Hanging In There

“I’ve made up my mind, I’m going to leave the Emersons and move overseas to live with you.” Cecil Miller’s aunt, Dianne Miller, was thrilled to hear this. She then thoughtfully advised Cecil. “Alright, Cecil, I'll help you with the immigration right away. It will take about a month so you should use this time to get together with your friends since it’s not very likely you’ll see them again once you come to Vinland. Make sure you say your goodbyes. “Don’t forget Cleo especially. He raised you since you were a kid, so you should thank him for everything he’s done for you.” Cecil gave Dianne her word. After hanging up, she left the balcony. As she was heading to the living room, she caught herself sneaking a glance at the picture set on the table.

My brother, Theo Sorento, died in a plane crash on his way back home just to celebrate my birthday. They never found his body—only wreckage. Ever since, my parents forced me to kneel in front of his grave every year on my birthday, demanding that I repent for surviving when he didn’t. Then came my eighteenth birthday. I realized someone was following me. Panicked, I sent a few messages asking for help. Just then, Mom called, not to check on me but to lash out. “I know exactly what you're doing. You’re just making up excuses so you don’t have to kneel in front of your brother’s grave! You’re a liar. Why wasn’t it you who died instead of him? You’re a walking curse!” Before my phone was smashed under a boot, the last thing I heard was the cold click of her hanging up. Then, I was cut up into pieces, and what was left of me was tossed across the city. My father, the lead forensic pathologist on my case, didn’t even recognize me. Later, Theo returned alive with his wife, whom he had eloped with eight years ago. When they found out the pile of rotting flesh was me, they all went insane.

“Dad, I agree to move to Haven State for the arranged marriage. Let’s do it quickly before I change my mind.” Her father, Joe Stone, replied instantly. “Good girl, I’ll have it sorted within a month at most!” Just an hour ago, Tara Stone had been in the backseat of a luxury car, her soft sighs slipping out as Leo Carter kissed her. His phone rang, and he answered in Genovian, his tone impatient. “Calling at a time like this?” The voice on the other end chuckled. “What’s up? Busy with something important? How much does she resemble Nina Lucas?” Leo absentmindedly stroked Tara’s delicate face. “About seventy percent similar. If you don’t get to the point, I’m hanging up.” “Wait, don’t! Nina’s flight lands tomorrow. She’s returning to revive her career back home. I thought I’d give you a heads-up. Nice of me, right? Your first love, your ‘one true love,’ is back. Think you’ll finally ditch the stand-in? What if she won't leave you?” Leo replied coldly, “There’s no problem money can’t solve.” Tara, her head lowered against the seat, felt her tears streaming uncontrollably. Leo had no idea she understood Genovian. Three years of heartfelt devotion, and to him, she was nothing more than a dog.

“Honey, our daughter can’t marry a loser. She is our only child, we can not hand her over to a nobody, especially at such a cruiser time.” Catherine’s mother cried out to her husband. “So, an underdog for a husband. How ironic! As the saying goes, 'like mother, like daughter.”Chloe teased in a low voice, making sure that only Catherine could hear those words. Although Rome said nothing, his blood was boiling with rage and thirst for revenge. “I'll be back,” Rome said.

My husband, Alex Carter, is a top AI engineer. He one day gets drugged by a new intern at his company, and one night of chaos follows. He calls me the next morning, his voice hoarse from a hangover and filled with unfamiliar panic. "Em, I messed up. But don't worry. I gave her enough money to disappear from this city." After ten years together, I believe it is just a momentary lapse in judgment. Six months later, Alex's company suffers the worst cyber attack in its history, with core data hanging by a thread. I rush back from a fragrance exhibition in Astral, only to witness a scene at the data center entrance that sends me into shock. Alex stands outside the tightly sealed door, his face showing a weariness and guilt I have never seen before. The doctor says that the intern, Brooke Anderson, is three months pregnant and has spent 72 hours with him in the high-radiation server room. Now, she shows signs of miscarriage. Later, Brooke gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The entire Carter family is ecstatic. I remove the wedding ring that has accompanied me for ten years, my fingertips turning ice cold. I dial the number saved with only one letter "S" and say, "Mr. Sullivan, I accept the collaboration you proposed last time." A low, soft laugh comes from the other end of the line. "Ms. Emma Shaw, that's a wise decision."

Elara, a human, had been invisible most of her life—ignored by her father, who lived only to serve the pack; abandoned by her mother, who left; and dismissed by wolves who couldn’t care less. But the night she witnessed the future Alpha murder his best friend—the heir of a rival pack—Elara wished for nothing more than to vanish again. Instead, every eye turned to her—as Kaelen Duskbane’s supposed new lover, the heir to the Duskbane pack. Dragged into a dangerous game where deception is a weapon and loyalty can kill, she had become a target in plain sight. Behind Kaelen’s shadow lurked something darker than anyone dared to whisper, and Elara was standing far too close. Caught between ruthless heirs, bitter rivalries, and secrets carved in blood, Elara must decide: keep her head down and survive… or risk everything by stepping into Kaelen’s world. Because in the opulent halls of the Duskbane estate, humans don’t feast with wolves— they are devoured by them.

Wendy McNaulty never expected her twenties to look like this—sharing a quirky Boston townhouse with her two best friends, juggling a job she doesn’t love, and navigating a love life that’s as messy as the city’s winter slush. With Grady, her charming and overly confident roommate, and Scott, the quiet and steady best friend who knows her better than anyone, Wendy’s life is a whirlwind of late-night pizza runs, laughter, and unspoken tension. When a disastrous breakup pushes her to “figure herself out,” Wendy vows to swear off romance and focus on herself—only to find love and scandal showing up where she least expects it. As lines blur between friendship and something deeper, Wendy is forced to confront her own heart. Torn between the thrill of the new and the comfort of what’s always been, she begins to unravel feelings she’s kept buried for years. But just when she thinks she has it all figured out, an unexpected twist threatens to change everything. In the midst of secrets, mistakes, and the kind of vulnerability she’s always avoided, Wendy learns that true love doesn’t always come in the form you expect—it’s often been standing right beside you all along.

After his father passes away, Darnell becomes the new heir to King Hotels. But his grandfather—who owns shares of the hotels—wants Darnell to marry to earn his (Grandfather’s) shares before his death. After her father’s death, Sasha and her family are left to deal with the burden he leaves behind—a huge debt owed to loan sharks. Darnell approaches Sasha with a two-month marriage contract for five million dollars—enough to pay off her father’s debt and be free from her traditional mother. She accepts. Things are complicated when grandfather doesn’t die after two months, and Sasha is being extorted by loan sharks. She and Darnell must stay married for their benefit, despite their lack of affection for each other. Eventually, they fall in love. But drama unfolds when family secrets are exposed, old lovers resurface, and unknown families appear. Darnell and Sasha must decide if their love is worth it all.

Ada Okonkwo came to England with a master's degree and a broken heart she never fully acknowledged. Three years later, she is one of Sunridge Care Home's most dedicated workers the one who remembers every resident's favourite biscuit, who sings softly during the morning rounds, who gives love so freely to others that she has forgotten how to receive it herself. When social worker Daniel Osei walks into her care home for a routine assessment, Ada barely notices. But Daniel notices her the fierce way she advocates for her residents, the warmth she carries like a second uniform. Between demanding shifts, late-night phone calls with her mother in Nigeria, and the quiet wisdom of Gerald, an 81-year-old resident who sees Ada more clearly than she sees herself, love finds a way to clock in right on time. A story about care, connection, and the courage it takes to finally let someone take care of you.

Autumn Banks was an average college student finishing up her last year before she would graduate with her masters in psychology. She was smart. Her education was everything to her. Until one crisp cool evening changed the course of her life entirely.