Hardin From After Novels & Stories

After dating in secret for seven years, Mitchell Zahn decides to propose to me on the day his birthday album is officially released. But during the birthday party, he publicly invites Isabella Claxton, a composer and my sister, to work with him. I follow Mitchell to ask him for an explanation. That's when I hear him and his friends chatting and joking inside the lounge. "You're so loyal to your first love, Mitchie. You couldn't wait to ask her to work with you upon her return. What are you going to do about Gabriella, though? Will she accept how your relationship ends when she's written so many songs for you?" After a moment, another person laughs and says, "To Mitchie, Gabriella has always been a replacement for Isabella. Now that Isabella is back, her replacement has to go. Don't you agree, Mitchie?" I wait for a long time before hearing a soft sound of agreement.

Cami Roux Balmaceda has been attracted to Auden Silverio, the son of a family acquaintance. It was never simple for her to express her feelings for him. Cami Roux Balmaceda is twenty-three years old and a fourth-year psychology student. Cami has a heart problem, but her personality is far from it. She is courageous and living her life to the fullest. The doctor told her that she has a fixed amount of time. As she turned twenty-four, her parents set an arranged marriage to the person she had a deep affection for – Auden. They are well aware of Cami's feelings for Auden. They wanted what's best for their daughter, and they went to great lengths to make it happen. Auden didn't have a choice but to go along with the plan. "It'll only be a few years before she's gone," he reasoned. Over time, he realizes that he is falling in love with her.

Our wedding anniversary also happens to be our son's birthday. A month in advance, I carefully plan a family trip for the three of us—me, my husband, and our son. But right before we're supposed to leave, both of them suddenly disappear on me. I'm left standing alone in the pouring rain, dialing their numbers. On the other end, my son's young voice comes through, sounding cold and impatient. "Dad's having dinner with Ms. Moore. We don't want to go anymore." The call ends, and I'm blocked. Later that night, they intentionally lock me out of the house. I'm left standing in the freezing cold all night long. Soaked from the rain, I come down with a high fever and develop pneumonia. Meanwhile, my husband and son are off vacationing with Sophia Moore, smiling for a happy family photo with just the three of them. And in that moment, I know this marriage has truly come to an end.

I married the man I believed was perfect, but the illusion shattered. His betrayal came with an affair and when I confronted him, he called me barren and delusional. In my need for revenge, I had a one night stand with a mysterious man and he became my little obsession. Aria Nicole is known as the "queen of romance," a New-York best-selling marriage author celebrated for her wisdom on love and relationships. But behind closed doors, her own four-year marriage is void of passion, and the spark she writes about feels like a lie. On her fourth wedding anniversary, Aria’s carefully crafted world crumbles when she catches her husband in bed with his secretary. Heartbroken and desperate for escape, she finds herself at a nightclub. What begins as a night of sadness ends in unexpected turns, a one-night stand with a mysterious man. He became her little addiction but what happened when her family is strongly against their relationship and she is forced to chose.

"I want you, Diana. I want you now," he whispered in a husky voice and brought his other hand to her waist. * * * * * Marriage was meant to be a beautiful thing but not in Diana’s case. She was a toy, a thing of pleasure. After years on enduring, she finally took the bold step to leave the marriage and suddenly, her husband wants her back! Running away from her husband was one thing, running with his pregnancy was another thing. How far can she run away from the billionaire when she melts at his touch?

For six years, Catherine Kingsley has been invisible. She married Ryan Brook to repay a debt her blood saved the life of the woman he truly loved. But gratitude doesn't warm a marriage bed. Ryan has never touched her. His mother and brother have treated her as a servant. And now, after half a decade of silence and cruelty, Ryan is bringing Sarah home. He wants Catherine out. But for the first time in six years, Catherine doesn't bow her head. She doesn't beg. She doesn't cry. She signs the divorce papers, takes nothing, and walks away with her dignity intact. What Ryan doesn't know is that Catherine is done being invisible. With the help of an old friend Michael and a young artist whose life she once changed, Catherine begins the painful, powerful journey of remembering who she was before she became Mrs. Brook. But as Catherine rises, Ryan begins to fall. The cold, distant husband who never looked twice at his wife suddenly can't stop seeing her everywhere. And Sarah the woman for whom he destroyed his marriage may not be the innocent victim he always believed. Dignity Over Devotion is a raw, emotional story about what happens when a woman who gave everything finally decides to take herself back.

Another fight with my boyfriend made me agree to my best friend's crazy idea to party at a nightclub. But then, she spiked my drink and I ended up in the arms of a terrifyingly handsome stranger, Michelangelo. We spent the night together underneath his sheets, as he took me through wild realms of pleasure. But the next morning, he was gone. And then I caught my boyfriend with my best friend so my life utterly shattered from that day. Weeks later, I realized that I was pregnant, and I also got hit by the news of my boyfriend's wedding to my best friend. Devastated, I moved to a Pack in New York City to start anew with my unborn child, and then three years later, guess who I bumped into? The one and only Michelangelo, the real father of my son. But then, he lied that night. He didn't give me his full name or his real identity. He didn't tell me that he was the formidable Nico 'Michelangelo' Ferrari, a Mafian Alpha and an insane force to reckon with. Realizing who he is sends me into a panic attack, but for some reason, he won't stop chasing after me, trying to convince me that he loves me, that he's my fated mate and that he wants to be with me and our son. What the heck do I do?!

Emma dedicated her youth to loving Alpha Draven Sinclair and being a perfect wife for him, but what did she give her in return? He demanded a divorce as soon as his girlfriend woke up from the coma and threw her into the jail for the crimes she did not even commit. Now she is back six years later, to prove her innocence and punish everyone who made her life miserable. And this time, she is not alone as she got a new attitude, a bunch of men trying to win and two adorable kids who would do anything to protect their momma.

Emily, adopted at eleven years old by a very rich socialite after ten years of being placed from one foster home to the other. She was given a life of luxury and groomed for seven years for a role she didn’t know about. At eighteen, she began her life as a -worker, lacking companionship and love, she never experienced it until she had a one-night stand with a handsome stranger. One-night of passion that changes everything. Damian grew up privileged, he had it all; looks, money, charm, success and endless array of beautiful women who threw themselves at him. He then met Emily, a breath of fresh air. Their one-night-stand together ignited something in him, he wanted to own and possess her, but Emily had other plans. Will he be able to get what he wants? Will he be able to claim her? Or will her secrets crush or destroy any chance they have at being together?

After being reborn, I deliberately avoid every possible connection with Zachary Lawson. When he enrolls at Prestwick University, I choose to study abroad in Norell instead. When he comes all the way to Norell looking for me, I travel even farther, moving from place to place as a war correspondent. Years later, I return home hand in hand with the person I love to have our wedding. Zachary is stopped outside the venue, his eyes red-rimmed. "Why don't you love me anymore?"