Forty-nine

At six in the evening, Allen Bennett prepared a perfect dinner, with each dish carefully chosen to match Sarah Foster's preferences. By seven, he had run her bath, adding lavender essential oils and rose petals to the warm water, filling the bathroom with a calming fragrance. By eight, he placed her comfortable slippers by the entrance, awaiting her return. At nine, the front door finally opened. Sarah walked in, and Allen immediately went to greet her. With practiced grace, he helped her out of her coat and placed her slippers before her feet, then hung the coat in the entryway closet. Turning to her with a gentle smile, he asked, "Would you prefer to have your bath first or would you like to eat?"

As I was cleaning up the house, I noticed something had fallen out of the cabinet my wife always kept locked tight. I remembered Megan's constant warnings. "That cabinet holds all our family's important records. If anything gets lost, there's no getting it back. Just leave it alone and don't touch it." Worried something valuable might have fallen out, I rushed to pick it up. But what I found was a thick stack of remittance slips. From forty years ago to now, every month, my wife had been sending money to the same account. And that's when it hit me. My wife had been lying to me. The money I'd been pouring into this family had been flowing right out, into the hands of someone else.

Sage Davis was once the name on everyone's lips, a rising basketball star with unmatched talent and a promising future. But one wrong move, one selfish mis-timed dunk during a critical game cost her team the trophy and left her with a shattered ankle and a fractured reputation. A year off the court has left her anxious and stripped of the confidence that once defined her. Now 19, she is back, taller, stronger, but haunted by doubts and the pressure of living up to her former glory. Enter Andrew Jefferson, turning forty, striking, with the kind of presence that commands attention. He is the new coach of the team and, awkwardly enough, her best friend's father. Sage expected discipline, rules, and professional distance but what she didn't expect was the spark, a mere fickle at first, and then a flame. He sees the fire in her, the talent she possesses, and the fragility she tries to hide. Against all odds, she finds herself drawn to the one man she should never want. Their connection is forbidden. Dangerous. Taboo. But as the line between right and wrong blurs, Sage must decide if she’s willing to risk everything, her future, her friendship, and the fragile pieces of herself she is still putting back together, for a love that was never supposed to happen. This is a story of redemption, desire, and the kind of love that breaks rules, norms……and hearts.

The day I had a miscarriage, nobody showed up to see me in the hospital. I saw on Jonah's social media that he was celebrating his first love's birthday. My son, who I raised for nine years, was also there and gave her a handmade gift. However, in the ten years we have been married, Jonah has never celebrated my birthday. I have never received a gift from my son, either. I suddenly felt exhausted and told him I wanted a divorce. That night, he rushed home and said, "It's just a miscarriage. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" My son added, "Mom, you're an adult. Can't you take better care of yourself?"

***Warning: this book contains explicit content and graphical descriptions. I'll put a disclaimer on any chapter that's 18+ and note that every part of this novel is entirely fictional and will be a coincidence with anyone's*** "You're petite, feeble, and gay. All shades of wrong, and I'll crush you, Rhett." His tone is vile. "Your boner says otherwise, King Kael. I'm a chick with sharp features, full pink lips, sexy, snatched body, small waist, and I'm that dude you want riding you to cloud nine all night!" I didn't stop there. I added. "I'm that proud gay man you're too ashamed to become, and I see how you want to rip through my clothes and fuck me, but guess what? I'll never allow your homophobic ass." He was once a slave without voice or freedom, raped by his master. As if that trauma wasn't enough, he was turned into a vampire by a monster. For seven years, he resisted the transition and abstained from blood until his sister was murdered by witches. All hell broke loose, he drank her blood to take back revenge but the darkness overcame him. His tyranny birthed the Fifth Throne where he ruled with bloodlust and spite... but when a tech-nerd, proud gay man stumbles into his world, an obsession arises. Rhett is everything he despises: unapologetic, troublesome, and accepting of his sexuality. However, when Rhett's life is entangled in a supernatural war between vampires, witches, and hunters, the Vampire King must protect him. But how does one love a man who claims he doesn't love men? Who would rather kill you than kiss you? And what happens when that man starts craving your touch more than blood? In a world full of monsters, such bond doesn't go without spiralling a brutal war.

"What are you doing?" Alpha Albrecht's voice was low, almost a growl. "I… I'm doing what you want," I replied, my voice trembling. "I'm not resisting." He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "Why the sudden change, Catriona? You've never been this… obedient." I met his gaze, my heart throbbing aggressively. His eyes scanned my body, lingering on the bruises and marks. His hand reached out, fingers brushing against a particularly dark bruise on my arm. I flinched but held my ground. "You're different," he muttered, more to himself than to me. "Yes, Alpha," I whispered, lowering my gaze. He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him. He studied me for a long moment, his expression stern. Finally, he nodded. "Get dressed!" "Huh?" I blinked, surprised by his command. If I remember correctly, he actually forced his way into me on this day. What has changed in 2012? ---------------- Catriona Barclay thought her life was over in Berlin when the ruthless Alpha Albrecht Conrad of the Shadow Pack killed her in 2021. Betrayed by those she trusted most, including her secret lover Finlay, and her best friend Greta, her world ended in tragedy. But, a mysterious force pulls her back in time to 2012, where she awakens nine years younger and armed with a chance to rewrite her fate. Determined to avenge her family's massacre and avoid her doomed future, Catriona devises a cunning plan against everyone who wronged her in the future. In the process, she uncovers truths about her family's true murderers and her rare special ability. She also discovered that Alpha Albrecht, the man she had hated her whole life and swore to bring down, is her fated mate chosen by the moon Goddess. Will she follow her quest for vengeance, or embrace a future she never imagined?

Isabella Martinez never expected to trade her dreams for a marriage contract, but when her conniving step-sister flees an arranged marriage, she's forced to take her place. The groom? Alexander Kane, Manhattan's most ruthless CEO, a man known for destroying companies and breaking spirits. The same man who nearly ruined her father's company years ago. At forty, Alexander Kane has everything money can buy, except revenge against the Martinez family. When his intended bride escapes, he finds an even better alternative in her younger sister Isabella – the one person his rival truly loves. It's the perfect opportunity to complete his vendetta. What starts as a cold business arrangement soon turns into a dangerous game of attraction. Behind closed doors, Alexander's icy facade melts away, revealing a man haunted by past betrayals and unexpected tenderness. Isabella discovers that living with her enemy awakens desires she never knew existed, even as she uncovers the dark secrets that drive him. As their fake marriage transforms into something real, Isabella must choose between her family's loyalty and her growing love for Alexander. Meanwhile, Alexander faces his own demons: can he trust in love again, or will his quest for revenge cost him the only woman who's ever touched his heart?

Isolde was on the run after committing an unforgivable crime in her brothel. She flees for her life but finds herself trapped in the devil’s lair, a domain owned by the cursed rogue lycan lord, Draco. This cruel fate was the beginning of her torture as Isolde was captured and chosen as Draco’s Breeder. Being chosen as a breeder for the dark lord was a sentence, especially for a savage male who had murdered nine of his Lunas. Now she faced the same fate as his previous Lunas. Isolde must do all she can to stay alive and save her sister from the Dark lord. She strives and learns to navigate a world dominated by ferocious and savage males who want nothing but to exterminate her. In the process, she learns a deep, lost secret that changes her life forever. Will Isolde flee or stay now that Draco’s secrets and the key to his survival lie in the palm of her hands? What happens when the demons from her past come back to haunt her? Content Warning. This book gets darker the further the story unfolds. So be prepared for the MM scenes, knife play and a lot more others.

Hindi ko alam pero parang napag iiwanan na yata ako ng panahon, sabi ng iba kaylangan ko na daw mag pakasal at mag karoon ng sarili kong pamilya, kasi daw hindi nako pabata pa. Bakit ika babata ko ba pag nag karon ako ng asawa't anak? "Khrizxxianna you need to have your own Family, darling," "Mom, I'm not on to that hindi ko kaya saka hindi madali ang gusto mo," "Mag blind date ka, may kilala akong anak ng mare ko na pwede mong maging asawa.' "No way Mom!, ayoko ng mga idea mo!" pasigaw kong sabi kay mommy. "Khrizxxianna you're turning forty this year and you should get married," sabi pa nito sa akin sabay inum ng hawak nyang baso na may laman na wine. "No, Mom I hate marriage, I just want to have a child that's it," and I just look at the pouring rain outside of the window. _SUNGYONGSOO15_

In a high-stakes battle for control of Caldwell Enterprises, Ethan Caldwell faces a ghost from his past when Amelia Harper, his long-lost love, returns as the widow holding the key to his family’s empire. As secrets unravel and old wounds bleed anew, Amelia’s bold demands and hidden agenda threaten to topple the company and Ethan’s guarded heart. Caught in a web of betrayal, jealousy, and a shocking revelation about a daughter he never knew, Ethan must confront the devastating truth of Amelia’s disappearance nine years ago. With his mother’s scandal rocking their world and a mysterious child drawing them closer, will Ethan and Amelia reclaim their lost love, or will their pain and secrets destroy everything they hold dear?