Holding Me Back By Shawn Mendes

Jocelyn Campbell had it all power, love, and family. Until the night before her wedding, when it all went up in flames. Her perfect fiancé in bed with her cousin. Her empire hanging by a thread. Her heart shattered. Then came Daniel Steele ; Ethan’s cold, vengeful stepbrother, a man who turns destruction into an art form. He offers her salvation, but at a price: marry me. What begins as a ruthless alliance to crush their mutual enemies soon ignites into something far more dangerous desire. But in a world ruled by greed and betrayal, love isn’t just forbidden. It’s lethal.

My husband Victor was chatting with his 'Miss Idea' Shane, again. And I, his actual wife, stood aside like an invisible piece of dust, unnoticed by anyone. I've tried every effort to win Victor's eyes, but all Shane had to do was stand there, and she'd already won. I wonder if I'd be even in the running for a list of “The Most Important Women to Victor Thorn." I had been married to my husband for five years. But he didn't love me. Now I got pregnant, would he love me for real? Obviously, the answer is no. So I made an important decision, for me and my baby, I want a divorce. But right after I divorced my husband, he started to regret it. And he wanted me to come back to him. At the same time, I was surprised to realize that his elder brother was changing my life.

"Sign here, I have the divorce papers." Areiza Kensley had just walked in the door when Darren Venzor, her husband, handed her the divorce papers. Areiza felt an unbearable pain in her heart. Still, she tried her best to keep a straight face. She didn't want to look weak in front of this man... Areiza quickly took the paper and fished the pen out of her pocket, but Darren snatched it away. He frowned, "Aren't you going to read the agreement?" Areiza pursed her lips and replied, "No need, I know you must have everything ready for me even if I don't need it." Darren nodded. "That's right, this house is yours as well, including your mother's medical bills, which I'll continue to pay in the future, and I'll make sure you live without any burdens." How thoughtful, Areiza thought sarcastically. She grabbed the paper again and signed it forcefully. Areiza thought that once she signed the divorce papers, she would be able to start her new life without the man Darren Venzor interfering in her life... However... Did Areiza and Darren really go their separate ways after the divorce or... There is something waiting for her...

For four years, Clara Hayes Kingsley has endured a marriage built on cold indifference. Her billionaire husband, Cassian Kingsley, gave her his name but never his heart that still belongs to his first love, Vanessa Hale. He forgets their anniversaries, touches her only to satisfy his own needs, and warns her never to carry his child. When Vanessa returns to the city, Clara becomes a ghost in her own home. Every insult from Vanessa is excused. Every hurt is overlooked. Cassian sees it all and does nothing. Until Clara decides she's had enough. She leaves her wedding ring, signed divorce papers, and a short letter behind. No tears. No begging. Just silence. But when Cassian wakes to an empty penthouse, the wife he ignored for four years is suddenly the only woman he can think about. Now he's chasing the woman he rejected and Clara is done being anyone's second choice.

“Give my best friend one month to stay in our house, Love.” Aurelia had been enjoying her afternoon snack when her husband’s words made her turn toward him. “Stay… with us?” “Yes.” Ethan stepped closer, taking her hand, his voice soft with pleading. “Just one month. You heard what Anna told us yesterday about her life, didn’t you? Could you really bear to see her suffer even more? What if her ex-husband comes back and hurts her again? She’s pregnant too—just like you.” Auri looked at her husband for a long moment, searching his face. “Please,” Ethan said quietly. “Will you?” The permission Aurelia gave that day became the beginning of a ruin she had never imagined. From the moment Anna arrived, Ethan’s attention slowly drifted away from her. The affection that once belonged fully to Auri was now divided—often leaning toward his childhood friend, who had come carrying sorrow and carefully displayed wounds. Day after day, she lost more than her husband’s warmth. Until one day—heavily pregnant, her body was still weak after nearly losing her life due to a severe allergic reaction—Aurelia was driven out of the house she had once called her heaven. But her suffering didn’t end there. At the lowest point of her life, Auri was abducted by her husband’s business rival—used as leverage to pressure Ethan Harrow in a ruthless corporate battle. A real threat. A pregnant woman’s life is placed on the line. And yet, to Ethan… it was nothing more than a trick. Ethan didn’t come. He believed it was all a lie. A cheap performance—one he thought his own wife had staged.And perhaps, in that moment, he had already lost everything… long before he realized what he had thrown away.

The campus madonna told my childhood friend that she loved Jackie Chan movies. He tied my arms and legs to four gigantic drones. Monday came by. Right in front of the whole school, the drones hauled me up three hundred feet into the air. The students' laughter was so thunderous, the skies shook. The videos they took went viral. I remained in the air until the drones ran out of battery and flew back down. My childhood friend untied me, grinning like he'd just pulled a harmless prank. "Wendy loves Jackie Chan, so I thought you should give her a little Police Story show. We've been friends our whole lives. You don't mind, do you?" I crumpled to the ground. Wendy Wood was leaning against my childhood friend's chest, and she was laughing so much, tears rolled down her cheeks. "You call that Jackie Chan? She just wet herself!" And she cackled further. I walked off and never came back. That drove my childhood friend mad. "We've been friends forever! You're overreacting!"

"Don't touch my son! You never even wanted him, did you?" *** Because of love, Sasha was willing to engage in a clandestine relationship with her friend's father, Vincent. Vincent justified it by claiming that his wife was having an affair, so he needed a companion. However, one day Sasha discovered that Vincent's wife's lover was her own father. Confused, Sasha found out that Vincent had only used her as a bed-warmer doll to seek revenge on her father. Sasha decided to leave Vincent. However, her friend wouldn't let her go peacefully and continued to harass her. The situation worsened when Sasha found out she was pregnant. Eventually, she made the decision to disappear forever, leaving behind her bitter past. Unfortunately, several years later, when she had built a good life with her son, Vincent came back into her life.

Two years ago, as a graduate of Werewolf Medical School, I volunteered to go to the most remote and poorest pack, as it had always been my dream to help werewolf patients in need. I heard from my teacher that the werewolves in the Rogue Pack were the poorest and that their living conditions were the worst. Most of the werewolves there were old and weak, so I volunteered to go to that pack as soon as I graduated. After I arrived, I helped them build an infirmary and even set up a blood station. Every year, I led them in voluntary blood donations. But one time—right after I had taken a short break following a blood donation—they turned on me. They slandered me, calling me a selfish and heartless healer. Worse still, they accused me of faking illness, claiming I was lying comfortably in bed while patients were dying—refusing to lift a finger to save them. Not only that, they stormed into the infirmary, seized all my herbs and equipment, and completely trashed the place I had built for them with my own hands. Recalling the days I had spent day and night healing them—only to see my infirmary destroyed and my dream shattered—I let out a bitter smile. I picked up the phone and called the dean of my home pack. "I'm ready to return," I said. "I want to serve the patients in our own pack." Then, without a trace of regret, I left that place behind. However, after I gave up, the whole pack regretted it and begged me to return.

"You want me," she whispered. If it weren't for his enhanced hearing, he probably wouldn't have heard. Yes, he did. "You won't touch me," she continued. "No, I won't." "Because you'd hurt me?" "Because I'd kill you." "I don't believe that." "Then you're naive." "Or maybe you're self-destructive. —————————————————— Caroline Knight, the future Queen of the Werewolves, disguises herself as a commoner to find her mate, concealing her royal status. When she meets Alpha Ryland, she's captivated by his allure, but he rejects her, deeming her a mere rogue wolf without significance. Determined to prove herself, Caroline is drawn to Ryland's strength and charm, despite his arrogance. Unbeknownst to her, Ryland is under a curse of eternal life, only to be broken by his true mate, who died long ago. With different mates throughout his lifetime, Ryland doubts he'll ever find his true mate until he meets Caroline, igniting a love that transcends time and destiny. As they navigate their tumultuous relationship, they must confront ancient prophecies, supernatural adversaries, and their own inner demons to break the curse and forge a bond that defies fate.

For five years, Elara was the "peasant" wife, the woman who gave her kidney to save Shawn’s life, only to be rewarded with his cold indifference and his family’s verbal abuse. She was the dutiful housewife, hiding her true identity as the world’s most feared cybersecurity genius, and the secret heiress to a global empire. She stayed for love. She stayed for the hope of a family. But hope dies in a cold swimming pool. When Shawn pushes a pregnant Elara into the water to save his mistress, he not only breaks her heart, he kills the only thing she had left to love. Waking up in a hospital bed with an empty womb and a frozen heart, Elara is done playing nice. As Shawn prepares to discard her for his mistress, he’s met not with a weeping wife, but with the arrival of five of the most powerful men in the world—Elara’s brothers. Now, the "peasant" is the predator. While Shawn’s empire begins to crumble under a mysterious cyber-attack, he finds himself desperately chasing the woman he once despised. But Elara has already moved on to a man who never had to be taught her value.