I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself

From the frying pan and direct into the raging fire - that sure is Ellie's situation, and everything starts on the most awaited night of her twentieth birthday. She suffers the betrayal of her life, leaving her shattered and broken, and with no hope nor energy to fight her impending fate. For a moment, succumbing to the absurdity of her arranged marriage that she never at any point of her life considered giving a chance, now seems to be the only option. But that is until a crazy idea crosses her mind. Why not just run away from all these madness? Does she have the courage to defy her father for the first time? What transpires when subsequently fate aligns her with the man she loathes the most -her fiance?

I had to get away from here! From HIM. Before I embarrassed myself further, or worse… accidentally exposed myself. But to my horror… in my flailing, the first three buttons of my shirt popped, spilling my breasts from the revealing bra beneath. “What the hell?” His shocked eyes flew to mine. Mortification hit me like a wave. My eyes widened, burning with shame. And then his eyes turned angry—the surprise vanishing immediately. “Was that an act?” He snapped, dangerously. “Are you here to seduce me?” ~~~~~ Luca was just a client—albeit one who paid the highest to touch her. A man who claimed every Friday night at the casino, and far more of her heart than Maya ever intended to give. Then one night, he vanished. A year passed, and Maya was certain she’d never see him again. But fate is a cruel bitch. Fresh out of the casino and desperate for a new start, she takes a job as a nanny… only to discover that her new employer is the very man who's haunted her dreams. And he doesn’t recognize her! To Luca, she’s simply the caretaker for his son… but little does he know that the woman now tucking his child into bed is the same one he once undressed in the dark. And Maya intends to keep it that way. Because if he ever found out just who she really was... she could kiss her only hope of survival goodbye! ~~~~~ She swore she’d keep her past buried. He swore he’d never fall again. But secrets like theirs never stay hidden. And when the truth finally comes to light, desire might be the least dangerous thing between them.

The end of the world had never been so romantic—for Alisa Vega, at least. In an alternate universe where Earth survives the first apocalypse, humans live side by side with other species in a society where impossible things become possible. And yet, with all that magic and technology, love remains to be the most mysterious and unpredictable thing of all. Alisa Vega is a popular celebrity well-known for her beauty and charisma. Growing up in a loving and privileged environment, she had never wanted for anything in her life—until she meets Jester Lee, the rising star of the Adventurer community. Jester saves her life and steals her heart in the process. She confesses her love, but Jester is having none of it. Apparently, he's too busy saving all three worlds from a second apocalypse to entertain any thoughts on romance. But Alisa is convinced that he is THE ONE for her—and she is not taking no for an answer. Join Alisa and Jester as their stories unfold side by side: from gala appearances, photoshoots, and dodging the paparazzi, to navigating through a mess of man-eating monsters, secret identities, and uncovering conspiracies, all in the name of true love. *Author's Note: Some parts of the story may include scenes of violence and gore, dark (morbid) humor and possible emotional trauma (for the characters). Although the author encourages freedom in reading, this warning is in place for those who may find such topics disturbing. Reading should be fun for everyone, after all. Thank you! ^_^

ღ꧁ღ╭⊱ꕥ Maria Isabel Monedero fantasized about being like Shakespeare. She devoted her all life to writing romance tragedy stories. She joined many writing competitions but never won. She almost gives up her spirit, but her bubbly personality doesn’t. Until the day she graduated college. Then, Maria Isabel Monedero, known as Mimo as her pseudo name, joined Story & Life publishing incorporation to work as a creative novelist. She got admitted, and many editors demanded that she be in their lineup. Unfortunately, before she gets to designate a team, she must undergo provision training within six months. Then, finally, the publisher assigns her a personal editor named Jaime Tejedor, who claims to be a hopeless romantic. He dislikes tragedy romance stories, which is Mimo’s best field in writing. He rejected Mimo’s works twice, and she only has the last chance to stick around. If she ever gets rejected again, it’s the edge of her career. For her to evade that… She plots to seduce her editor to approve her work. Will she succeed? Or fall entirely to his charm? ꕥ⊱╮ღ꧂ღ

Zane and Zander Whitmore are the most popular boys at Valley High. All the girls want them and all the boys want to be them. Kat Holland on the other hand just wants to finish her senior year unnoticed. Needless to say it's a major shock when Zane and Zanders Dad falls in love and marries Kats Mom right before senior year starts.

I'm the De Luca family's dirty little secret, their bastard daughter. And I was stupid enough to fall for Marco Moretti, the heir to our rivals. On our wedding day, my sister, Isabella, drugged me. When I woke up, she was wearing my dress. Standing at the altar. Becoming his wife. Heartbroken, I ran to a bar to drown my sorrow. And that’s where I discovered I was pregnant. Marco held me, crying. He swore he loved me, only me. He promised he’d divorce Isabella as soon as our child was born. But on the day I gave birth, Isabella murdered us both. Me and my baby. That’s when I finally understood. Marco would always choose a true-blooded princess of the Cosa Nostra. And me? The bastard? I was just a loose end. A problem to be erased. Then I opened my eyes. I was back. Back on the day she drugged me. Their wedding day. This time, I'm not marrying the heir. I'm marrying the Don. But first... I'm going to ruin this wedding.

I'm the only daughter of the Blackstone pack's pure-blooded Alpha. On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, my life gets plunged into danger. Xavier Callahan is the one who blocks the deadly blow for me. Since then, I've fallen head over heels for him uncontrollably. What's more fortunate for me is that I've picked up on the unique scent of my fated mate from Xavier. That's how we successfully become mates. Everyone claims that I'm the happiest Luna. But everything changes when I get severely injured just to protect Xavier. It results in the disappearance of my wolf. For the sake of my safety, Xavier has issued half of the Moonlight pack's security detail to protect me. When I suffer from mental breakdowns, he skips his work just to keep me company. When I'm starting to recover, he even transfers me the authority equivalent to the power an Alpha holds. Xavier tells me that giving me the authority is the best way to prove how much he loves. But now, he's currently mating with another she-wolf in my bedroom. "She's just a loser who can't even usurp my throne as the Alpha. She's nothing like you."

My husband is the Don of the entire New York East Coast Mafia. For ten years, I dimmed my own light to be his perfect silent partner, the dutiful wife who gave him the perfect heir. I thought we were the lovers who wou ld die for each other. Then came a mere associat. My husband and son had formed an alliance with the woman who seem want to take my place. But they just said, "Elena, you have the crown and the kingdom. She has nothing but us. Be generous." So, to make her smile, my husband trampled on my dignity again and again. To please her, my son affectionately calls her "Mom." In their eyes, I was the iron wall, the woman who would swallow any insult for the sake of the family honor. Until the fire. My husband locked me inside the burning room, to let me "reflect" on my jealousy. He didn't know that the fire didn't kill me. But it burned away the last ash of my love for him.

The first thing I did when I came back to life was to pawn off my engagement to the Don of the Schroder family, Edmund, on my stepsister. In my last life, he used the "family rules" to make me give up the one thing I loved—racing. He threw out all my colorful dresses and turned me into his canary in a gilded cage. I died, suffocated and hopeless. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the marriage contract was to be signed. I quietly switched my name with my stepsister Laura's and let Edmund sign the papers. He didn't forget to warn me, "Stay out of trouble. Our wedding is in three days. Be a good girl and wait for me to come get you." But he had no idea I'd already bought a fake ID and passport. In three days, I'd be gone. I'd be free.

“You’ll move in with me and your sister will be taken care of. You'll tell your sister that I'm your new boss.” He spelled out. “You'll wait for me every night on my bed so I can fuck you mercilessly for making me set my eyes on you after seven years. I hate you. You have no fucking idea.” I wanted to burst into tears. It was f**king over. I am giving the next three years of my life to this man, just so I can save my sister and clear my debts. ……. My life has been a rollercoaster of suffering with no end. It became worse the very minute I was at my lowest, and I locked eyes with my high school bully. I had no idea how he found me but now that we were all grown, I knew he would never leave me alone. After seven years, he still didn't change. He was still a thorn in my flesh, and he always managed to make me wet and weak in the knees. I ran. I ran. I ran, but he always found me.