Hopeless Pursuit

Charlie, One day, I woke up in a hospital with no memory, no answers. Not just any hospital, a mental institution surrounded by nut jobs. I wasn't supposed to end up like this, scared, changed, no memory of what happened. I was a normal teenager, then my seventeenth birthday changed everything. I started having visions of a place called Cresent Moon, a remote little forest in the middle of Colorado. I begged my family to go, and that was the last thing I remembered. Next thing I was in a bed being forcibly restrained. I had two choices stay, serve my time and pray they let me leave or escape and discovered what happened to my life. Naja, I give up the notion of ever finding a true mate at twenty–eight I had witnessed more death than I cared to admit, all because of my powers gifted by the Moon Goddess. I was blessed with the ability to heal or cursed as I often thought of my gift. A gift that was used for despicable evil. In the pursuit of tracking rogue hunters, I found her — the other half of my soul, broken, bleeding, and dying. I had no choice but to send her away for her own peace of mind and safety. She was too young, too sweet for a jaded asshole like me---too precious to put in danger. I wasn't given a choice to have a normal life but she would, even if I have to kill anyone who dares to hurt me through her. They say when you love someone you have to let them go, they will come back to you. I just pray its true, I can’t exist now that I know she out there waiting to come back to me, even if she doesn’t know it yet

Nora Ashford thought she was giving a desperate couple the gift of life. Instead, she became a pawn in a cruel game. Contracted as a surrogate for billionaire CEO Marcus Wolfe and his fiancée Jade Rivers…. Nora's former best friend…. she endures nine months of isolation, control, and cold indifference. But when she gives birth, Marcus rips the baby from her arms and discards her like trash, invoking a contract clause she never saw coming: zero custody, zero rights, zero compensation beyond medical costs. Broken and alone, Nora discovers the devastating truth…. Jade was never infertile. The surrogacy was a lie to avoid "ruining her body." Worse, Marcus isn't just ruthless; he's the man who had her father killed five years ago to steal his groundbreaking tech company. Enter Elias Moretti… a dangerous nightclub owner with mafia ties and a smile that promises violence. He saves Nora from rock bottom and offers her something irresistible: revenge. He'll help her destroy Marcus and reclaim her daughter. But Elias has secrets of his own. He orchestrated their meeting. He's been watching her for years. And the baby Nora carried? The fertility clinic switched the sample. Elias is the biological father. Caught between two ruthless men…. one who discarded her, one who's obsessed with her…. Nora must become the player instead of the pawn. As Marcus realizes what he's lost and begins a terrifying pursuit to win her back, and Elias's true motives unravel, Nora faces an impossible choice: revenge or redemption, safety or passion, the monster she knows or the devil she's falling for. In a world where everyone has an agenda, Nora must fight for her daughter, her identity, and her survival.

Shantali Mae Cross, a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Ancient Arts, encounters an impossible phenomenon during her night shift—smoke from the heating vents coalesces into the form of a cobra near ancient Egyptian canopic jars, showing her visions of possible futures. She sees herself accepting a promotion, arguing with a dark-haired man in a hospital, wearing a wedding dress, and standing at a graveside in autumn. Shaken by the experience, Shantali becomes obsessed with understanding what she witnessed, diving into research about serpent smoke divination practices. Her investigation reveals that others throughout history have experienced similar visions at crucial crossroads in their lives, but those who became consumed with interpreting and controlling their prophetic glimpses inevitably destroyed the very relationships and opportunities the visions had shown them. As Shantali spirals deeper into her research, she begins shutting out her boyfriend David, a fellow security guard who loves her deeply. When David witnesses the cobra phenomenon himself, he helps ground her in reality rather than obsession. Through her studies, particularly the warnings left by Dr. Amelia Thorne—a researcher who died alone after chasing similar mysteries—Shantali realizes the cobra's true message: choose love over fear, presence over obsession. The visions weren't warnings of tragedy but glimpses of a life fully lived with all its ordinary struggles and profound connections. When David proposes, Shantali chooses their real relationship over her pursuit of supernatural answers. She completes her research by writing a fictional novel about her experience, transforming obsession into art while helping future cobra witnesses understand that some mysteries are meant to guide rather than be solved. The story explores themes of choice versus destiny, the danger of sacrificing present love for future certainty, and the wisdom of embracing life's uncertainties alongside those who love us.

“My lawyer will bring the divorce papers tomorrow and you can sign it. Once it's a month, I will have it delivered to the court." Liam explained with calmness. “Fine, but you will have to act according to my rules now," I said, and Liam looked at me with eyebrows furrowed. “I have conditions I would like you to pay keen attention to it." Liam didn't pry too much, and instead, he told me to go ahead. “Okay. I would like to have my separate room." “Fine," Liam agreed without batting an eyelid. “I don't want to share meals with you or anything. I will walk the way I want and do everything I want in my way." “Accepted," Liam replied. I released my hands under my bosom and clasped them together. I bit my lips in nervousness and braced myself. I'm no longer a teenager. “I don't want us having s*x," I said, looking at the wall. A blush crept to my cheeks which made me shut my eyes tight, muttering some curses under my breath. * * * * * * * * Emily had an arranged marriage to Liam Nolan, the ruthless billionaire in Los Angeles. Although she always had a crush on him Liam never recuperated her feelings. Despite the love she has for him, Liam didn't hesitate to treat her like trash. Betrayed by her sister, Emily's life was cruelly cut short. However, she was granted a second chance and this time, Emily swore to not repeat the same mistake she made in her past life. What happens when she realizes her ruthless husband has no intention of letting her go in this lifetime? Would she find the strength to break free, or would Liam's relentless pursuit rekindle the flames of their passionate yet toxic love?

Everyone knew Elio Carbone, Don of the Carbone family, was a cold-hearted womanizer. He had one rule: never sleep with the same woman twice. But for me, he broke it. The first day after our breakup, he stood outside the old Bianchi estate for a day and a night, his entire security detail in tow, just to win me back. The second day, he flew to Sicily and bought the deed to my family's ancestral estate at auction for triple its value, and had it delivered to me. The third day, he tattooed my favorite flower, the lily, over his heart. The tattoo artist said he refused any anesthetic and didn't make a sound. Later, at a banquet for the Five Families, in front of all the other Dons, he sliced his palm and made a blood oath. He swore loyalty only to Eleonora Bianchi for the rest of his life; if he broke his vow, he would pay with his life. After a year of his relentless pursuit, his devotion finally wore me down, and I agreed to take him back. I truly believed him then. That Elio truly loved me. Until one night. He took me to an underground racetrack to broker a deal with an ally. But in the roaring crowd, I saw a girl, trembling and crying, her clothes in tatters. Ava was shoved to the starting line. She was the wager for the death race. One look was all it took for Elio's face to darken. The next second, he dropped his hand from my waist and, without a word, walked toward the track entrance. I stood frozen, watching his back as he disappeared into the driver's seat of a modified sports car. I used to wake up crying, terrified he would lose his life in one of these reckless races. He had smashed his trophies, burned his marker for the illegal track, and sworn to God he would never again enter such a life-or-death gamble. My hand drifted to my stomach, covering the secret I hadn't yet had the chance to share. His blood oath was broken. And so was I.

After three years of relentless pursuit, I finally won over Logan—a guy who had never shown the slightest interest in women—and he cherished me like I was his entire world. On the eve of our wedding, I accidentally overheard one of his friends teasing him, "Logan, are you really ready to step into the grave of marriage for Bella? And what about Joann? She's chased you for so many years. Don't you feel anything for her?" Logan's voice was cold. "If we hadn't grown up together, I wouldn't even want to see Joann's face. She could never compare to Bella, ever." So, I held onto dreams for our future, and I married him. Two years later, at our daughter's hundred-day celebration, Joann came to me in tears, claiming her baby had leukemia—and that only my daughter could save her baby. Logan's eyes reddened instantly, and without hesitation, he sent our daughter into the operating room to have her blood drawn. I struggled in the bodyguards' grip desperately, crying and pleading, "Logan, Lily is still so little. She can't take this. She'll die! Please, use the cord blood I stored for her. I'm begging you, let her go." He kicked me aside. "It's just a bit of blood. Joann's baby is dying, and you're still this selfish? Get out!" When the surgery was over, he tossed a divorce agreement at me. "Joann's child is mine. I have to give them both a name, and I'm taking her abroad for treatment." I stared at my silent, motionless daughter in the operating room, my heart turning to ash. "Fine." Six years later, Logan saw me in a baby store, holding the hand of my five-year-old son. Logan reached out with a pained look, trying to pick him up. "Why did you cut Lily's hair so short? She looks like a boy. What were you thinking?"