Drowning Sorrows

On the day of our wedding, Maverick Lowe sacrificed me as bait to save his childhood sweetheart, Janet Stewart, from her kidnappers. I was left behind, brutally tormented by the gang. The next day, the entire internet was flooded with indecent videos of me. Maverick publicly branded me a disgrace, broke off our engagement in front of everyone, and soon after, paraded Janet as his bride. While I was drowning in despair, my childhood friend Alfred Hawkins confessed his love. He said he had always cared for me, and vowed to shelter me from every storm. With him by my side, I slowly climbed out of that darkness. We married, and soon after welcomed our daughter, Ruby. The three of us built a life of simple, perfect happiness. Until one day, I stumbled upon Janet sobbing in Alfred's arms. Between tears, she choked out, ''The doctor said… without a matching heart, Yoana won't last another month…'' Yoana, her little girl, had been born with a congenital heart defect. Alfred's hand lingered tenderly on her shoulder as he whispered. ''Don't cry. I told you, Ruby's heart was always meant for Yoana. ''After her birthday, I'll arrange the accident. Then Ruby will be delivered straight to the hospital…''

After my rebirth, I avoided my family and my boyfriend like the plague. When they tried to throw me a birthday party, I faked an urgent business trip to dodge it. When my parents pleaded with me to move back, I secretly bought my own house that very night. When my boyfriend popped the question, I spun on my heel and married someone else. In my previous life, my sister and I were swept away in a raging flood. By sheer luck, a jagged tree branch snagged my clothes, saving me from the depths, but my sister drowned in the merciless current. My parents, consumed by grief and rage, gripped my throat and screamed, "If it weren't for you, Andrea would still be alive!" My boyfriend acted like it was no big deal, offering half-hearted comfort before we tied the knot. But on our wedding anniversary, during a family cruise, they cornered me on the deck and shoved me overboard. "Time to taste drowning yourself!" they hissed. It turned out they had never gotten over Andrea's death. My boyfriend had never forgotten about her. When my eyes fluttered open again, I found myself back on that fateful day. This time, I vowed to live for myself, reclaiming the joy they'd stolen from me.

“It was supposed to be fake… until it wasn’t.” Elena Ramirez was never supposed to catch Adrian Harrington’s attention — billionaire CEO, untouchable, and dangerously charming. One moment, she’s a struggling intern juggling bills and caring for her younger sister, Maya… the next, she’s signing a contract that turns her entire world upside down. The deal is simple: pretend to be his girlfriend. No feelings. No complications. No lines crossed. But Adrian Harrington doesn’t do simple. One gala. One stolen glance. One soft touch that lingers too long… and suddenly, the line between pretend and real begins to blur. The media calls her a gold digger. Socialites like Clara Vance want her gone. Paparazzi stalk her every move, and Elena finds herself drowning in a world of secrets, lies, and scandals she never asked for. And then — the contract leaks. Every signature. Every clause. Every proof that her “relationship” with Adrian is nothing more than a carefully staged performance. Now the entire city is watching, waiting for her to break. But Elena refuses to be their victim. Because somewhere between the chaos and the cameras, Adrian’s cold walls are cracking… and the one thing more dangerous than pretending to love him is realizing she actually might. Fake dating. Real feelings. Endless betrayal. Some lies build empires. Others break hearts.

Seventeen-year-old Harper Lane has always flown under the radar. A curvy, quiet junior with a passion for sketching dragons and acing calculus, she’s the kind of girl people borrow notes from but never invite to parties. That’s fine by her—Harper has no time for popularity contests or high school heartbreaks. Until he starts talking to her. Jaxon Brooks is Madison Grove High’s golden boy—star quarterback, arrogant heartthrob, and very much taken. He’s everything Harper avoids... and everything she secretly can't stop watching. But when fate—and an unfortunately timed biology assignment—forces them together, Harper discovers there’s more to Jaxon than flawless abs and Instagram fame. He’s been watching her too. Caught between late-night texts, hallway tension, and the spotlight glare of Jaxon’s cheerleader girlfriend, Harper is suddenly drowning in attention she never asked for and feelings she doesn’t know how to handle. And Jaxon? He’s playing a dangerous game—torn between the girl who fits his image and the one who sees through it. In a world where likes mean love and screenshots can ruin lives, Harper must decide if risking everything for Jaxon Brooks is worth the heartbreak... or if some boys really are Out of Her League.

“Why are you like this, Axel?” she asked in a low voice, her tone slightly breaking. “Why won't you just leave me alone?” For a moment, something inside me stirred. I reached out slowly and placed my fingers under her chin, lifting her face. She tried to look away, but I wouldn’t let her. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she bit her lower lip stubbornly, trying to keep them from falling. But that tiny act of defiance… God, it did something to me. I wanted to pull her closer, to claim her, to make her mine and never let anyone else touch her. “One year,” I said finally. She frowned. “What?” “I want you,” I said clearly. “For one year, you’ll be my woman. In exchange, I’ll take care of you, your needs, your family’s protection, your brother’s freedom. Everything.” *** After catching her scumbag boyfriend in bed with her coworker, Olivia Brooks did what any heartbroken woman might… she drowned her sorrows at a club. One too many drinks later, she ended up in the arms of a dangerously handsome stranger. What she didn’t know was that the man she mistook for a gigolo was Axel Reynolds, a ruthless billionaire with a taste for control. Olivia tried to move on and bury the memory of that reckless night… until fate delivered a cruel twist. Axel Reynolds wasn’t just anyone—he was her step sister’s soon-to-be husband. Now, trapped between guilt and desire, Olivia wants to hide the truth. But Axel has already found her, and the devil never lets go of what he claims.

Antonio 'Tony' Santa De Leones. The CIA's black sheep. Foul mouthed. Rude. Known for his penchant for pretty little things. A weakness, they said. But Tony beg to differ. Suspended and very bitter. He flies to Italy. Spends one night drowning his regrets in the arms of a beautiful stranger. A man. A mistake? No. Not a mistake. Then, Tony's past comes knocking. His real past. The CIA found out, that he came from a long line of Mafia royalty. Also a black sheep to that family. The CIA wants him to go undercover in the very mafia he was born into—the family that disowned him. The legacy he buried. And their bait? Reinstate his rank. Reclaim his pride. And what will he get in turn? A chance to burn his bloodline from the inside. But nothing could prepare him for what he finds out. The mysterious one night stand? His name was Angel. The prized possession of a rival mafia leader. And the key to everything. Tony should just act. Use Angel how he see fit. Then discard him. But he's already addicted. Obsessed. And in the criminal underworld where loyalty is a lie and love is a weakness? Obsession can be deadly.

Zara Adigun never believed in fairy tales especially not the kind that involved arrogant billionaires and cold, calculated marriages. But when her father fell ill and her family is drowning in debt, she agrees to a one-year marriage contract with the most powerful and emotionally detached bachelor in Lagos (Dami Adeyemi). The deal is to pretend to be the perfect couple in public, live together under strict conditions that she must comply with, and leave when the contract ends with no strings and no emotions attached. But Dami’s icy rules begin to melt as Zara’s fire draws out the man he’s buried deep beneath his grief and guilt. The closer they get, the harder it becomes to stick to the rules, until secrets from the past threaten to destroy everything they were nurturing. Jide Adeyemi—Dami’s estranged brother and Zara’s first love came into the picture to reignite old flames and dark family secrets, Zara finds herself caught in a dangerous love triangle where trust is fragile, and the truth is a weapon. Now, she must decide: 1. To follow the terms of the contract. 2. Run back to the man who once broke her heart, or 3. Fight for a love that was never meant to happen. When hearts are bound by fate, will love survive the truth?

"You belong to me, Crystal. And I’m going to remind you of that.” His husky breath fanned her ear. Crystal Lin is drowning in the debt her father left behind, a deadly 10 million dirham IOU to a ruthless Dubai loan shark. With just two months left before her organs become the payment, Crystal juggles two lives: waitress by day, stripper by night. But everything spirals when she unknowingly gives a lap dance to the heir of the Al-Fayad empire. Amir who is a cold, commanding, and dangerously powerful. Amir doesn’t want love. He wants an heir. And he’s offering Crystal a marriage contract worth millions to get it. Desperate to survive, she agrees. But fate has one more cruel twist, Ahmad. Amir’s kind-hearted twin who turns out to be the mysterious stranger who once stirred her heart with a glance. Now he’s her husband’s brother and he's the man she can't stop thinking about. Torn between duty and desire, caught in a billionaire’s twisted game, Crystal must decide. To lose the life she’s barely clinging to, or risk it all for a love that was never part of the deal.

Brody Lewis, my fiance, said that I had a rare form of transient global amnesia, which was a sudden, temporary memory loss. Every seven days, I would open my eyes and become the twenty-five-year-old Riley Taylor again. My memories were forever stuck in the past. In my pen drive were videos of Brody taking me on trips, bringing me for treatment, and proposing to me. Everything seemed great between us, but I remembered none of it. “Riley’s still around. Can’t you keep your hands to yourself?” “Don’t worry. It’s Monday tomorrow. After she wakes up, she’ll remember none of it,” Brody said, and my heart sank. “Isn’t this more exciting?” Brody embraced my best friend, and they made out brazenly in front of me. They were not shy about it at all. I wondered just how many times this had happened over the past two years. I ran as tears blurred my vision. When I arrived at a tattoo shop, I grabbed the tattoo artist like a drowning man holding on to a log. Then, I asked the tattoo artist to tattoo these words on my arm in my handwriting. [Leave him.]

“Let me help you" I pleaded, my hands gripping her tightly. "Fine. If you're so bent on solving my problems, you can marry me then" the lady snapped in frustration, forcing the engagement ring on my fingers. "Let's go get our marriage certificate then" I urged with a knowing smile. ....... Behind the spotlight, Luisa's life is a complexity of lies and scandals. Haunted by the tragic drowning of her sister, which she blames herself for, she built walls around her heart. Her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble when a compromising video threatening to expose the death of her sister surfaces. As the past and present collide, Luisa has to confront her demons and face the lies that she's told. But there lies another secret Luisa has kept hidden - her marriage to a wealthy CEO, which she forced into a union, which was an attempt to escape the shame of being jilted by her cheating fiancee. Their marriage opens a new chapter where lies, deceit, betrayal, and love entwine. As she navigates the complexity of her flash marriage, will she be able to overcome the hurdles that come her way or will she succumb to the nightmares hunting her?