Inside The Castle

Seven years into our marriage, my husband, Lucas Thorne, is hailed as a legendary astronomer in the field of astronomy. It is no secret that he absolutely adores me, his wife. He always keeps a polite, distant demeanor with those around him. Even when his new assistant, Serena Cox, asks for his number, he coldly turns her down. In the year he proposed to me, he named a star "LAW", which was an acronym for "Lucas Adores Wilma". Since then, every asteroid he discovers is named with initials that hold a special significance only the two of us know. To others, they might just be scientific achievements. But to me, they are unspoken love letters. This goes on until this morning, when I stumble upon an unfamiliar phone. I unlock it easily with my middle name, thinking it's yet another quiet gesture of his love. But to my horror, I find a string of explicit messages between him and another woman. The person who was at the receiving end of those messages was none other than… Serena, his assistant.

When I learned that Holly Jones had gone to deliver cold medicine to her young assistant, even though she knew I was trapped in the elevator and suffered from claustrophobia, I asked for a divorce. Holly signed without hesitation. Smiling at her best friend, she said, "Jim is just throwing a little tantrum. His parents are gone, so there's no way he'd really divorce me. Besides, there's a thirty-day cooling-off period before it's finalized. If he regrets it, I'll graciously forgive him and take him back." The very next day, she posted a couples' photoshoot with her assistant, captioned: [Capturing your every sexy moment.] I counted the days. Calmly, I packed my belongings and made a phone call. "Uncle, buy me a ticket to Hudson City."

I waited for my boyfriend for three hours at his birthday party. Sean Ziegler was supposed to show up dressed as the star of night. However, his secret lover, Josie Sullivan, called him to the hospital. She had pretended to sprain her ankle. There, she recorded a video of her and Sean kissing. In the heat of the moment, Sean stood up and pushed her against the door. But he was supposed to be paralyzed. “Sean, why haven’t you told Wendy that your legs are fine now?” “If she knows, she’ll pressure me to marry her. Seriously, who does she think she is? Wendy’s just a free maid. She’s not good enough to be my wife,” Sean said in a muffled voice. After that, he continued to kiss Josie intensely. Wearing the wedding dress I had designed, Josie looked provocatively into the camera. The video then ended with the sounds of them kissing. It turned out that Sean had been lying to me all along. I threw the cake that I made for him into the trash. Then, I texted my mom. [Mom, I’ll go on that blind date.]

Allena was sucked inside a mirror and ended up in a strange world where humans reside alongside different kinds of good and bad demons. She meets and frees a half-human-half wolf demon who was sealed inside a sacred blue fire cage, fifty years ago by the brother of his lover to get his powerful fang jewel. Linux, a half-wolf demon and half-human were free again. Upon seeing Allena's face which resembles his ex-lover whose brother was responsible for sealing him for so long, he mistook her for his ex-lover and attack her. He tries to kill her to get revenge for what her brother, Sirus, did to him but for some reason, he couldn't hurt her no matter how much he tried to. Linux decides to find the brother of his ex-lover to get revenge with the help of Allena when he learns that she's not his ex-lover in exchange for helping her to go back into her world once he gets back his fang jewel. While searching for Sirus, Linux and Allena alongside their newfound friends fight evil forces of demons who are hindering them to find Sirus. Facing death so many times, Allena and Linux gradually fall in love with each other. But Linux ex-lover, Sabina, suddenly appears and sways his heart once again. Which woman he should choose to be with? His ex-lover Sabina whom he couldn't forget and he vows that he will protect her no matter what happens or Allena, the cheerful and pure soul woman from another world who enter and healed his wounded heart? How about Allena? Will she go back to her world and never come back or stay in that strange world and fight for her love for Linux? Is there a happy ending for the three of them?

On the day that I returned to the country, Lola Lawson, the one who was once the love of my life for ten years, sent me a picture of a baby. She told me to think of a name and meet her at the city hall to register the baby, as she had prepared a welcome-home gift for me. So, I rushed over with bags full of baby supplies. But when I arrived, she and her girlfriends were bent over with ridicule and laughter. "I told you! Even though he was gone for a year, he's still a loyal lapdog! Just a wave of my hand and he'd even be willing to raise someone else's kid for me!" She sized me up with mocking amusement. "Kevin Sheraton. How could you still be this naive? Just one joke and you come running?" They laughed without any restraint, calling me names and hurling insults, saying I'd do anything for Lola. But when I walked past them and took a number to register my own child's birth, and later wrapped my arm around my wife as the three of us took a family portrait, Lola's eyes were completely reddened with tears.

Ritchelle Amanda Louvre is a twenty-three-year-old werewolf. A kind, beautiful, and angelic luna. She was dethroned as the Queen Luna of her former empire, kingdom Edington. Her former mate constantly abused and rejected her, so she decided not to stay in that kingdom anymore. Years passed, and she finally is crowned queen in another empire as she changed her name to Johannes Alora Evoy. A name that symbolizes rage, courage, hope, and nemesis. Taking a few consorts who will help her avenge for justice, she became the queen everyone loved. An independent and courageous queen. In her pursuit to take back the kingdom of Edington, she faces a lot of trials. Battling against her former mate and his concubine was definitely formidable. Despite everything she has worked hard for, vengeance for herself and the people of Edington is the only reason she thrives and fights. But one thought flows inside her brilliant mind, "Will I ever find another mate?" Nonetheless, avenge is all hers. The last laughter is to Queen Evoy alone. Let everyone behold the gem they once thrown. The rejected Queen Luna rose again from the dead to be known.

For the eighteenth time, Samson brought home his new lover and enjoyed their intimacy right in front of me. Knowing he was doing this to get back at me, I just quietly picked up their scattered clothes. Five years ago, Samson was nearly killed in a kidnapping. Ignoring all his desperate pleas, I broke up with him and left the country. Five years later, he became the CEO of a major corporation and used his wealth to keep me at his side as his personal assistant. Every so often, he would bring home a different woman and flaunt their affection in front of me just to humiliate me. Samson never knew that I had saved him from those kidnappers five years ago—and that I was the one who couldn't let go of him. Things went on this way until he brought Judy back. My cousin, someone I had financially supported for years. When Judy proudly stroked her belly and told me she was pregnant with Samson’s baby, I just congratulated her calmly. Then, I turned and made a phone call. “Hello, about that Medical Support Project we discussed? I’ve decided—I’m ready to join.”

For ten years, Isaac was my fated mate. My Alpha. My future. Then, on the eve of his Alpha Ceremony, he chose another she-wolf to be his Luna, Chloe. His reason? She was wild and free...everything I used to be. "We are FATED MATES!" I screamed, my hand flying to the mark on my neck. "How can you defy the Moon Goddess? How can you just throw me away?" My wolf howled through our bond, trying to make him feel my pain. The backlash should have crippled him. But he didn't even flinch. It wasn't a real mark. Just a lie, painted on with magic. A trick to chain me to his side. My legs gave out. I hit the floor, a raw sob tearing from my throat. When the tears dried, the grief turned to ice. I stormed the Elders' Council and demanded they sever the bond. Then, I did the unthinkable. I chose his cursed uncle, Vincent. Isaac laughed. He thought it was a pathetic game to make him jealous. He had no idea. The Elders had already named his uncle the new Alpha. He didn't understand his mistake until he saw me crowned Luna on Vincent's arm. Only then did he come crawling back, begging for a forgiveness I would never give.

Evelyn Moore thought marrying Adrian Blackwood would be her fairy-tale ending. Instead, she became the ghost in his mansion… invisible, unwanted, and broken. For three years, she endured his coldness, his cruelty, and his lies. She smiled through the humiliation when society whispered about his mistress. But when she discovered she was pregnant and he still chose his mistress, something inside her shattered and then rebuilt itself stronger. She signed the divorce papers and walked away from the Blackwood empire with nothing but her dignity. What Adrian didn’t know? She was never just Evelyn Moore, the orphan he married out of obligation. She is Evelyn Hartman…the missing daughter of the most powerful family in the country. Her three brothers emerged from the shadows like avenging angels: Elias, Damian and Julian, ready to protect their sister at all cost They showered her with love, protection, and the wealth she’d been denied for years. But as she heals and rises again, one man stands by her side—Luca Varyn, her silent bodyguard with haunted eyes and deadly hands. He becomes her protector, her confidant, and the man who teaches her what true respect feels like. Yet when shocking secrets resurface, Evelyn learns that Adrian’s cruelty wasn’t born of hate, but of deception…a lie that shattered them both. Now Adrian is fighting not just for forgiveness, but for the woman he never truly stopped loving. Caught between the man who broke her and the man who saved her, Evelyn must choose between the safety of her new life and the dangerous, fragile chance of mending a love that was never meant to die. Because sometimes… the heart remembers the truth even when the mind refuses to.

I became the ultimate simp for Shannon Seay, the school's notorious flirt, and everyone assumed I was head over heels for her. When she skipped classes to pick fights or chase thrills, I'd copy notes and homework for her. When she tangled in ambiguous flings with other guys, I'd provide alibis to cover her tracks. For three grueling years, I poured my heart and soul into transforming her into an academic star, securing her spot at a top university. But right before orientation, she dumped me. Towering over me, she declared, "I know you've had a crush on me forever, but you're all books and no spark. Compared to Hunter, you're too rigid. We're done. I'm with him now." The crowd held its breath, anticipating my meltdown. I peeked at my phone, confirming a $50-million transfer, and replied with genuine nonchalance, "Alright, congrats." No one knew my unwavering devotion was purely because her father had paid handsomely for it. Now that the pay had been secured, it was time for me to vanish.