Grief Isn't Linear

He’s her arrogant boss. She’s his biggest headache. Neither expected to become family... or to fall this hard. Stella Blake is on a mission—climb the corporate ladder, crush her goals, and definitely not fall for the insufferable CEO standing in her way. Rhysand King is cold, controlling, and the kind of man who doesn’t take “no” for an answer—especially not from the fiery new exec shaking up his boardroom. But when a high-stakes merger throws them into close quarters—and an even bigger bombshell reveals their parents are about to say “I do”—their sizzling power struggle turns dangerously intimate. She can’t stand him. He doesn’t trust her. Too bad forbidden has never felt so right. Office tension turns into stolen kisses. Family dinners turn into secret glances. And just when they think it couldn’t get more complicated—secrets unravel, and hearts are put on the line. Enemies. Step-siblings. Lovers? In this scandalously addictive grumpy boss, enemies-to-lovers romance, get ready for boardroom battles, slow-burn heat, and a forbidden love story that breaks all the rules. One bed. Zero boundaries. And absolutely no chance of coming out unscathed.

A car accident left me with severe brain injuries. I was left hanging by a thread. My wife, a renowned medical genius, personally operated on me for 18 consecutive hours, pulling me back from death's grasp. Yet, the first words I said to her after waking up were, "Grace, I want a divorce." Her eyes were filled with tears. "Derek, I just saved your life, and now, you want to leave me? Is it because I've been too busy at the hospital? Because I haven't spent enough time with you?" I frowned. "It's exactly because you saved me that I want this divorce. I won't let you sacrifice your reputation for me." The family elders tried to reason with me. "Grace is such a wonderful wife. She takes care of everything and loves you deeply. Why insist on a divorce? Why throw away such happiness?" No matter who approached me, I dismissed them with the same response. "If you think she's so perfect, then she'll be available once we're divorced." The elders were furious. "Fine! Get your divorce! But don't come crying to us when you regret it!" I whispered under my breath, "The only thing I regret is not divorcing her sooner."

Olivia Jordyn married Dent Hathway with the hope of building a complete and happy family. Instead, she found herself trapped in a cold marriage—without passion, without children, without the warmth she had once dreamed of. As she struggles to hold it together, Xavier—her brother-in-law, now grown into a charismatic and confident man—moves in under the same roof. His presence isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a storm that slowly tears down the boundaries Olivia has worked so hard to keep. A desire that should never have existed sparks from a single moment that changes everything. Glances turn into touches. Concern turns into temptation. Olivia knows it’s wrong. But when Dent can’t give her what she longs for, Xavier becomes the only man who makes her feel wanted. And instead of walking away, Olivia chooses to cross the line she was never meant to touch—sacrificing the one thing she has always tried to protect.

In my past life, I walked away from an invitation to the elite Academy just to take the fall for Luca. He held my hand, swearing he’d get me out. Swearing he’d keep me safe for the rest of my life. Instead, I rotted in a cell until I died. While I was bleeding out on the cold floor, Luca was marrying the Don’s daughter, living the high life. When I opened my eyes, I was back. Luca was sixteen again, face pale as a sheet, shoving a bloody gun into my hands. "Elena, you're a lifesaver." I slapped the piece away. "Dream on. I ain't taking the rap for you this time."

During childbirth, she suffered from excessive bleeding and her life was at stake. Her mother-in-law made a huge fuss outside the delivery room. “Save my precious grandchild!” She watched as her husband looked at her coldly and said to the doctor mercilessly, “Save the baby.” She was heartbroken at that very moment and swore to herself that if she could live through this, she would get a divorce!After the divorce, Hesper was surrounded by admirers and had troops of suitors following her. Rickard panicked!He scooped up the woman into his arms from her sea of suitors and pinned her against the wall. His extremely gorgeous face was tainted with regret. “Be good and listen to me. Let’s get married again tomorrow!”Hesper sneered. “Mr. Duval, I don’t love you anymore. Please have some self-respect!”

Clause 7 : on no account should children be brought into this contract, the result of which would have dire consequences. Guess what Vivian Cross did? Vivian Cross was once at the top of the society's scale until unfortunate events took place and she lost all that she had except one. Desperate and in need of help, she lunges herself into an unexpected contractual loveless marriage with a man she once had the hots for but does true love really die? And when things go awry and she is forced to pick between a life of luxury and a forbidden baby, what does she do when she realizes that the man she thought was just distant actually doesn't want her and to prove it, brings his first love back into the picture knowing fully well that it would hurt her beyond reasoning. This game of cat and mouse, will it go on forever or will Nate Stuart finally realize that he had all that mattered in his home?

On our third year wedding anniversary, Ricardo Gambino finds me in the estate located far beyond the city's boundaries. As he clutches a pregnancy report, he finds it difficult to suppress the smile on his face. "I have good news for you, Isabella!" Ricardo exclaims excitedly. "Lucia is pregnant! It so happens that you're infertile, we'll have her give birth to the baby, and you can raise them! After that, I'll make sure to send Lucia away. You, on the other hand, shall remain as my wife!" Ricardo's tone is starting to drift. He sounds like he's done something amazing for me and wants me to compliment him. But I merely look at him as though he were a jester. What Ricardo doesn't know is that he's the infertile one. Also, we've already gotten divorced from each other. At that moment, I receive a new text on my phone. Then, I see a photo of an ultrasound report regarding the first trimester of a pregnancy. "Isabella, we're having triplets." The next text pops up immediately. "I shall marry you in three days."

Warning: Mature Content Trigger Warning: Trauma, Abuse (Not by the male lead), Psychological Alessandra Maximillan, the Young Duchess of one of the four duchies and a major political figure as well as a role model for both men and women, has nearly everything she desires in life. She is only eighteen years old, but she rose to prominence as the heir to Duke Albert Maximillan of the Maximillan duchy due to her charisma and ability. But she has a little secret and a simple wish. Alexander Terrence is the Duke of the Terrence duchy. He is known as the Mad Duke because it is said that he murdered his own parents in order to become Duke. Then, what will happen when Duke Alexander proposes a contract marriage to Alessandra? The cover is not mine. I found it on Google.

"There should be rules if we are even going to do this," he said without looking at me. "I have always lived by the rules." He slid a file towards me. "This is the contract. The rules are stated there." I opened the file and glanced through it. "You can take it home and study them; give me feedback tomorrow evening. But I will read out the rules for you now because they start now, and in case your brain can't comprehend them, then I can explain." Anger seethed through me, and I almost threw the file back at him, but when I thought about the money involved and how it would benefit little Sophie, I bit my lower lip to push back the anger. He continued. "Rule number one; don't you fall in love with me." His eyes flipped up to me. "Crystal clear," I said. "That would never happen." Ellen never had fun in college. One night she decided to have fun with her friends and slept with a handsome stranger who disappeared before she woke up. A month later, she found out she was pregnant and searched everywhere for him, but to no avail. Five years later, she moved to a new city and met the same man she never thought she would ever see again. He didn't remember anything about her, and he was now a cold, arrogant man who needed a wife, and she needed money. They agreed to contract marriage with strict rules, one of them being never to fall in love with each other. They were sure they wouldn't break the rule, but as sparks grew between them and became too much, they found themselves trying hard to keep to the rules. Who will break rule number one between them?

It didn't end when my husband brought back his ex to our house and made it publicly known that he wanted to divorce me. It all ended when he refused to save our daughter who was dying. When I asked him for the divorce papers, he thought that it was just a joke and expected me to be at his door pleading after a few days, but the news spread fast about my new romance with a wealthy surgeon. He realized that he wasn't ready to lose me and that he's made a big mistake by trusting his ex, but it was too late! FILLED WITH REGRET AND PAIN, HER EX-HUSBAND SOUGHT FOR A WAY TO RUIN HER NEW RELATIONSHIP AND WIN HER BACK, WOULD SHE GIVE HIM A SECOND CHANCE IF HE SUCCEEDS?