turned me away, saying I would disturb the quiet and sanctity of the place. In the bitter cold of deep winter, I collapsed outside the gates, barely holding on. When I woke, I saw him—Jonathan—planting an entire garden of roses on the grounds, every bloom a declaration of love. Six months later, he finally left and returned home with his childhood sweetheart. The roses they had planted now filled what was supposed to be our wedding venue, from floor to ceiling. I watched them, cold and unmoved. What he didn't know was this—I was already engaged to someone else.

Nicola Rhymes’s dream is to live happily near her husband and have many children. Unfortunately, life hits her hard and her dream turns into ashes: first, the heartbreaking news she can’t have children… then, a bitter divorce. In the end, Nicola decides to become a nanny. She will take care of other people’s children. So, when she accepts the role of nanny for Blake Echols’s little girl, Nicola thinks it will be a walk in the park. Just another job. She soon learns how wrong she is. Blake Echols is obsessed with his work, has a lot of trust issues, and has a greedy ex-wife he wishes would disappear from the face of the Earth. The only bright spot in his life is Iris, his little girl. When Iris’s mother sues for full custody, Blake vows to do everything in his power to keep his baby girl with him, even if it means getting married again to do it. He realizes that not just any woman will do. He needs someone who will love little Iris almost as much as he does. What he needs is gorgeous, sweet, curvy Nicola. Blake convinces Nicola to marry him for Iris's sake. Will they be able to make this marriage of convenience work? Or will their marriage fall to pieces?

Mez finds herself at an institute called Merose, after waking up from a seemingly deep sleep, but she has no memories of her past whatsoever. However, she feels strangely drawn to Merose by a nostalgic feeling. Having nowhere else to go to and no memories to rely on she decides to trust her instincts and go ahead. She is soon faced with a lot of mysteries and unopened secrets, while her memories recover slowly. A great secret lay behind the myriad of lies that had been built upon Mez's disappearance and she was determined to find the truth.

Kate has been bullied and ignored all of her life. After one such occasion she comes back home to find a new guy talking to the pack. Riven is from the other side of the state. He sees Kate and he is curious but soon learn how much she is hated and bullied. He decides he will be her protector because it’s the right thing to do and not because he is instantly drawn to her at all. "She is cute, and she’s obviously vulnerable. I wonder how she would feel if she could just relax for a while."

In modern-day New Orleans, 28 year-old Deuce Rylan is a charismatic and powerful Alpha werewolf. He's haunted by a centuries-old curse that has plagued his family since the 18th century. Elise Laurent, a beautiful and mysterious 24 year-old witch, is struggling to control her magic. She's haunted by dark visions and pursued by a powerful witch hunter from her past. When Deuce and Elise meet, they're drawn to each other despite the danger their families' histories pose. As they navigate ancient prophecies, and their own forbidden attraction, they must confront the darkness of their families' pasts.

Aurora Gray has always lived under the control of her cunning stepmother, Joanne, and is now forced into an engagement with the ruthless Patrick Hayes. But when Patrick's enigmatic elder brother, Dominic, enters the picture, Aurora finds herself drawn into a dangerous game of forbidden love. In a web of deceit and betrayal, Aurora uncovers secrets about her family's past, including the truth about Leo Levine-a man intent on vengeance upon the Grays. Danger draws near, and Aurora must make a choice between love, loyalty, or survival before the truth destroys them all.

Brie Larson and Alex Arterra have always been bitter rivals since childhood. They grew up attending the same schools together, and with the brilliant Brie bumped up by three classes because she needs a little more challenge, their constant competition only fueled their hatred towards each other. It is made even worse by the fact that Alex bags the scholarship Brie had worked hard to get, even if he doesn't need it. Years later, their rivalry escalates to new levels of petty when they clash at a shareholders banquet after Alex takes the leadership of Arterra Co. and he finds that Brie had grown from the little, scared nerd to a fiery, beautiful woman. When Alex needs a fake girlfriend, Brie is the only woman who fits his criteria, and at first all she wants is a taste of the soft life, even if it means sharing it with the one person she has sworn to hate for life. Eventually, they fall in love with each other, despite their initial hatred. Unfortunately, their families' long-standing feud becomes a significant obstacle in their relationship. As their relationship deepens, they face a range of challenges from their families' disapproval to the pressures of their different backgrounds. A secret threatens to undo every thread that pulls the duo together, and it is only the beginning. Will they get their happy ever after?

Shilou Flores is a second year college student when she get to know Kier Calamba who is a third year college student of engineering. She got their communication started from a kind of a dating app. Their communication started and continued. Shilou starts to develop feelings for him but didn't confess. Shilou has a hidden feelings towards Kier. Shilou thought that maybe after some times, her feelings for Kier would fade but she was wrong. They became friends till then. Even after that one steamy night. After that night, Shilou wants to do everything to forget her feelings about Kier. But when she was just about to start, an unexpected blessing came. ---- As a college student, I don't take love seriously because i know I'm still young for that emotion. I kind of believe on it because I've had experience from my past ex-boyfriends. And all of those experiences leaves me trauma, trust issues and such. I became a woman who always reject or friendzone those mens who try to court me. I keep on holding on my past that it cause me being a bitter woman. I get scared of committing and taking risk of love again. But those fear faded when I met him. -Shilou

"I said leave me alone," I yelled through my lungs as I was struggling to breathe. "Sssshhhhh....."  When he leaned closer to my ear, he was serene. "It's fine with me even if you don't love me; I'm not going to ask you to love me; I just want you around me because you're my bride and only I have a right to you," he explained. "So I chose death over being with you," I spat a bitter truth while daring to look him in the eyes, which triggered him even more. "Then die," he said shamelessly. -------------- Sansa Elsher was taken on her wedding day by an Alpha Xavier, who claimed her as his bride by the law of pronouncement of wonder, the law from which she was bound by him even before she was born. To save her lover, Logan, she pretended to be Xavier's wife and was forced to accept him as her mate. Things got worse when Sansa's twisted fate brought her true mate right in front of her, whom she can't deny or accept at the same time. This is the first book in the series; the second book, "Under The Moonlight: Alpha's Bride 2," is now available.

After Dad went bankrupt, Mom immediately started fighting for a divorce. I did not fight or argue, just watched coldly as my sister, Jessica Shaw, shoved me aside and threw herself at Dad. She cried out, "Dad, don't be sad! I'll stay with you!" In my past life, after our parents divorced, Jessica went with our wealthy Mom while I ended up with bankrupt Dad. However, what no one expected was that Mom's remarriage turned into a disaster when she married a scumbag who not only drained her assets but left her with nothing in the divorce. Jessica suffered right along with her. Meanwhile, Dad made a comeback and became wildly successful, eventually turning into a wealthy tycoon. Jessica grew bitter seeing me live well. Under the guise of catching up, she orchestrated a car accident that killed me. When I opened my eyes again, we had both traveled back to the day our parents filed a divorce. This time, Jessica shot me a smug smile and declared first, "I love Dad, so I want to stay with him." Little did she know, I could not have been happier with this arrangement. After all, I refused to spend another lifetime hiding and scraping by.