Romans & histoires Icarly Drew Roy

“I am hopelessly in love with you, Mein Engel” Dante kept his face buried in Cassandra's neck as he spoke. Her skin tingled, his hot breath brushing mildly against it. His voice was a deep baritone yet reassuring and steady. She found herself succumbing, her eyes fluttering close. Everything about him oddly drew her in his demanding presence, the intoxicating aroma that lingered around him, and those deep blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through her, as if they could uncover every secret she kept. But that wasn't right. That man was my husband's father, twice her age, and the whole thing felt off. What would the whole world think of Cassandra Adler, daughter of the Chairman of Delsu Investment, if they find out that she is pregnant with her father-in-law's child? And what about Dante? Surrounded by societal norms, enemy threats, and the fact that he already has a family, will he abandon the child and his developing feelings for a woman half his age? “He’s my husband’s father… twice my age… and now I’m carrying his heir. If the world finds out, it won’t just ruin me, it could destroy us all.”

When Ivy returns home for the summer, she’s not the wide-eyed girl her billionaire stepfather raised after her mother’s death. She’s twenty-one now—sharp-tongued, sexy, and trouble in heels. The little girl is gone. In her place is a brat who knows exactly how to push Alexander Wolfe’s buttons… and maybe, just maybe, tempt him to sin. Alexander has spent years locking away his desire for the forbidden girl he swore to protect. He built empires and buried lust behind boardrooms and bourbon. But when Ivy saunters back into his mansion with those legs, that attitude, and that wicked glint in her eyes—every line he drew begins to blur. She wants to tease. He wants to ruin. But what starts as a game of temptation quickly spirals into obsession. As secrets unravel and past sins claw their way to the surface, the line between protector and predator, love and lust, begins to crumble. And when Ivy’s dangerous ex resurfaces and an unexpected pregnancy shakes their world. Alexander will be forced to choose between keeping his twisted desires in the dark… Or claiming his little girl in the most sinful way possible. He raised her like a daughter. Now, he’s ready to make her his wife.

In the coastal quiet of Baler, a studio is born—not of architecture, but of intention.* Founded by Yam, a poet whose words cradle pain gently, and Franc, an artist who paints tenderness into walls, the studio becomes a refuge for those learning to stay—with grief, love, longing, and themselves. As visitors arrive, they leave behind more than footprints: a sigh recorded in bamboo, a poem tucked into the “Found Letters” shelf, a mural painted in crooked lines. Through zines, tea, silence, and sketchbooks, the studio teaches softness as revolution. Ren creates the *Window of Soft Returns*, an installation of anonymous voice recordings—each whisper forming a community of echoes. Drew builds the *Staircase With No Wrong Turns*, inviting people to walk through emotions without shame. Franc offers brushstrokes as brave work, and Yam curates writing circles that map healing in half sentences. Together, they host festivals that feel like hugs, and they begin traveling their archive, letting softness cross oceans. Even those who once left—like Miguel—return, discovering that some doors never truly close. Others, like Tala, capture the studio’s sound and turn it into a podcast of breath and becoming. Over seventy chapters, the studio transforms into something larger than itself: a mural of memory, a sanctuary for second chances, a place where return is sacred and voice is proof of survival. In the final bloom, the studio stands not as a monument—but as a reminder: > *“Staying isn’t easy. > But chosen together, > it becomes home.”*

"Why would you try to hurt her?" Victor shouted back. His voice was cold towards me, as he held onto Lily's hand. "So you're just going to believe her over your own wife?!" I fired back. Victor ignored my words and drew his attention to Lily and the broken glass. I watched as he carefully collected the pieces and threw them away. "Are you hurt anywhere? Did the glass get you?" Victor asked softly, giving her hand a light squeeze. "No, no. I'm okay now that you're here." Lily's smile was small. "Please don't leave me alone with her again..." **** I, Emelia Russo, once thought I was a woman who had it all—a successful career, and a loving husband. But when a "childhood friend" by the name of Lily Marino re-enters my husband's life, everything takes a turn for the worse. All of a sudden, my once faithful and loyal Victor was lying for her, favoring her, and trusting her word over mine. I became the outsider in my own marriage. When I finally had enough of his secrets and mistreatment of me and called for a divorce, he begged me to stay. "Please, let's go back to how the way things used to be! I'm begging you! Don't leave me!" Victor pleaded. But what happens when I tell him "It's too late."?

It was my honeymoon trip, but my husband's best friend insisted on going into the sea for shark watching despite being on her period. I reasoned against it, as sharks would go amok from the scent of blood, only for Heidi to snap at me, "You're just jealous I have a nice body! That's why you don't want me to have fun with your husband!" My own husband and his other buddies joined in too, brushing me off impatiently. "It's rare for us to hang out! Don't be a buzzkill!" "That's right! Hannah is young and beautiful. She should take pictures with the sharks." With that, they all went down the water despite my earnest protests, and her menstrual bleeding drew schools of sharks toward her right away. When I tried to help, she kicked me in the head, knocking me out and leaving me in the water as the sharks tore me to pieces. While I died under the sea in agonizing despair, Heidi, my husband, and their friends managed to get to safety. Once they returned to civilization, they reported my death as a drowning and pilfered all my wealth. While they rose to the peak of their existence, my parents, devastated by my death, both took their own lives. That was when I opened my eyes again and found myself back on the desert island where they were going for shark watching.

Maverick Spencer, my husband's older brother, sacrifices himself just to save my husband from a car accident. In order to repay him for his benevolence, my husband, Mateo Spencer, decides to move his newly widowed sister-in-law, Lily Shepherd, into our home. Mateo tells me, "Maverick died saving me, so I must repay him for his benevolence. He was the most worried about Lily when he still drew breath. In order to fulfill his death wish, I must let Lily stay with us. "Lily's biggest wish is to have a child of her own. I have no choice but to sleep with her. It's to repay Maverick, you see. Don't worry, Phoebe. Once she gets pregnant, I won't touch her ever again. You're the only woman for me." But since then, Mateo pays more and more attention to Lily. At the same time, he spends less time with me. When I notice the way he looks at me icily, I feel my love for him starting to get snuffed out. The day Lily finds out that she's pregnant is the day Mateo puts half of the Spencer family's assets under her name. Even the token of love Mateo has given to me on our wedding can be seen adorning Lily's finger. At that moment, I know that it's time for me to leave.

On New Year’s Eve, a poolside party was held at the hospital. There, my fiancee Valerie Charlton’s medical prodigy junior colleague, Cyrus Zeigler, drew the wildcard in a party game. His task was to select a woman from the attendees and enact an explicit scene in front of everyone. He scanned the crowd, and his gaze landed on Valerie. “Valerie, you’re about to get married. I know I can’t have you. So let me have this one time. Okay?” Valerie’s eyes welled up, and she was about to nod. I scoffed and tossed the unsigned medical equipment purchase contract onto the table. “You’d better think carefully. Either he gets lost, or your family’s hospital shuts down for good. Your choice.” Cyrus glared at me angrily when he saw that Valerie was torn with indecision. “Is it that Mr. Everest can’t take a joke? He’s already controlling everything you do before the wedding. After you get married, he’ll probably keep you in a cage.” Valerie calmed down. Then, she turned to me and said scornfully, “You are a grown man. Have some grace. What era are we living in? Do you have to flaunt your masculinity all the time?” I watched calmly as they walked toward the pool. Then, I turned and made a phone call. “Since she doesn’t care about this marriage, she can watch the Charlton family crumble.”

Our cruise ship got into an accident, but there was only one seat left on the lifeboat. The three of us drew lots, and I got it. I wanted to give Zac Xavier the chance of survival that I won. However, while we were arguing, his childhood sweetheart got on the lifeboat first. Just as we thought our lives would end, the rescue team arrived in time and brought us back from the boundless deep sea. After that incident, Zac and I walked down the aisle. Unexpectedly, his childhood sweetheart returned to that sea on our wedding day and jumped into it. When Zac got the news of her death, he was struck by grief and blamed everything on me. He imprisoned the pregnant me in the basement and made my life a torture. I bled profusely on the day I gave birth. He had the doctor save the baby, asking him to give up on my life. My only child was named Rory, something he thought up based on the name of his childhood sweetheart—Aurora. Even when I died, I was consumed by hatred. When I reopened my eyes, I had returned to the day he proposed to me after the cruise ship accident. Watching Zac hold my hand as he had done in my past life and promise to grant my every wish, I calmly withdrew my hand. "Zac, let's break up."

"You really think you can seduce the Alpha looking like that?" The mischievous grey wolf beside me whispered. He was trying to make me give up, but I had to come out the victor in these games for my pack and my family. He slowly took one clawed finger and slipped the strap of my silk burgundy floor length gown off my shoulder in front of the whole table of wolf royalty. "That's a little more like it," He coaxed, "Look at him with all of those other attractive wolves to choose from. You'll never catch his attention like this." I stared at the end of the table where the Alpha sat. He was dark of hair and broad of chest and always had a smile and was willing to lend a paw to a wolf in need. He was laughing at something the stunning blonde she-wolf beside him had said and that cheerful couple drew a sharp contrast from the unknown man on his other side. I couldn't even be sure that man was a wolf at all, he was pale and lean but his eyes were dark, cold and...and never seemed to leave my face. "Just give up the games now," the grey wolf continues, "fall into my arms instead I can take care of you just as well as some fancy Alpha can. Close your eyes, you won't even notice the difference." I felt his tongue from my collar bone to my jaw.

The year is 2304 and war has ravaged the world, leaving scattered communities. Keira, a headstrong 25-year-old, has joined the Eagle tribe with the goal of making a difference. Their primary mission is to take back Meraki, a planet that was intended only for the wealthy and privileged. For the past 50 years, raiders seeking riches have taken over Meraki and severed all communication. The Eagle tribe, trained by old war heroes, has been selected to assess the situation and is actively searching for scattered pieces of a space shuttle that was used to travel to Meraki. Keira is one of the few women who joined the force, as most women help out with daily necessities. She has no interest in marriage, but she can't help but react whenever Josh is nearby. Josh, newly appointed as second in command, has a string of women eagerly throwing hints of marriage, and he would stop at nothing to make them sway. His piercing green eyes, sun-kissed blonde hair, dashing dimples, and ripped physique due to excessive training would contribute to the madness. As fate would have it, she found herself crossing paths with Caleb - a master of manipulation with a dashing demeanor. Despite his apparent immunity to emotion, he exuded a commanding presence that was both cold and alluring. There was something dark and mysterious about him that drew her in, and she couldn't help but feel like he had a way of penetrating her guarded thoughts. Meraki is a place for dreams, a meaning to a better future, or maybe where dreams are now scattered by the selfish traits of men for self-gain.